September 4, 2025 • 43 mins
The AFLW Today Show meets with AFLW Advocate Hester Mary Brown and discusses all thing footy, work, family and managing life in the public eye.Get around AFLW Today's Alex Donnelly, Olivia Spicer and for an awesome AFLW 2025 season!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to the afl W. It's today's show. Something
a little bit different today. Well social GW. Spence is
on the camera today. She's over here.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I am back, Thanks for having me back. Excited to
be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, you're not the important one. So Spence just over
in the corner. We do have a special guest today.
What have we got here? We have footy wife, footy Mum, podcast, activist,
marriage celebrate has a law degree as well. Still trying
to find a football team to support in the men's
competition and just overall footy lover. Hester Mary Brown, what's up?
And I'm going to say Hesse because Google said you'd
rather be called Hess.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh my god, I'm so thrilled with that. I my
name is Hester, and I feel like it's not a
common name, and so there's no common nickname. And I
feel like, growing up, my sister calls me Hesse, but
I haven't had very many nicknames and ask jealous of them.
There's something I'd love about her nickname. I think it's
so like fun and familiar and it feels like you
(00:53):
know someone. So when I started my own business as
a marriage celebrant, I just started slowly changing my email signature,
I love Concerted. I've put so much effort into this,
you don't even know. So I you know, I start
with oh, semi professional, I'm like Cone regards, and then
by the end I'm like love Hess And so now
I have all of these couples who call me Hess,
(01:14):
and now people on the internet have started doing it too,
so I feel like I've won. Now, Thank you, Alix.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Shout out to Google and the Internet for Olivia. Olivia's
nickname is Spence. Her name is Olivia Spice. You think
how would that work? Well? Her first month within the business,
and we're just going to go off topic straight, welcome
Olivia Spencer to the bus. That is not my name.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well done, So now I'm social girl Spence.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Actually Ben got a nickname like that when he was
playing at Melbourne, my husband Ben, because he went on
I think it was like the gust and Gorney podcast
and Gorney accidentally called him Brennie Brown.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And his name is now Branie.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
They call him Brennie.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
That makes sense, Yeah, it's that's how the best new
names come from.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So good.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So I want to talk about the marriage celebrate thing
before we get into the whole like footballing and everything
else that goes on that you do. Is there's a
whole lot of stuff that you do. But you got
married in Tazzy and then all of a sudden, like, oh,
I want to be a marriage celebrant because that's cool.
Is that just the natural progression that we find ourselves
in always just like I could do this, this is fun.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So, like you said, I did a law degree first,
which I loved, was super interesting. But I think I
knew from pretty early on that I didn't want to
be a lawyer. I think just like.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I don't know, I know every.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Day it's a lot of hours answer.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
No, I don't know. I think it's like I really
wanted to be a human rights lawyer. I think there's
so many amazing things you can do with the law degree,
so many ways to help other people, which appeals to
me a lot. But I think I realized, like I
would describe myself as buttersoft in personality. I love that,
and I think it probably would have just broken me.
I found it so interesting. I'm amazed by what people
(03:01):
can do, but I think I just need a gentle
a way to help others and be involved in community.
That suits me and gives me a happy life. Ah.
So I did my law degree. I knew I didn't
want to be a lawyer. Ben had proposed to me
sort of in the last year of my law degree,
so took a little bit of time off, did a
bunch of volunteering after I finished my degree, and just
(03:22):
kind of prepared head for a wedding and meeting our
celebrant amazing. Her name's Maren. She's from Tasmania, obviously in Hobart,
and she kind of changed my life, I guess in
a way. I know, no pressure, but we had the
first meeting in person with her and she sort of
said to us, Oh, sorry, this is the boring stuff.
This is where we do the legal paperwork. And I
(03:44):
was like, oh, the marriage ack nineteen sixty one was
so interesting for me, I'm sure. I was like, this
is this is good stuff, and then just kind of
realizing over that process that it had so many things
that I love in it, like like a little bit
of performance. I was definitely a theater kid at school.
I don't have any issue with public speaking, which most
people who tell me they would never want to do
my job. It's the public speaking side of it, which
I'm guessing neither of you feel, but most people. I
(04:07):
love a bit of public speaking, but I think mostly
I mean and happiest day of people's life. Incredible honor
to be a part of. But it's also just connecting.
Ye people people shared their story with me. They tell
me so much about themselves, they let me know them.
