Sport & Life with Sam Kekovich and Leon Wiegard

With Sam on holidays, Dan Jones steps off the rookie list and into the guts as he and Leon welcome Channel Seven's Brian “BT” Taylor to kick off the AFL season. BT takes us from leaving home at 16, to kicking a hundred goals, to carving out a media career built on personality, preparation and pure instinct. He opens up on State of Origin magic, the evolution of access in footy, the art of calling a game, and the Christmas snapper that nearly burned the house down. A cracking chat with one of the game's great characters.

Jeff Brown joins Sam, Rich and Liam for a wide‑ranging, deeply human conversation that moves from footy folklore to leadership, loyalty and life after a cancer diagnosis. Brown reflects on his years as Collingwood president, the fallout and legacy of the Do Better report, the rise of Craig McRae, and the club's transformation into a 110,000‑member powerhouse.The boys dive into the changing landscape of the AFL — from gaming and sponsorship tensions to the evolution of coaching, culture and the booming growth of AFLW. Brown also opens up about his battle with multiple myeloma, the research breakthroughs giving real hope, and the community behind the “My Greatest Call” fundraising lunch honouring Sandy Roberts.It's a conversation full of humour, honesty and perspective — from legal war stories to media memories, from Fitzroy heartbreak to Collingwood triumph, and from the fragility of life to the power of mateship.A thoughtful, funny and generous chat with one of Australian sport's most influential figures.

On this episode of Sport and Life, Sam and Leon sit down with one of the most iconic voices in Australian sport — Sandy Roberts. Across decades behind the microphone, Sandy has called some of the country's greatest moments, and today he reflects on the highs, the heartbreaks, and the stories that shaped his remarkable career.But this conversation goes deeper than nostalgia. Sandy opens up about his diagnosis with multiple myeloma and the new chapter of purpose it has inspired. Now an ambassador for Myeloma Australia, he's using his platform to raise awareness, support families, and push for better outcomes for the thousands of Australians living with this incurable blood cancer.It's a warm, honest, and deeply human chat with a man whose voice has been part of our sporting lives — and whose courage continues to inspire.

Andrew Gowers joins the show to reflect on a life in football — from 140 senior games (89 with Hawthorn, 51 with Brisbane) to his role in Hawthorn's 1991 Premiership. We dive into his transition to Club President, how the Hawks are positioning themselves for 2026, the strategic move to Dingley, and the stories behind his own playing career. It's a thoughtful, candid look at leadership, legacy, and the future of the brown and gold.

We chat with former AFL footballer Peter 'Spida' Everitt who played 291 games across three clubs (St.Kilda, Hawthorn & Sydney.) We chat with Spida about his time in the AFL, the coaches he butted heads with and his career post football in the media for both radio and television.

We chat with legendary boxing trainer Johnny Lewis. Johnny trained six world champions in his time including Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tszyu. We chat with Johnny about his career and some memorable moments in and out of the ring.

We chat with former Australian Tennis Professional John Millman. John made his Grand Slam debut at the 2006 Australian Open and famously defeated Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open going onto make the qtr finals. We chat with John about his career and his move now into the tennis media landscape.

Former Footscray sharpshooter Simon Beasley joins the show to discuss his appointment as President of the Vingt Cinq Club. He reflects on his playing days, shares stories from his footy career, and offers a look inside the club's direction and plans for the years ahead.

Leon stumbles upon a stack of newspapers from the 1960s — including Melbourne's iconic Sporting Globe  he and Sam dive headfirst into the headlines that shaped a generation with a funny story from a horse race in Rosedale.

In part 2 of our chat with Leon we chat about his involvement with the Olympics as both a competitor and administrator. This is on the back of Leon receiving an Order of Merit from The Australian Olympic Committee.

We chat with former footballer Harold Martin who famously got into a fist fight with our own Sam Kekovich in the 1978 VFA Grand Final. Harold chats about his single game VFL career with Fitzroy and some of his memories over his VFA playing and coaching career.

We chat with former Australian captain Kim Hughes to look ahead to the upcoming Ashes series. Kim also chats about his career after Sam reminisces about his time as captain of the Australian Test Team.

We chat with NRL and State of Origin legend Billy Moore who famously coined the phrase 'Queenslander' at the State of Origin series back in 1995. Billy chats about his league career and how the NRL is positioned moving forward.

