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 s

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 c

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

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 tha

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

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.