I see their parents' criety is of joy, so good
(04:28):
just in terms of human connection. I think it's like
an unbeatable job.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And you signed up to be a marriage celebrant, like
right when the laws changed twenty seventeen.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That feels very intentional. Yeah, I have said I would
do it if the law Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
What was that period like when you were you know,
going through the process and stuff and all.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That, the process of getting registered, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And then obviously at that time with the laws.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, really interesting. I actually I don't think I've ever
talked about this publicly, but I had a bit of
a freak out before Ben and I got married. Not
because of marrying Ben, that was like the easiest decision
I ever made in my life, but I really naively
thought the laws were going to change before then, so
we had quite a long engagement and I was very
certain the laws would change before we got married. And
(05:11):
I remember actually telling my mother in law. I was like, oh,
you know, like I just feel like as bisexual, like
only half of me can get married, Like it doesn't
feel right to be getting married when if I had
fallen in love with someone else, I wouldn't be able to.
So I found that quite emotional and something that my
mother in law said to me actually meant a lot
to me. And she said, no, you're showing people why
(05:32):
this matters, Like you have a statement about what marriage
means to you within your ceremony. I'll celebrate. Was amazing,
like I said, And you make it, you know, aligned
with your values, but you show everyone that you know,
young people do still want to get married, and this
is a rite that everyone should have access to because
it is something that you care about. It's really great
to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So then as soon as I think the day that
the laws changed officially, I called up the registered training
provider I had sign up for the call, and that
meant that the course was just full of other people
who had done the same thing too. So it's pretty slow.
I love it.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Let's talk about footy I reckon, let's talk about some dub.
What's your take on the growth of the game so
far and just women's sport as a whole because we.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Love the dub listening to this. Round three has just
ended in the great round, great.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Round, lots of great games. I could not love the
w more. It means so much to me, and I think, like,
I see a lot of commentary online of people being like,
who cares, nobody watches it?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
They care enough to comment, right, they're obsessed?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Do you gidding read? They care so much? But I like,
I love it. It means so much to me. I
can't tell you how many times I cried thinking about
I grew up watching sport, playing sport but not footy,
and always being connected to sport. But it's so funny
(06:58):
when you look back on it and you realize how
different it was. Like my dad used to take me
all the time to the wnbl used to be Danielong
fans nice because it was amazing. And when I was younger,
I used to always say that I wanted to be
an actor, slash dancer slash basketball player. I love it first,
and I like, she was like, yeah, I'm going to
(07:18):
be a teacher slash basketball player slash, and we thought, oh,
that's so funny. But then we realized that was because
all of the players had that football job. Literally it is. Yeah,
it wasn't just some silly kid thing. It was because
you know, you'd go and get a signature from the
players afterwards, and my dad would be like, oh, yeah,
she's a teacher, she does this, so yeah, it's not
(07:40):
make believe. We just didn't realize that that was because
those players were certainly not getting paid a living wage
like to do something else. So I think like AFLW
has changed the landscape of women's sport in Australia, no
doubt about it. It's like pushed up pay in other sports,
pushed up view viewership in our sport and other sports.
(08:03):
And also just like the participation of women and girls
at a local level, isn't it like two hundred percent
or something? It might even be more. It's just like
crazy astronomical, Like that's unbelievable, and that's like don't we care.
Don't we care about like young people feeling involved in sport.
We know like physical health and mental health, socialization, benefits
(08:27):
of growing up playing sport, team sport, what you learn,
what you can learn from meeting new people. There are
so many positives of it.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It just like I just yeah, like a local games
like grown so much.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
For like women's footy.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I remember like you wouldn't even I wasn't have the
opportunity to play women's foot We had soccer and stuff
like that, and that's grown astronomically thanks to the matildas
as well.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Just that like any girls of.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
The age of twelve, now we're going to start see
that coming through with the w from playing footy since
the we're younger, not transitioning from basketball players and other
sports like that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We're just going to see the game.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Get better with skills as we progress through time, which
is just so good, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And I also just love the game where it started,
Like I remember going to the first exhibition matches just
being overcome by how amazing it was, how strong those
women were, and how incredibly talented. Like I'm so excited
about the growth, but I also love the game as
it is. I think it's amazing and that those trailblazers
(09:25):
and you know, all the people who've come through our
game and who were there before it started are so
brave and courageous and they've changed it for everyone else,
and I'm so grateful to those people for having the
strength to do that for You know, something that I
find amazing in sports is the stories behind it. Yeah,
Like with my husband, he was rejected from three drafts
(09:49):
before he was eventually drafted, and I think that that
changed who he was as a person and a player.
