This Sporting Wife

Australia cricket captain Meg Lanning joined Shannon and Fiona in Sydney during the build up to the first ever women’s day-Night Test.   Sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery, the champion batter talked about what’s keeping her busy while not playing, how hard it is being a spectator and revealed where she’ll be sitting once play gets underway in the Ashes Test.    Lanning told them who in her family joined her for some backyard sessions, the influence her dad had on her, who offers the best (or worst) advice on what she would be doing, plus she puts forward her case to Aunty of the year from Shannon.    It was some decent time with one of the world’s best cricketers and a chance to get to know one of Australia’s more private sports stars. 

Jessica Halloran may have bluffed her way into her first paid sports journalism gig, but she's been leading the way in the field since then. The Sunday Telegraph journalist isn't afraid to tackle the big issues in sport and she talked to Shannon and Fiona about her highlights in the business since her first profile on Lauren Jackson for the Sydney Olympics. She talks growing up in Victoria and the impact football had on her life from her dad playing through to how her own family now enjoy games together. She talks about covering Olympic and Commonwealth Games, sneaking into athlete villages and explains why she has an aversion to swimming pools. Plus she talks about working with controversial sports star Jelena Dokic on her upcoming and learning what an incredible person and athlete she is.

Wally Lewis. The King. One of the greatest rugby league players to ever take the field is also one of the greatest humans to land on the planet. He squeezed some time into his busy schedule to talk to Shannon and Fiona about Immortals, Cameron Smith and who should be given the status as the ninth member of the illustrious club. There were goosebumps all round as he recounted the very first Origin, what is was like to play alongside some of the game's best and how Queensland's current domination compares. He talks candidly about his epilepsy and how it affected his life and how he deals with it now and helps others to do so too. And he reveals how he tormented Wayne Bennett with the Queensland team bus. There were lots of laughs, plenty of wow moments that by the end you will have shared some precious time with a league great.

NSW Breakers and Sydney Thunder WBBL coach Joanne Broadbent had Shannon and Fiona in stitches when she took time out to talk to them about plenty of cricket but also life, growing up in Adelaide and to recount some hilarious stories from throughout her life. A seasoned cricket player at the highest level for Australia, Jo now passes on her knowledge and experience - she holds some interesting records - to our greatest top level and upcoming female cricketers in the country. It was a good chinwag that could have gone for hours and ended with some sore cheeks and bellies from so much laughter!

Channel 10, Fox Sports, Austereo, Steve Hart has been in the media game for more than 20 years and experienced some of Australia's most iconic sports moment. He talked to Shannon and Fiona about his time in the sports media, how he started out and ended up where he is today and some of the big moments -- players getting busted on benders during Origin -- and biggest stars he's worked with. It's not just in sport that he's rubbed shoulders with the best. As frontman of Steve Hart and the All Stars, his Aussie Rock Show pulls in some of the best rockers the country's produced. He discusses what guys like Angry Anderson are really like and also reveals the strange level of celebrity his daughter earned the family when she was just a young girl.  

Wallabies legend George Gregan sat down with Shannon and Fiona to talk all things rugby from his early days in the game, how he nearly was a cricketer, to his epic career that is still the longest in Australian rugby history. They discuss the state of rugby in Australia, talk his passion for coffee and how the GGs empire got started and other passions like American sports. He was a part of the last Aussie side to hoist the Bledisloe Cup, what a time to relive those days and the glory days of the ACT Brumbies.

Big wave surfer and Red Bull athlete Mark Mathews talks Shannon and Fiona through his career, from getting into surfing as a kid, nearly blowing it all before it began with his time as a Bra Boy, to taking on some of the biggest waves in the world -- and suffering near career ending injuries in recent times while tempting death along the way. A master at managing fear, anxiety and stress, he talks about how he’s worked to find the right balance during his preparation to make sure he’s ticked every box before a surf to ensure maximum safety but also how those techniques apply to the corporate world. He talks through some of the work he does in that area now he’s going through the recovery process from a hectic leg injury he sustained late last year. And names some of the craziest rides he’s had -- starting with Cape Fear (the Red Bull event he’s director of) last year, that had the surfing world on edge as they watched the best take on Australia’s most mental competition. If you’ve ever wondered how big wave surfers do what they do and what it must be like as sets roll in, tune in as Mark Mathews tries to explain it all.