In this heartfelt tribute, we sit down with Leon Wiegard—Olympian, sports administrator, businessman, and beloved voice behind the mic. From his early days in Abbotsford to his move to Kew, Leon's story is one of grit, generosity, and enduring impact. He represented Australia in water polo at the Olympic Games, led Fitzroy Football Club as president during pivotal years, and helped shape the sporting community through founding the Olympians Club of Victoria and presiding over the prestigious Vingt Cinq Club.As Leon faces recent health challenges, this episode celebrates his legacy in sport, business, and friendship. With warmth and candor, Leon reflects on the highs, the hurdles, and the humor that have defined his extraordinary life.

We chat with Sydney 2000 Gold Medalist Scott McGrory. Scott won Gold in Sydney for the Madison and is now a commentator for the Channel 9 broadcast. Scott chats about his career and memories of Sydney on the back of the recent documentary series celebrating the games and his victory.

We chat with former Suns boss Tony Cochrane about his journey in life and sport. Tony opens up about the difficulties in the infancy days of the Suns and how they developed recent success in the AFL. Tony also talk about the incoming Tasmania side and what this means for the rest of the competition.

We chat with GWS Captain and all round great bloke Toby Greene. Toby's played 261 games with GWS and we chat with him about his career with the club, in particular the early days to where they are now. We also reflect on the 2025 AFL Grand Final and how many more flags Brisbane have in their squad.

We chat with former jockey and three time Melbourne Cup winner Damien Oliver. Damien won 129 Group 1 races throughout his career, and we chat with him about his journey and recovery from his serious fall back in 2005. We then preview the 2025 AFL Grand Final to wrap the show.

It's the business end of the AFL finals so we decided to do a deep dive into the weekend of Preliminary Finals, and give our tips on who will be competing in the final weekend of September.

We chat with 2x Premiership player and former State Politician Justin Madden. Justin played from 1980 to 1996 starting his career at Essendon, then playing most of his career and Premierships with the Blues. Post football Justin moved into State Politics in 1999 as a Labor candidate wrapping his tenure in 2014.

We chat with the 1984 Olympic Champion Jon Sieben who famously won the 200m Butterfly at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Jon defeated West Germany's Michael Gross 'the albatross' who stood at 200cm tall with a 225cm wingspan. We chat with Jon about his career and how his life change after winning gold.

We chat with one of Australia's finest actors Gary Sweet. Gary famously played Sir Donald Bradman in the 1984 mini-series 'Bodyline.' We chat with Gary about his career and some of his iconic roles, and why the Don didn't speak to him after playing him on tv.

Emma Booth is an Australian Paralympic equestrian. She has represented Australia at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. Emma chats about her career and near fatal accident back in 2013, which left her a paraplegic and how from that she got back on the saddle, following her Olympic dreams.

We chat with the NRL's greatest ever coaches, Wayne Bennett. Wayne chats about his journey in Rugby League and how his humble beginnings in country QLD led to his almost 50 year career in coaching. We chat about some of Waynes greatest players he coached and the secrets to his success.

With a huge week in the world of sport, Sam and Leon chat about all the major headlines including the sacking of Melbourne Demon's coach Simon Goodwin and reflections on North Melbourne's 1975 Premiership.

We chat with Brisbane Co-Captain and Brownlow Medal winner from 2020 and 2023 Lachie Neale. Lachie talks about his journey from Fremantle to Brisbane and how his Brisbane side is travelling leading into the 2025 finals series.

We chat with one of League's greatest ever props Glenn Lazarus. We chat with Glenn about his career which spanned across three clubs the Raiders, the Broncos and the Storm. We also chat with Glenn about his stint in the Senate and relationship with Clive Palmer.

We chat with professional para surfer and former professional para cyclist Matt Formston. Matt chats about his sporting career including his inspiring story showcased on Netflix titled "The Blind Sea."

We chat with former St.Kilda and Carlton player Val Perovic. Val played 77 games for the Saints from 1973-79 and a further 97 games for the Blues from 1980-1985. We chat with Val about his career, and where do the Blues go from here given their horrible campaign in 2025.

We chat with one of Australia's best known journalist and cricket expert Robert 'Crash' Craddock. We chat with Robert about his 40 year career and some of his biggest stories including the infamous betting scandal with Hansie Cronje. We also chat about his time on the show 'The Back Page' and his best memories from the program.

Geoff Lord is an Australian businessman and investor, best known as the founder, chairman, and chief executive of the Belgravia Group. He also served as a Hawks director from 1986 to 1992 and President from 1993 to 1995. He also founded the Melbourne Victory football club and was their chairman from 2004 to 2010. We chat with Geoff about his career in sport and life and some of the key factors behind his success.