It's that resilience, it's having to believe in yourself when
no one else starts. I think those stories are interesting
and heartwarming to watch as well. And when you look
on an afl W field, I'm not sure you're seeing
anyone who hasn't had no said to them five hundred
(10:10):
times along their journey. You're seeing so much resilience and
strength and personal fortitude as well as talent and skill
that I think the stories within it are so strong
and they mean a lot to so many people. I
love it, But I think the game's in amazing shape
personally watching it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
We're out of stage now where, and it's been noticeable
the last few weeks where the stage because it's still
it's only ten years old's it's basically still an embryotic
stage where every week, every season. For the next probably
five or six years, we will see a new record
broken in some way, shape or form. In the last
two weeks we have seen biggest wins by clubs, the
highest score in afl W ever seven goals kicked in
(10:54):
a game. The leading goalkicker this year will kick more
than the twenty one goals that is currently the leader
of the shit. Every year for the next five or
so years, until we hit that eventual dream phase that
we've all got of having seventeen to eighteen rounds of
footy a year, records will be broken week on week,
and it's great.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
It's amazing, it's so cool.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I'm obsessed with the afl W. Obviously a lot of
teams that you sort of you dot. Obviously your husband
has had working a lot of programs as well. But
for you yourself, if I had to put, you know,
a sack of money in front of you, be like,
this is the one team you can choose. I'm not
gonna say Gundy he because that's really violent. I don't
want to do that. Or let's just say a latte
of some sort in front of you, like you have
(11:34):
to choose a team or I am taking this away
from you forever, who is the one team you support
in the afl W. And yes, I'm very well aware
that Essenon's goalkicking this year is probably because of a
new employee that.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
They have AFLW.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes, I know you don't. I know you don't have
a men's team yet. We'll get on to that. So
we're just we're just moving with Essendon at the moment.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It has to be.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So they're throwing O for a specific reason, right.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, no, it's a right start. It's
super exciting and I do think we'll see the draw
is about to get harder for us. But I think
the team have also shown that they were able to
win entight contests over the last few weeks, so I
think it's a huge improvement. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So dream Time, dream Time up in Darwin last week. Massive,
They did it last year, they've done it again this
year and it looks like they're making a commitment to
do it year on year. With someone who has somewhat
of an insight into how that week would have been
for the team and the squad from your perspective as well,
what's that like, not just for the growth of the game,
but just for the impact that it can have as well.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Yeah, I think it's a pretty amazing experience. Ben was
really excited to go up. They went up for four
days I think, and obviously all the players too. They
were involved in like community that's what I want to hear,
like some community coaching sessions. I think even a couple
of complainings. A couple of the coaches ran like leadership
(12:52):
and coaching sessions as well for some aspiring coaches over there,
which is really cool. And I think just like it's
an amazing experience for the players and the staff to
get to experience what that's like to be a part
of that environment, to have that you know, they had
that beautiful ceremony altogether, and that's really like emotional and
(13:15):
special and an honor to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I think, what's that transition been like for you and
your family going from obviously Ben being a Melbourn Premiership
player now transitioning to the coaching side of things in
the afl W.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
How has that been for you and your family as well?
I love it people are like, oh do you miss footing?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
No? Sorry, I love is there a bit more balance
obviously given the full time nature of what his job
was as a player, and obviously trying to raise a
young family too. To now it's still full time, but
not as full time, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, I think he's technically four days a week at
the moment. Technically, Yeah, it's women's sports, so we're all
working more than and he loves it, so that's fine.
It's great. It's been amazing moving over. I think Ben
and I both feel like a lot of acceptance within
the AFLW community, like we feel like we belong there,
(14:12):
which is just really nice. It feels really comfortable to
be a part of.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
And I think the.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Coaching lifestyle is really nice for a number of reasons.
I think first of all, Ben medically retired at the
end of last year. His knee is so bad he
had nine surgeries on it over you know, like he
would do a main training or a game and then
not be able to walk up the stairs to the
kids rooms. Like it was rough. You know, it's not
a lot of fun. So it's really nice now that
(14:39):
he's able to give his body the rest that it needs,
he's able to like live bit much more normal life
now in terms of like his own personal mobility, and
like the arthritis and his knee, and yeah, like he
doesn't have to worry about it all the time. It
used to be like anytime he took a funny step,
but it'd be like, oh, no, my job, my life,
my career, everything on that one side, on that one
(15:03):
and that one knee. So it's really nice to take
that pressure off. But I think also he's really passionate
about AFLW. I think it's sort of all started when
I decided to follow my childhood dream and try and
plate women's footage. So I went down to some Muggers training,
you know. I think it was just before the first
AFLW season started. Maybe North Melbourne didn't have a team yet,
(15:25):
but they'd had an affiliation with the Muggers of fIF
ten years. This is the Melbourne Nie, the Melbourne Nye side.