Josephine Sukkar (principal and co-founder of Buildcorp) is the fairy godmother of rugby in Australia. A huge supporter of the women’s team, Sukkar took time out of her extremely busy day to talk to Shannon and Fiona about how she got started and succeeded in a very male-dominated industry and how she’s doing her part to help other women do the same, especially on the rugby field. An extremely active sponsor within the code, she watches plenty of rugby, every weekend and her passion for it is palpable. An incredibly interesting and engaging woman who fears she may also get in a bit of trouble with Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and the Australian Women’s Rugby board for a couple of the stories she lets slip!

Jarryd Hughes is a massive sports nut, but also a gun at snowboard cross, so much so that he won gold at the Winter X Games in 2016. He sat down with Shannon and Fiona to discuss his career to date, including the drama surrounding the Australian team during his first appearance at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, how he maintains a strict diet to stay at peak condition and the steps he goes through before and during a race to ensure he is fully prepared. They toss around some of their favourite sports, people and music and some of his favourite places to hit the snow. Plus, the million dollar question is raised again: Does he travel with his own pillow?

Shannon and Fiona sat down with dynamic NSW Swifts midcourter Paige Hadley and were blown away by the young athlete’s incredible attitude to life and overcoming the obstacles it can place in your way. Still only young and in the earlier part of her career, Hadley has reached the incredible heights of netball, having recently won the world championship with the Australian Diamonds, but has felt the massive lows elite level sport can dish out too. Currently sidelined with a knee injury, it’s not the first time Hadley has found herself working hard to get back on the court and into the team. But a strong support network in her family, some off-court distractions and commitments (she’s just finished her degree in business and is now starting a personal training qualification - talk about driven!) and role models to help her on the way (a role she’s happily adopted herself), Hadley is determined to be back and help take the next generation of Swifts to the success she’s already been part of.

We doubled up this week with the wonderful Alex and Kate Blackwell. They humoured Shannon and Fiona by answering the twin questions but had some interesting stories still about some spooky twin connections. There’s plenty of talk about their incredible cricket careers. From learning the basics as young girls in Port Macquarie to making their ways through the ranks all the way to Australia with a bit of inspiration from a Belinda Clark poster. They discuss the difficult decision Kate had when calling time on her career and the success she’s had away from the pitch since. And Alex tells why she chooses to speak out about causes close to her heart, especially the LGBTI community. There’s fishing, comebacks and six-degree connections among the group, among plenty of laughs and some great family banter.

Can you imagine not taking a proper holiday for 10 years? That’s the reality that has faced Wallaroos captain Ash Hewson as she has used her annual leave for competitions and tournaments over the years. Not that it bothers her! Representing her country in rugby union is the most important thing for her and now she gets to captain the side as they prepare for the World Cup in Ireland in August. Ash tells Shannon and Fiona whether it’s scarier running an Australia team onto the field or turning up work as a guard at one of Australia’s toughest prisons. She talks about the reward she gets from her job and that connecting to the inmates is one of the most important parts of the job for her and how that connection can help change their course in life. She talks about what she gets up to in the very little downtime she gets, what the preps will be like heading into the World Cup, and what lies for her once sport comes to an end.

Phil Kearns (Wallabies captain and now commentator with Fox Sports) sat down with Fiona and talked all things rugby, from how he started in the game and went from not making the first XV to captaining the Wallabies, to the state of the game today and what needs to be done to bring it back to its best. He offers a radical overhaul to the Super Rugby comp in which South Africa is dumped (probably not going to happen though) and talks through some of the greatest All Blacks from his time and since - and yes, Richie McCaw is still a cheating bastard. He explains how he started the Balmoral Burn fun run and how the Humpty Dumpty Foundation helped save his children's lives. Those “emotionally terrifying” moments of his kids being near death have made him live life to the full. The two discuss the tough job of parenting and striking the balance of when to push your kids. Plus, he explains why sportspeople have learnt great skills on the field that transfer so well to a corporate career and how he juggles running a company, a commentary career and family time.

