Best of Grandstand

On InZane Rugby League this week Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams are joined by ABC Sport commentator Quentin Hull for a three-tiered look at the finals. 

Imagine this - you achieve a lifelong dream and debut for the Socceroos and then after just two minutes on the pitch you score the winner and the only goal of the match. That's what happened to Max Balard last night against NZ in Canberra and he chats to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' about the emotion surrounding this bucket list moment, getting to share it with his Dad and the tears they shared after the game and why his phone didn't actually light up until hours after the game at the team hotel.

On InZane Rugby League this week Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams debate the prospect of a wildcard round as a way of stopping the top teams from resting their stars prior to the finals. 

It's been a historic week in the AFL with Mitch Brown becoming the first male player coming out as gay or bisexual and Fremantle Dockers captain Alex Pearce talks about Brown's bravery and how it is hopefully a "real step forward" for the code.Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Pearce talks about the accessibility and safety of the game, his own reflection on leadership and footy club culture and why the AFLW has helped advance the conversation in the men's competition.

Andrew Gaze has just been upgraded to 'Legend' status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and he talks about the immense honour, his basketball legacy and his Dad's understated reaction. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Gaze also talks about learning to be a leader, the US college pathway for Aussies and what has shocked him most in his media work these days in radio and TV.

Ahead of the WSL Finals in Fiji, Aussie surfers Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson talk about the waiting game and how long they've dreamed of a world title. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Picklum dives into her rapid ascent, what Steph Gilmore and Ash Barty are texting her about and how much she's feeling the home support. Robinson tells us about getting Fiji tips from Kelly Slater, his calmness and life on tour with his 18 month old kid Zen.

On Inzane Rugby League this week Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams are joined by Canberra super-fan and ABC Sport man of sound  Denis Carnahan for a close look at the "Miracle in Mudgee."

South African quick Kagiso Rabada joined Quentin Hull, Jason Gillespie and Stuart Clark for a lovely chat in the innings break of the 3rd ODI between Australia and South Africa.

Brianna Clark returned from college football in the US tired of the sport and after watching a Jillaroos v Kiwi Ferns game, she locked onto a new dream. Having now played plenty of NRLW, Clark chats to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' about putting posters on the back of her door aged 20, representing her mother's NZ side and the enormous leg tattoo she has of Fleetwood Mac.

Australian all rounder Cameron Green had a difficult six months out of cricket recovering from having part of his spine shaved down but he's stoked to now be back in the fold. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Green tells us he's operating at 80% right now, when bowling might come back in and he cheekily hits back at Usman Khawaja convincing us that the all rounder position is the hardest.

You may have heard a lot of voices this week weighing in on Izak Rankine's homophobic slur and the power of language in sport, but how many of those opinions had lived experience? Kade Matthews from Proud2Play talks through how this can trickle down to community sport and push kids away from playing, why it will "absolutely" happen again and why the AFL needs a clear and public punishment for when it does.

In his first few weeks at GWS, Joe Fonti took a bold hanger on his skipper Toby Greene at training and sneakily recorded a photo of it to show his parents. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Fonti talks about his unexpected debut, why he hardly watches any footy, his cousin rivalry with AFLW star Ella Roberts and more.

Aussie netballer Liv Lewis just won 'Defender of the Year' at the Melbourne Mavericks but is quitting the sport to give footy a crack. It's a bold play but Lewis had this nagging feeling that she needed to give herself that challenge. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' we hear about what the next few months look like, how excited she is to legally tackle in a sport, what chance she gives herself and why Lewis doesn't try juggle both and more.

On InZane Rugby League this week - Zane Bojack and former Raiders half Sam Williams are joined by dual codes superstar Wendall Sailor. 

On the Saturday Sledge this week, stand-in host Zane Bojack spoke to Gold Coast Suns star Will Powell, Brisbane Broncos journeyman Ben Talty, Aussie cricket all-rounder Aaron Hardie, Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott, NRLW star Caitlin Turnbull and former Socceroos skipper Paul Wade. 

On InZane Rugby League this week Zane Bojack and former Raiders halfback Sam Williams are joined by Roosters premiership captain Anthony Minichiello following the tri-colours stunning 64 to 12 victory over the Dolphins at Lang Park. 

