On Saturday night, the Sky Blues will face Macarthur FC in a crucial game for Sydney FC, who are aiming to collect three points and get some momentum under their belt.
Eyes will be on the fixture for not just the two teams, as there will be a sibling rivalry, with Corey Hollman (Sydney FC) and Jake Hollman (Macarthur FC) taking on each other for the first time.
This matchup may spark a new rivalry in Australian football, and will be the first time two brothers face each other in the Izuzu UTE A-League since Keanu Baccus and Kearyn Baccus did in 2019.
Corey Hollman vs Jake Hollman
Corey Hollman make his professional debut against his brother’s team in December 2021, aged 18. However, Jake Hollman had been substituted off by the time that he entered the pitch, meaning they never came face to face on the park.
Corey Hollman played his first full 90 minutes in the Isuzu UTE A-League for the first time against Perth Glory after a groin injury saw him ruled out for 15 months. Last week Corey was aggressive on the ball and impressed many in the stands and he will be looking to do the same against his brother on Saturday.
Jake Hollman, however, will stand in his way. The two-year older brother has made 53 appearances for Macarthur FC and has started the season in solid form, scoring four goals. Having been rested following the trip to Thailand for the AFC Cup, Jake also scored a crucial equaliser against Adelaide on Monday despite being on the pitch for just over 15 minutes.
There is also a third Hollman sibling who plays football, with youngest sister Shay pulling on the Sky Blue for Sydney FC Women’s team on a weekly basis.
With both players playing in the midfield, they will set to come face-to-face with each other as Corey plays as a defensive midfielder and Jake an attacking.
Before they take to the pitch, we take a look at some of the other times that siblings have met in sporting occasions from tennis to football.
Serena Williams vs Venus Williams
Serena and Venus Williams are two of the most recognisable names in tennis, having played each other 31 times, including seven grand slam finals.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles and spent 319 weeks as the number one in the Women’s Tennis Circuit. Between themselves, Serena played Venus 31 times, winning 19 of the matches.
Oracene Price and Richard Williams both coached Venus and Serena and Venus was the first sister to become a professional in 1994 and continues to refuse to retire 29 years later.
Venus claimed seven Grand Slam titles and won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Like her sister, Venus also reached the number one spot. Although it wasn’t the lengthy amount of time Serena had, she went number one on three occasions. She was also the first African-American Woman to do so in the open era.
Gary Neville vs Phil Neville
Gary and Phil Neville are two of the most recognisable names in the world of football; where Gary became an eight-time Premier League winner whilst Phil won six Premier League titles, all with Manchester United. Both men also had a combined 144 internationals for England.
Gary and Phil played alongside each other for 13 years, playing 283 games for Manchester United. The brothers were some of the hardest workers under Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1992 graduate team and both men played as defenders, Gary as a right-back, and Phil a centre-back.
Gary and Phil Neville training for Manchester United
However, 2005, Gary and Phil parted ways when Phil signed a five-year contract with Everton, playing alongside Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta, setting up one of the biggest matches between Manchester United and Everton on the opening match day of the 2005/2006 season. The game finished 2-0 to Manchester United and Gary had the bragging rights.
Gary and Phil ended up playing five games against each other. Gary won three out of the five tussles, while Phil won the final match in 2010.
Jason Kelce vs Travis Kelce
In a more 2020’s sibling rivalry, Jason and Travis Kelce have become two of the most recognisable siblings over the past year after starting their podcast “New Heights” in 2022 and playing each other in the Superbowl earlier this year.
Although these brothers use the podcast to tell stories and banter with each other, Jason and Travis are two of the biggest names in American football, both playing in this year’s edition of the Superbowl dubbed as the ‘Kelce Bowl’, which saw Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs defeat Jason’s Phildapheia Eagles 38-35 in which Travis scored the opening touchdown for the Chiefs in the first quarter.
Both players started their rivalry in their backyard before competing against each other in college football. After making the NFL, mother Donna Kelce has been seen wearing shirts supporting both teams as these two men have become the sibling rivalry that defines American Sport. In their most recent clash, the Jason’s Eagles defeated the Travis Chiefs 21-17 in a match that over 29 million people viewed Jason edge his brother in a courageous second-half performance.
With Travis now dating Taylor Swift, Jason may have to show who rules the field this season in the NFL.
Don’t miss the sibling rivalry right here at Allianz Stadium this Saturday.
Match Details:
Sydney FC vs Macarthur FC
Isuzu UTE A-League Round Seven
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:45pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+ and 10BOLD
Tickets: Click Here
Matchday Partner – Carma