The incredible former NRL player Paul Whatuira (Warriors, Panthers, Wests Tigers, Eels) sat down with Shannon and Fiona to talk through a career full of highs and lows. The two-time premiership winner explains how he made his way from a small town in New Zealand (that is absolutely bursting with sports talent it seems) to the Warriors, Melbourne, Brisbane and the bright lights of Sydney. A bit of luck and a helluva lot of hard work earned him two titles (Penrith 2003 and Tigers 2005) and he talks about some of the big names and amazing talents he’s played alongside during his career - from Billy Slater and Cam Smith before they made their debuts through to Benji Marshall, Tony Puletua and Craig Gower in they hey days. And what did he say when a fresh-faced Cooper Cronk said he’d see him in the NRL? He talks frankly about hitting rock bottom while playing for Huddersfield and going into psychosis that led to him being hospitalised in a psychiatric ward and ultimately retiring from the game (save for one match on returning to Australia). But with more of that hard work, Paul has put those dark days behind him and he talks about how he uses positivity and mindfulness to always be in a good place these days.

The wonderful Emma Freedman sat down with Shannon and Fiona right before she hit breakfast radio midday burnout to talk sport and the sport of kings and why she didn't want to follow in her dad's footsteps in the horse training world... yet? They discuss their absolute must-go-to sports events and Emma tells why she had to her ditch BYO booze before going in through the Wimbledon players' entrance. She talks her time on Dancing With The Stars and her obsession with the show. And why she believes in fate and how the low points of her career have led to her being where she is today - in a great place on Triple M's The Grill Team and hosting Sports Sunday on Channel 9.

Alyssa (we’re sure we pronounced that correctly) Healy joined Shannon and Fiona to talk through her career; from playing with the boys, causing waves when she was selected for Barker first XI as a 16-year-old, to where she is now amid the women’s sport tidal wave and playing professionally for the Lendlease NSW Breakers (who continue to dominate the WNCL), Sydney Sixers and Southern Stars. Of cricket pedigree, Healy says she didn’t really notice her uncle was that famous - even distracting him on the fence while warming up for Australia - but she now keeps for Australia too and she talked the girls through the wicky pose, training for it and holding the stance throughout an innings. They talk about being part of a so-called “power couple” of cricket and Australian sport, managing a relationship - with husband Mitchell Starc - alongside two very busy schedules and what her plans are when the time comes to hang up the gloves and call time on cricket. (Is anyone here a marine biologist?!) Fingers are crossed that more Test matches will come to the women’s game so the baggy green can be worn more by females!

This week Shannon and Fiona - through the wonders of modern technology - had a chat with the phenomenal Katie Kelly OAM. Katie was born with moderate hearing loss and was later diagnosed with Usher Syndrome (Deaf Blind condition) in her mid 20s and declared legally blind at the start of 2015. Always an athlete and a regular competitor in marathons, she phoned Triathlon Australia in the cab after that appointment with her ophthalmologist and enquired about paratriathlon. With the PT5 (vision impaired) included at the Rio Paralympics, Katie began training. The next 18 months were chock-full of training, competing and winning, concluding with the Rio gold medal. You’ll get goosebumps too when you hear her talk through that moment she shared with her guide Michellie Jones. Katie is based at the AIS on the Gold Coast and works around her training schedule, including all the time she dedicates to community and charity work. She has created fun runs and park runs, was part of the ‘Change the Game’ leadership program and launched her organisation Sport Access Foundation this year, which provides grants for children with an intellectual or physical disability to access sport. An incredible, tireless, super lovely woman who also loves a beer! Australia’s very lucky to have someone like Katie Kelly as one of its own.

Jim Maxwell joins Shannon and Fiona to tell tales of the old days when he was a starting out at the ABC, some pub stories but mainly how he made his way through the ranks to head up the cricket commentary and become an Australian sound of summer. He tells the girls about his other passions including the sport of kings, his work at Olympics and how the last ended with him suffering a stroke. Maxwell is on the road to recovery but explains the nerves he felt returning to commentary and the things he did to best prepare himself. And of course, he talks about his favourite players and favourite moments, plus some from tours he was on with the Australian team.

