CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
As the domestic football codes continue to battle for fanbases and TV Ratings both here and New Zealand, our nation’s lesser-publicised but equally as serious inter-sporting rivalry has today reared its head once again.
Following the 2019 NRL Grand Final, and subsequent off-season incidents currently taking place in Bali, a new official count has been ordered by the AIS on the most hyphens in Australian sport.
For the first time in history, the Australian rugby league has officially overtaken rugby union for the most hyphenated last names in Australian sport.
This is a commendable feat for the rugby league, as a football code that is traditionally seen as a working class game, compared to rugby union which has its roots in prestigious English and Australian public schools.
As NRL CEO Todd Greenberg points out, the game owes a lot to the Kiwi players for this acclaimed prize, stating that it was no easy task when pitted against the heavily private school-bred Australian rugby union.
Between the Wallabies and the Super Rugby competition, the ARU hosts several high-profile double-barrels in the shape of Brumbies fullback Jordan Jackson-Hope, Waratah prop Harry Johnson-Holmes and the 119-cap Wallaby star Adam Ashley-Cooper.
But despite the aristocratic blue-blood reputation that usually comes with hyphenated last names – the most recent tally has found that Polynesian rugby league players have overtaken the white boys of rugby union in the traditionally very rugby union field.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and the Bali brawler himself Nelson Asofa-Solomona are just a sample of many Kiwi leaguies to rock a dash, and numbers are growing considerably.
One notable difference between the two different usages of the hyphen is that rugby union players only respond to their entire name, whereas league players opt for initials (e.g JWH, SKD).
The title for the most hyphenated last names in Australian sport has been held by white rugby union players since the mid-90s.
Prior to that it was briefly held by Australian Indigenous female athletes.
However, after Nova Peris lopped off the Kneebone and Evonne Goolagong made it clear that there was no hyphen joined to Cawley on her marriage certificate, the affluent white males of rugby union reclaimed the top spot with the likes of Nick Farr-Jones in the Wallabies and Sam Norton-Knight coming through the ranks.
When it comes to Australian music, the title for the most hyphenated last names is still held by Country & Western, thanks to Troy Cassar-Daley and Keith Urban-Kidman.
