Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler and Reece Walsh among Australia's top Google searches of 2023

Google has revealed the most-searched Australians of 2023, confirming how big Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler and 'Matildas Mania' were during the Women's World Cup. The search engine giants released the list of most-searched terms and people of the year this week - and it made for some interesting reading for sports fans.

Six of the top 10 most-searched people were athletes, with Kerr and Fowler coming in first and second respectively. The nation was completely captivated by the Matildas' run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Australia, so there's no surprise that their star players were also on the minds of Aussies.

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The Matildas became the first Aussie team to make the final four at a FIFA World Cup (men's or women's), and their semi-final showdown with England was the most-watched event in Australian TV history. Kerr and Fowler have also been the talk of the country for their efforts off the field, with Kerr recently getting engaged to fellow football player Kristie Mewis, and Fowler starting a relationship with NRL superstar Nathan Cleary.

But interestingly, Cleary wasn't the most-searched NRL player in 2023. That honour went to Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh, who shot to superstardom this season as he helped the Broncos make the grand final.

The 21-year starred for Queensland in State of Origin, and was pivotal in Brisbane's run to the NRL decider. But despite the fact that Cleary and the Panthers beat Walsh and the Broncos to lift the premiership trophy, it was actually Walsh who was more popular in terms of Google searches.

Walsh came in at fourth on the list, with former cricket captain Michael Clarke at No.3. Clarke has always been a popular and divisive figure, but made international headlines this year when he was filmed in a public bust-up with girlfriend Jade Yarbrough in Noosa.

Google data confirms popularity of Matildas in 2023

Boxing star Tim Tszyu came in at seventh, while Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter was ninth on the list of most-Googled Aussies this year. The fact that three Matildas players landed in the top-10 compared to one NRL player and none from the AFL further illustrates how popular the Aussie women's football team has become. 'How to watch Women’s World Cup' was also the most-searched ‘how to’ question on Google this year.

However the Women's World Cup wasn't actually the most-searched sporting event of the year. It came in third behind the men's ODI Cricket World Cup and the Ashes - both won by Australia. The fact the World Cup was held in India and there is a huge Indian community in Australia probably boosted the number of searches significantly.

Notably, the NRL, AFL and State of Origin didn't make the top-10, but big fights like Jake Paul v Tommy Fury and Alex Volkanovski v Islam Makhachev did. Other sporting events to make the top-10 were tennis' United Cup, the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and LIV Golf.

The Australians most searched on Google in 2023:

1. Sam Kerr

2. Mary Fowler

3. Michael Clarke

4. Reece Walsh

5. Dan Andrews

6. Bianca Censori

7. Tim Tszyu

8. Kathleen Folbigg

9. Ellie Carpenter

10. Lidia Thorpe

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