Suzanne Young joins Shannon and Fiona to talk life after the NRL and life in general. Thirteen months after resigning as chief operating officer or rugby league's governing body she fills them in on what she's been up to, including her role at IAG and the fulfilling work in diversity and inclusion. They talk the importance family, sea and tree changes plus achieving life goals in professional and personal aspects. And she explains how she gets away from her crazy schedule and her tips for staying organised and on top of it all. A supremely interesting and successful person who is still able to have a good laugh!

Former rugby league player and now NRL employee Dean Widders spoke with Shannon and Fiona about the difficulty transitioning from being a professional sportsperson back to normal, everyday life post playing and how he set himself up and planned for it from very early on his sports career. Widders now works in player education and welfare with the NRL and is helping others to be best prepared for when they hang up the boots. He addressed racism and how he dealt with a being on the end of a slur during a game in 2005, what he thought of the Adam Goodes situation a couple of years back and how the country can continue to move forward in overcoming the problem in society. He talks playing in England, travel through Europe and why he and Brian Smith clicked. Plus, he filled them in on what he wants his legacy to be and the importance of the All Stars fixture for everyone, not just the indigenous community, and the continued growth of women’s football.

Commonwealth Games gold medalist and Olympic boxer Shelley Watts sat down with Shannon and Fiona and told them how she first got into the sport seven years. After a dodgy tackle playing soccer ruined her knee, doing some training and sparring with a friend has led to 78 fights with 63 wins and a true love for the sport has grown. She discusses the current trend of footballers trying their hand at fighting, the difference between amateur and professional boxing and why she probably wouldn’t go pro, and why she thinks her sport needs to maintain some integrity. Outside the ring you’ll find her active on Twitter (@Shelley_Watts) where she’s a strong supporter of women’s sport, rabid follower of all sport and one half of @Strong_Chicks with Collingwood and Australia netballer, plus her good friend, Sharni Layton. Shelley Watts is a powerful voice in sport and in Australia who is fighting for her fairytale, which is now focused towards the Comm Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Andrew Gaze (Sydney Kings coach and former NBL, NBA and Boomers rep) talks his incredible career with Shannon and Fiona. From growing up around basketball courts all the way to being a five-time Olympian, basketball has always been in his life. He talks family, including the influence his parents, especially his dad - a basketballer and Olympian too - have had on his life, and how he's coping being away from his own family while in Sydney with the Kings. His playing days took him all over the world but some of his fondest memories were where he's spending most of his time these days, at Sydney Olympic Park during the 2000 Games.

Prepare to hear an incredible story. Shannon sat down with Kath Koschel, a former cricketer who has had just about everything life can throw at you hit her in just her short 29 years. Cricket has always been her passion and she made it all the way to her state debut but just a few matches in a back injury sent her lift hurtling down a different path that led to her reaching a point where she was hours from having her leg amputated. Kath talks through that experience and what happened after with the rehab, meeting the love of her life, losing him, breaking her back again and how she pulled it all together to start on a journey to starting the not-for-profit Kindness Factory - an organisation that is actively and tangibly trying to make the world a better place by being nicer to each other. You’ll look at things in a completely different way after hearing Kath’s story.

Former rugby league player and coach Matthew Elliott sat down with Shannon and Fiona to discuss his life in football and what he has learnt as a person since finishing coaching in 2014. After 61 first grade games with St George and coaching stints at Bradford, Canberra, Penrith and the Warriors, he’s picked up a thing or two about people, how to manage them and how to get the best out of them. He went through some soul-searching after being sacked by the Warriors and applies those realisations today to his high performance work in sports and the corporate world. He reflects on life growing up in Townsville and the skills he picked up playing park footy there as a kid, plus he talks family, travel and the mental health issues in sport and Australia in general, especially among men.

Johanna Griggs (Better Homes and Gardens, House Rules) kindly allowed Shannon and Fiona into her house just before Christmas to talk about her swimming career in which she represented Australia in backstroke as a teenager and her transition into the media world. She’s continued to set records there - from her initial offers, to learning on the job in hosting the Aus Open coverage for 17 years, to being the first female to solo host a winter Olympic coverage at Torino in 2002. The girls get her to rattle off a few Australian Open favourite moments and she tells Shannon how she keeps track of all the house and lifestyle shows she’s done. On top of all that, Joh talks about the charities she’s a part of and talks about how her illness at the end of her swimming career made her a stronger person. PLUS! Joh tells the girls about her family and the support they’ve offered her, especially her kick-arse mum, and the epic planning that goes into the Griggs family Christmas day.