Proud Dharawal woman and reigning NRLW Cowboy of the Year Bree Chester gets to play alongside her childhood heroes and now feels lucky to be an inspiration herself these days at only age 23.Chester chats to Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge' about creating her own footy team in school, playing back in Newcastle for Magic Round and why the camp for Indigenous All Stars and the Whatsapp group chat for First Nations NRLW players is a fountain of positivity.

With the 10th season of the AFLW about to begin, four time GWS club champion and two time All Australian Alyce Parker is moving from her farm near Holbrook back to Sydney to lead the Giants. Parker chats to Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge' about her farming vs footy split, how hard the adjustment was to city life when she was first drafted and why finals (and therefore missing harvest) is still the ultimate driver for her.

Fresh off a silver medal in Singapore at the World Aquatic Championships, where she didn't realise she was part of a dead heat, Jenna Forrester is proud of what she's got through to find success. Joining Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge' Forresters talks about overcoming a shift in her identity, dealing with heightened expectations and sickness to her hero her Mum and what life is like under coach Dean Boxall alongside Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O'Callaghan and more.

With a top end white ball series against South Africa kicking off this weekend, skipper Mitch Marsh gives us the lowdown on the upcoming matches and his recent success. Talking to Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge', Marsh talks about one of his favourite ever tours in West Indies, why cricket is third on the list of sports he's going to get his new baby into and what footy code he really wants to play when he retires from cricket.

For Australian netball legend Laura Geitz, it all comes back to wanting the same pair of shoes as her older sister and a competitive drive that only a younger sibling can relate to. Fresh off being named in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Geitz chats to Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge' about coming late to netball at age 13, what she learned by leading her country and why her eldest son is more excited about NRL icon Cam Smith getting into the Hall of Fame.

On Inzane Rugby League this week Zane Bojack was joined by former Raiders half-back Sam Williams, Cowboys inaugural captain Laurie Spina and rugby league immortal Wally Lewis to pay tribute to the late Maroons legend Sam Backo. 

Former Sydney Swans player, now author Brandon Jack joins 'The Saturday Sledge' to promise us that all the antics in his new book 'Pissants' are not based on truth. The novel follows a fictional footy club and it's players exploits on and mostly off the field and we hear about how he dreamt it up, what the response has been from his ex-teammates and why he's drawn to the darker side of writing.

Fresh off another stellar year for the Brumbies, Tom Wright is out to make sure the British and Irish Lions aren't leaving Australia with a 3-0 whitewash. Talking to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Wright talks about farewelling Nic White, what Joseph Suaalii has added to the Wallaby group, why life and rugby looks different these days with his first kid watching on and how he dealt with the pain of last week's non-decision at the MCG.

To give you an idea of how little Sydney Swans player Lewis Melican was expecting to be drafted, he was celebrating Schoolies on the Gold Coast and missed four calls from John Longmire after being picked.Talking to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Melican chats about his career battling injuries, Grand Final pain and what he's learned across the years the Swans have done the Pride game as they will again this weekend.

Grace Kim had the best two hours of her life a few weeks ago when she went eagle-birdie-eagle then chipped in on the playoff hole to become just the 5th Australian woman to win a major in golf. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Kim recalls the "all gas no brakes" freedom she was playing with, why other players on tour are jealous of the Aussie crew and why she has the avocado emoji on all her golf balls.

One of the greatest gold medal stories of Paris 2024 for Australia was Noemie Fox who had to beat the best just to make the Olympics, overcome her sister Jess in a heat and then execute everything to perfection in the final.The dream came true and 12 months on, Fox chats to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' about the magical experience, dealing with the loss of her grandfather the day she qualified and how long it took to truly sink in that she'd achieved her gold medal dream.

On Inzane Rugby League this week - Zane Bojack and Sam Williams are joined by Quentin Hull and Maroons legend Billy Moore for a rugby league round-table discussion on International eligibility. 

Inspired by Cathy Freeman as a kid, Mahalia Murphy wants to show kids across Australia, especially in small towns and communities, that you can dream big. The NRLW Parramatta Eels captain Mahalia Murphy chats to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' about code hopping between League and Union, how crazy the last decade has been for women's footy and what Magic Round is going to be like.

