IT’S IN THE GENES – AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL FAMILIEStells the stories of some of the many families who have produced multiple generations of VFA/VFL/AFL/AFLW footballers stretching back to the late 19th century. Included are the stories of the Rankin/O’Donnell dynasty that has produced five generations of players across three centuries; the Pannam/Richards and Cordner clans with similar numbers; the six McShane brothers who wore Geelong colours in the VFA and VFL; the great Laurie Nash and his father Bob – the first father and son to captain VFL clubs; champion fathers and sons Haydn Bunton Senior and Junior, the Whittens, Abletts, Kennedys, Tucks, Fletchers, Spargos, Daicoses, Silvangis, father and daughter Greg and Erin Phillips and many more. The magicians from the Tiwi Islands – the Riolis and Longs – are also included, as are many sibling groups including the Strangs, Twomeys, Danihers, Selwoods and the Murphy, Collier and Coventry brothers who were members of the famous Magpie ‘Machine’ of the late 1920s. And a chapter on Ron Barassi Senior and Junior looks at the story of a ‘fallen father’ and an ‘immortal son’ from an unusual and slightly different perspective.