Conceived in April, launched in October and finishing the first season in December. This Sporting Wife's first year has been amazing. We have had guests from all areas of the sporting world from players to coaches, administrators to journalists. This week, we have picked some of our favorite bits, and to give the girls a week off, Joshua Craig, the producer of the podcast, is presenting.   This week we have highlights from: Lisa Sthalekar Raelene Castle Ken Sutcliffe Tyler Wright Sally Shipard Trent Copeland

Conceived in April, launched in October and finishing the first season in December. This Sporting Wife's first year has been amazing. We have had guests from all areas of the sporting world from players to coaches, administrators to journalists. This week, we have picked some of our favorite bits, and to give the girls a week off, Joshua Craig, the producer of the podcast, is presenting.   We have highlights from:   Rob Shehadie Daniel Kowalski Alicia Quirk Paul Wade Margie McDonald   Listen and enjoy.

Merry Christmas everyone! What a year 2016 has been, for us and in the sports world. We sat down over some homemade gingerbread and reflected on the year that was - the year of the underdog! We talked our highlights, the Olympics, favourite Christmas songs and movies, all the important stuff.

NSW Breakers cricketer - and complete life overachiever - Trent Copeland gets into the nitty gritty of cricket - the absolute mental toughness a player needs; his career path from country cricketer to debuting for Australia at the SCG; the grand scale of success that exists in the game; the current playing crop and state of Aussie cricket; and why he had to stop wearing the gloves. He talks about Phillip Hughes’s death and how it’s affected him and other players as a person and a player and how their instincts are now more welfare-first. Plus there’s fantasy sports - especially the American leagues, his efforts as a teen to play every sport he could, coaching kids and the obstacles his marriage to netballer Kim Green faces as they both manage their playing schedules. He studies, trains, plays, coaches, commentates! But don’t try to take him on in anything, he’s ultra-competitive and you’d probably go down!

In his final week as Channel 9 sports editor with him retiring from his regular on-air duties, Ken Sutcliffe sat down with Shannon and Fiona in the place where he's spent the past 37 years of his broadcasting career to talk the greatest sports moments and athletes he's witnessed. He talks work ethic to succeed, family, how he began and what lies ahead for him - including travel and whether he'll be bugging his wife! He says he's always strived to operate with class in his work and even placed loyalty above his own personal gain. And in our opinion, that's shown. Ken has been at Augusta, Wimbledon, Olympics - summer and winter - Comm Games, Origins, grand finals… if it was a sports events, he was probably there and we try to cover as much as we can before he departs our TV screens!

State, national and WBBL cricketer Lisa Sthalekar talks to Shannon and Fiona about her career and all she has achieved so far as a player and a coach, plus goes into her move into the commentary box and her ambitions to break the glass ceiling there. They talk Olympics, touring Dubai, the slog of training - especially in the heat - as well as the current state of cricket and the success of the WBBL and how it shapes as season two is on the verge of getting underway.

Comedian Rob Shehadie (Here Come The Habibs!, Fat Pizza, Housos) joins Shannon and Fiona and tells them how he kinda fell into comedy by being in the ‘right place at the right time’. That was when his rugby career came to an early end because of injury. The Australian Schoolboy dissects his pet peeves in rugby union and rugby league today and what he’d change; gives a look into his bag of tricks to work up a league crowd; and talks through the toughness of union. He explains what it was like feeling like an outsider during his schoolboy rep rugby days and addresses the claims the Habibs was racist before it went to air. Plus, why is there so much trust when it comes to passing a footy and what’s his favourite bra?

Newly crowned 2016 surfing world champion Tyler Wright squeezed Shannon and Fiona into her busy schedule to discuss her title and what happened in the time from when she decided she wanted the crown to taking it out in France mid-October 2016. Does she have her world champion tattoo yet? She describes how the Tour is like one big family these days and how things changed for everyone in water after Mick Fanning’s shark attack. And she gets into the nitty gritty of surfing - what’s the difference between competitive surfing and creative art she calls it; what makes the perfect wave; and what techniques did she start applying to her training and mentality to take her to the level to be best in the world.