We chat with former league start and Melbourne Storm inaugural CEO Chris Johns. Chris played with St.George and the Broncos in the 80s and 90s and then was part of the inaugural setup of the Melbourne Storm. We chat with Chris about his journey in league and how he helped setup a newly formed team in Melbourne.

We chat with Bill Perry of the London Tavern Hotel who was recently honoured with the Nikakis Benchmark Award. The award recognised the top publicans of their class across Australia. Bill gives us an insight into the industry and what it takes to run a successful venue in the modern pub era.

We chat with Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann after the announcement on his new role with the AFL as Head of Football Performance. Greg talks about the decision to leave the Lions and what he will be doing at AFL headquarters in Melbourne.

We chat triple premiership star with the Brisbane Lions and 2002 Brownlow Medalist Simon Black. Simon chats about his journey to the Lions and their incredible run throughout the early 2000s securing a AFL premiership three peat. Also how he became a star of the AFL given he was a player that lacked natural pace.

We pay tribute to former Australian Test Cricketer Bob Cowper who famously was the first player to score over 300 runs at the MCG. We chat with his close friend John Mackinnon who shares insights into Bob's life and his fondest memories.

We catch up with another legend of the Hawthorn football club, the colourful Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico. Dipper follows up from our chat with Peter Hudson sharing his favourite memories from his time with the Hawks and how close the club came to merger back in the mid 90s.

We chat with one of footy greatest goal kickers and Hawthorn start Peter Hudson. Huddo chats with us about the recent 100 year celebrations with the Hawthorn football club and insights into their recent celebrations.

We chat with former Rugby League coach and current media personality Roy Masters. We chat with Roy about how he revved up his troops as a hard lined coach and the current state of the game. We also gather insights into the culture of Melbourne Storm and how they were robbed by the refs in the previous weekends 'Magic Round.'

We chat with Carlton hard man David Rhys-Jones to remember Peter Bosustow who passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 67. Peter was a cult hero at Carlton kicking 146 goals in only 65 matches for the blues, winning a flag in his debut season.

We chat with sports journalist Jon Anderson remembering one of Australia's greatest cricketers Keith Stackpole who recently passed away at the age of 84. Jon Keith was a legendary opening batsman who played 43 tests for Australia and also had a prominent role in the media post retirement.

We chat with former Australian Professional boxer Sam Soliman. We find out how Sam ended up pursuing a career in the boxing ring and recount some of his greatest battles including winning the world title and his fight with Anthony Mundine.

We recap an epic 2025 Masters tournament with one of Australia's finest golfers Craig Parry. Craig famously led the Masters back in 1992 and had some run ins with the drunk fans at Augusta. We chat about Rory's win in 2025 and what things were really like in the golf locker room over the years.

We chat with former Melbourne forward David Schwarz who played 173 games for the club and kicked 244 goals. We chat with the Ox about the concerning state of his former club and where they go to from here.

We chat with former Victorian Premier and Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett. Jeff gives his thought on the current tariff situation with the USA and the dire financial the state of affairs in Victoria. We also get Jeff's thoughts on the current challenges faced by the AFL and the Hawthorn Football Club. Jeff was instrumental the succession plan to install Sam Mitchel as the coach, which received criticism at the time of the appointment.

We chat with former Sydney Swans star Michael O'Loughlin who played 303 games from 1995 to 2009. Mickey 'O' opens up about his career and his work with the Go Foundation, assisting with educational services in the indigenous community.

We're joined by AFL / VFL legend Leigh Matthews. We spoke with Leigh over three years ago and had to cut the interview short, so we continue our chat to discuss his run with the Brisbane Lions, and also check in on the progress of the Olympic Games in 2032.

We chat with Pat Welsh who joined the seven network back in 1975 as a sports journalist. We chat with Pat about his 50 years in the sports media game and some of his finest memories including interviewing Cathy Freeman after winning gold at the Sydney Olympics.

We chat with radio and tv personality Shawn Cosgrove after the 100 years of RSN/3UZ celebrations over the weekend. Shawn shares some stories of his time at station starting back in 1976. He also chats about some of the big names he worked with in his time.

We chat with former professional cyclist Matt Wilson who is the co-founder of the new ProVelo Super League in Australia. Matt chats about his vision to revitalise the sport of national road cycling, and how this will lead to our next Australian champions at the Tour de France.

We chat with former Sturt and Melbourne player John 'Diamond Jim' Tilbrook. John played in 5 successive premiership teams with Sturt in the SANFL from 1966 to 1970. For the 1971 season he made the move to Melbourne which was a big headline at the time. We chat with John about his career and how he made it to the VFL after huge success in South Australia.