With plenty of discussion surrounding the dominance of the Daicos', the Ashcrofts and the De Konings in today's league, we thought it was time to take a look at some of the greatest football families in the history of our game.
Here are 10 of the best AFL football families that have graced the game...
Honourable Mentions: The Burgoynes, the Moores, the Ashcrofts, the Darcys, the Liberatores, the Tucks, the Whittens, the Barassis, the Scarletts, the Silvagnis, the Fletchers, the Hawkins', the Maddens, the Blakeys, the Clokes, the Hirds, the Roccas', the Picketts, the Hills, the Scotts, the Curnows and the Pickens'.
4. The Riolis
The Rioli family could well be the best when it comes to big game situations. The exciting crop of smalls have eight premierships, two Norm Smith Medals and 59 finals goals between them. They also hold an incredible 8-2 record in Grand Finals.
The most high-profile of the Rioli's is Hawthorn legend and fan favourite Cyril. Cyril is responsible for four of his family's premierships and is one of very few players in history to achieve a three-peat. The Northern Territory native currently holds his family's record for goals with 275 and is the only one in the Rioli clan to earn All-Australian honours, having done so on three occasions. He also earned himself a Norm Smith Medal in 2015 and a goal of the year award in 2009.
The next most prolific Rioli is recent Gold Coast Sun recruit, Daniel Rioli. Daniel is the only one of the Rioli clan not predominantly known as a small forward and yet the defender still ranks third amongst his family in terms of total goal output with 114. Only two years removed from Cyril's dynasty, Daniel embarked on a dynasty of his own with Richmond, winning three flags in the space of four years. Over the past few weekends, Daniel has also claimed the title as his family's leading games holder with 191, overtaking older cousin Cyril on 189. He sits alongside Cyril as a fellow goal of the year winner and is currently the Tigers' reigning best and fairest winner. Given his and Gold Coast's electric start to this season, it would not be surprising to see Daniel contribute to the Suns' first-ever finals campaign and perhaps receive a first All-Australian blazer in the process.
The late Maurice Rioli Sr is the only Rioli to have earned multiple best and fairest awards (1982-1983). The forward is also one of only four players in history to have been awarded the Norm Smith Medal despite playing for the losing side. Adding to the 'big time' Rioli moniker is Maurice Sr's WAFL premiership in 1980 and two Simpson Medals (WAFL equivalent of a Norm Smith). The former Tiger had also fallen agonisingly short of claiming the prestigious Brownlow Medal in 1983, losing out by just one vote to legendary half-forward Ross Glendenning. Testament to his career is his three All-Australian honours (1983, 1986, 1987), his AFL Hall of Fame induction and his recognition into the Indigenous team of the century.
At 29 years of age, Willie Rioli Jr has played 98 career games and is only getting better. The Port Adelaide livewire has just come off a career-best 33-goal season, beating his previous campaign's tally of 31 goals. He is best known for his debut AFL season, a season which saw him play a significant role in securing West Coast its fourth premiership back in 2018. In the Grand Final, Willie scored a desperately needed first goal for the Eagles and sparked their resurgence from an early 29-point deficit. In 2025, his rich vein of goalscoring form is better than ever, averaging a career high 1.6 goals per game.
To say that Dean Rioli is the least recognised Rioli is harsh, considering his inclusion within the 100-game club. The Former Essendon man was unlucky to miss out on the 2000 premiership through injury and sits only behind Cyril in terms of his family's career win percentage (64.5%). Dean's best season remarkably came in his debut season, where he booted 29 goals, landing only five goals shy of second place in Essendon's goal tally, an impressive feat considering he missed a quarter of the season.
At 22 years of age, Maurice Rioli Jr is still in the early stages of his career. The Richmond father-son could consider himself unlucky, having arrived to the club a year after the Tigers dynasty came to an end. Maurice Jr's best season to date came in 2022 where he scored 14 goals from 15 games, winning 67% of games in the process. He is currently 40 games into his AFL career and has 29 goals.
Overall, the Rioli's have played 736 games and scored 726 goals.
Couldn’t manage to get the Silvagni name in there Dale?
Not a great effort Dale.
You include uncles and cousins – but ONLY if they have the same name. A few extra moment of research would have told you that the Ablett famil also includes Michael, Travis and Tuck.
While the Watson family includes Seb Ross.