Sports journalist for The Australian newspaper Margie McDonald spoke with Shannon and Fiona earlier in 2016 about her life and career, which includes covering 10 straight Paralympic Games and being the first female journalist to go on a Wallabies tour - where she quickly realised why no woman had done it before. She talks about some of the fascinating experiences the Paralympics have exposed her to, and how she pretty much fell into sports journalism during a time when it truly was a man’s world and some of the issues that can arise being a female sports scribe. The women discuss Margie’s sports bucket list, whether Serena Williams will be the best and swap notes on badminton. Plus Margie explains how a broken coccyx took her to playing with a glow in the dark frisbee in the headlights of a Datsun 1200 and why she thinks men should see tits early.

Former Matilda Sally Shipard (Canberra United 2009-14; 59 caps Australia 2004-11) speaks with Shannon and Fiona about the highlights of her football career and how hard it is to transition from an elite sports career to post-competing life. She reads of the ‘Motivational, inspirational and sensational” moments from her Athens Olympics diary (when she was 16 years old) and the impact a character like swimming’s Laurie Lawrence can have on the entire national Olympic team. Shipard tells the girls why a walnut farm in Germany and woman named Barbara “saved her life” and how she would be keen to have a role helping young athletes prepare for retirement from sport. But despite some tough times since retiring, she’s preparing to launch Marry Us Sal, her marriage celebrant service, which one day soon will be able to marry same sex couples too - we all hope!

Canterbury-Bankstown rugby league club CEO Raelene Castle spoke to Shannon and Fiona during the season about what she does to unwind and switch off from her hectic schedule, her super talented sporting family - including herself - and how she came full circle when she took over the top job at the Bulldogs. She dabbled in the corporate world, but sport is where she feels most at home… and watch out, she could shark you at a pub or club.

Olympic swimmer and self-confessed sports nut Daniel Kowalski (1996 Atlanta & Sydney 2000 Games) talks to Shannon and Fiona about his time competing with and against names like Kieran Perkins, Grant Hackett, Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe. His medals in the 200m, 400m and 1500m freestyle events at Atlanta made him the first man to do so in 92 years, but he says it was hard to celebrate at the time and reflects on the ‘circus’ at that time around Perkins trying to qualify for the 1500 final. The general manager of the Australian Swimmers’ Association believes more could be done to help athletes transition into retirement and gives an honest account of his own battles with depression and an eating disorder during his life. Daniel talks about the work he’s been doing in recent years to raise awareness around homophobia. Plus, he explains what key skills he was missing to pursue an Ironman career.

Former Socceroos captain Paul Wade (118 Australia caps, 345 NSL games, '88 Seoul Olympics campaign, 2 World Cup campaigns) joins Shannon and Fiona to talk about family, football and overcoming adversity. He tells the girls why marking Maradona isn’t his career highlight, why his nickname was ‘Westgate’ and that being a homebody meant he never had a desire to chase a professional career overseas. He opens up about his epilepsy and the brain surgery he underwent to manage it and how he copes and manages that in his life and career now, including the spoonerisms he’s mastered to exercise his memory.

Shannon and Fiona headed out to the Narrabeen headquarters of the Australian Rugby Sevens program to chat with gold medallists Shannon Parry and Alicia Quirk with head coach Tim Walsh. They found out about the values that have driven the team to success over the past three years, what they got up to in Rio and who’s the brains trust of the team. Shannon and Alicia told of how they first got into rugby and what it was like heading into that gold medal match and in the aftermath. Plus, they all try to figure out what the keys to Brisbane city will open for Shannon. Shannon Parry is the co-captain of the women’s sevens side. She has played for Australia in 15s and Sevens and was a member of the Wallaroos 2010 and 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup sides - captaining the side in 2014. She was named in World Rugby’s team of the season following the 2015-16 series. Alicia Quirk was a touch football Australian representative before being recruited to the rugby sevens program. She played every minute at the Rio Olympics and is listed as the fittest member of the Australia squad. Tim Walsh is a former rugby player who played with the Queensland Reds and in England and Italy. He took on the women’s sevens coaching role in 2013. Walsh has won 81 out of 96 World Series games over three seasons at a winning percentage of 84 per cent.