After an out of the blue call from coach Sandy Brondello while training for her WNBL1 team, Alex Fowler has taken her shot and just won the MVP for the Opals at the Asia Cup. Joining Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Fowler gives us an idea of how far off her Opals dream was, why she had to learn to work hard after being the tallest kid for so long and how she celebrated her birthday the night the Opals won the Asia Cup.

Flynn Southam fell out of love with swimming at age 18 but turned around this common story to win two medals at the Paris Olympics. Talking to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Southam details how he found the love again, what he's learned by swimming alongside legends like Kyle Chalmers and what's next as he lines up for Australia in the World Aquatic Championships in Singapore.

The first gold medal for Australia at the Paris Olympics went to Grace Brown and 12 months on we re-live what was a dream day and part of a "mythical" finish to her cycling career. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Brown also chats how impressive Pogachar has been in this years Tour de France, how the TdF Femmes is shaping up and where she finds satisfaction and purpose these days after retiring.

Waiaria Ellis is the second youngest Wallaroo of all time and at 17 years of age, she's balancing playing at the highest level with finishing school. Talking to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Ellis chats about the juggle, her dreams to play at the World Cup where she would turn 18 and the honour of debuting against New Zealand where she has such strong Maori ties to.

Jason Sangha was told he wasn't required at NSW and it turns out a fresh start is exactly what he needed at South Australia where he ended up hitting the winning runs in the Shield final.Chatting to Declan Byrne on ‘The Saturday Sledge' Sangha tells us what that moment meant to him and the whole state, what it was like being in the middle of the pandemonium as fans stormed the field, where that famous bat is and how he's enjoyed scoring a double ton for Australia A this week in Darwin.

On Inzane Rugby League this week, Zane Bojack and Sam Williams are joined by AAP reporter Joel Gould to talk about the NRL's discussions in the US with Disney, DAZN and Netflix ahead of the next broadcast deal. 

Joe Fallon has played music all his life but never combined it with his love of sport until now and his videos are going viral. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Fallon is uploading videos to his socials playing midwest emo style guitars over memorable sporting moments and chats about how he thought of it, how far the videos have gone and what might be next.Find them here.

In just his third major, Elvis Smylie chats about going from watching Adam Scott win the Masters as a 10-year-old to playing a practice round at The Open with him. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Smylie also talks about having a hit with Alex De Minaur and Usman Khawaja recently and what they taught him about high level sport, what he's learned from his two majors so far and more.

After winning the premiership with Newcastle in her first season of NRLW, Jacinta Carter has now moved to Cronulla in search of opportunities and she's loving life in the Shire. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge', Carter talks about how she's embraced her new home, who sat her down to tell her what it means to be a Shark and her level of QLD Origin fandom as kid.

The Stingers are dominating at the World Aquatic Champs in Singapore right now so goalkeeper Gen Longman jumps on 'The Saturday Sledge' to talk about the new era the team has entered. We also hear about their momentous silver medal last year, the drama of the penalty shootouts that Longman featured heavily in and which athlete at Paris 2024 she could see from her balcony everyday of the Olympics.

Wallabies legend Allan Alaalatoa has been dreaming of playing the Lions his whole career and he feels the Wallabies are as well placed as can be to take them on tonight with stronger connections compared to 12 months ago. Talking to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Alaalatoa talks through the double pride for his family this weekend, what Tom Lynagh has been like this week ahead of his big moment plus how jealous he will be not playing in the Pasifika Indigenous game.

Phoenix Crossland only spent a few years in NZ as a kid but playing for them last year and for his family was the greatest month of his life. Chatting to Declan Byrne on 'The Saturday Sledge' Crossland chats about his grandparents influence on his life, getting to 100 games and after a turbulent week for the Newcastle Knights, tells us what Kalyn Ponga means to the club and why Adam O'Brien has been a father figure for him.

Even though Scott Boland took a hat-trick, it was Mitchell Starc's day, taking his 400th wicket in his 100th test match as Australia demolished the West Indies in their second innings. Join the team as they try to figure out what went wrong as the home side were skittled for 27 and for all the remaining post-match analysis.