What's it like to have a son who does MMA? Ask our deputy PM
Sam: I idolised Dad when I was young. My parents were divorced, and I'd spend a few days with Mum [Lisa Neville, a former Labor minister in the Victorian government], then a couple of days with Dad. They both had very busy, high-pressure jobs, so there wasn't too much consistency in where I'd be. I had to go with the flow a little bit. I always looked forward to going to see Dad.
He loves golf and I played with him a lot. It was one of the things that kept us close. I remember Dad's reaction when I got my first birdie. I was only about seven and I holed a putt from maybe 30 feet. Dad was jumping up and down. He ran over and gave me this big hug. As a son, you want to impress your dad; you want his validation. And golf gave me that. I'm sure he'd have loved me to become a professional golfer. It wasn't as if he pressured me to do that – he was never a pushy dad – but I stuck with golf a bit longer than I otherwise would have because I was searching for Dad's approval.
When I made the transition to mixed martial arts, he was a bit concerned. I sat both my parents down and said, 'I'm going to pursue this.' At first, they didn't really understand it. They maybe didn't believe this was really a potential career path. They looked at me like I was crazy. But, over time, they started to get on board and actually became quite supportive. I think they can see it's been a positive influence on my life.
'I don't cry too often – he's more of a cryer – but there were definitely a few tears shed during that call.'
Sam Marles
I'm someone who needs to move. I'm very ADHD; I've been like that since I was a kid. Sitting at a desk like my parents do has never been something I'm good at. I like the description of mixed martial arts as high-level problem-solving with dire consequences. It's a very free form of combat sport. Boxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing: it combines everything. I love it, and I really like the people I'm around in the gym. I probably didn't fit into the golf scene as well.
Dad's a passionate person. The similarity between us is that we're both very driven. We're both obsessed with what we do, even if we've taken very different paths. At times in my life, I didn't have a lot of appreciation for the path he chose, and I'm sure that, at the beginning, the path I've chosen put a lot of stress on him. But we actually get along incredibly well. I can talk to Dad for hours; I love having conversations with him.
After I won the fight on election night [on May 3], I called him straight away, but he must have been busy doing interviews. I went off and hung out with some people, then when I got back to the hotel room, I had about six missed calls from him. When we finally spoke on the phone, it was a pretty special moment. I don't cry too often – he's more of a cryer – but there were definitely a few tears shed during that call. It felt like everything had come together, and everything made sense.
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