So I went down for some training and Ben came
too to help out, and he sort of just started
helping out at trainings there. He sort of realized they
didn't have lights on at night in the four He
was like, hey, guys, because he had that insight at
the club and we switched flights. Everyone's getting.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
This is actually an inside a massive insight into like
the growth of women's sport, it also just the lack
of support that it gets not only at a professional level,
but a grassroots who doesn't have the lights.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
That's all sports Like I found that in when I
was playing soccer, We'd be thrown on the paddock out
the side with no lights, like they've got one.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Fine, Yeah. So we then North Melbourne started to like
go for their license, so they asked us to help
out with the license program and they also set up
the North Melbourne had a gender Equity working Group, so
we'd meet once a month I think it was, and
sort of work on what the business and the like
North Melbourne as a business but also as a sporting club,
(16:34):
what they were going to do to ensure like gender
equity within their club and the afl W license and
preparing for an afl W team was a huge part
of that. So we felt really privileged to be a
part of that process. And then when that team came in,
Ben got to have a lot of involvement, you know
as a volunteer and I think as well, like a
f l M salaries are such that it provides a
(16:58):
lot of privilege. His time at North Melbourne and Melbourne.
He was able to be a volunteer with the AFLW
programs because he has paid so well play as a man,
you know, and the fact that he had access to
all of those resources and he noticed that his colleagues
in the women's players didn't have that, and he knew
he could provide some of that. He could help provide
(17:20):
some of that. So that was kind of a part
of I don't know that real one club approach. I think,
I think, what can you do to help your teammates
and their teammates.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah, have you noticed that with some of the other clubs.
I think it's without naming names the ones that don't
do it, But have you noticed with certain clubs that
it is just to complete one club approach? You can
see that they're all using the facilities, all of them
are sort of a tighter knick group. Like I'm a
Swans fan, so I can tell from firsthand knowledge that
that is a one club mentality At Sidney Swan's HQ.
(17:50):
It looks like the North the North team get around
each other, make sure they're all supportive of each other.
I know that Geelong is somewhat similar as well as
his Brisbane. So have you noticed just from your perspective
as well? Obviously you did do your podcast as well
talking about AFL and AFLW have you noticed that sort
of not what's the right what I'm looking for that
(18:13):
not disparity, but just the difference between certain clubs.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I think it's quite
hard to know. I've definitely heard from people about some
quite big disparities in that. I think in North Melbourne
it was very ingrained, like it was so important to
the fabric of North Melbourne to have that women's team.
They had Lacey Harvey, the daughter of Boomer Harvey, present
their submission to the AFL, and really I think connected
(18:41):
the teams up early and a huge part of that
was Laura Kane, who's obviously now at the AFL, who
was the head of ops at North Melbourne and had
been the president of the Muggers. The connection between the
two programs was undeniable and I think that's really continued
to flow on, which is fantastic. Obviously, I think Melbourne
are pretty good at it as well. I think having
(19:02):
the multiple facilities makes it difficult. North Melbourne is a
community club in a community location, there's just the one spot.
It's very much in North Melbourne. I think that difference
between being at Amy Park with many other sporting clubs
and codes, and then also having the Casey facility, which.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Is like the struggles of their program overall, not having
the one base at the moment.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, I agree, I agree, but I think that also
helps with the like synergy of the teams hurts. It
hurts the synergy of the teams a little bit. Sorry,
But I do think you'll also find, like within within
Melbourne's program, there are some players in the men's side
that are really quite committed to the w side. Even
yesterday at the game, the Collingwood Melbourne game, we rang
(19:45):
into Maxicon and his family and also Tom McDonald and
his family, and I would say that those two attend
quite a few games and their trainings.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So I think sometimes it's kind of player to player
as well.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
But I think saw Justin McInerney at Geelong on Sunday,
this one season's over and he's come to Melbourne to
go did you long to watch the game? So that
shows as well.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
And you see the teams will post on social was
like when nor did the unveiling the flag. I thought,
she's all was there, and they all, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
It's there on the cosierras that the Red Cans look
like Melbourne. I was right there, it was.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
It was I think with the synergy of the clubs,
like the ones that are like close together in a
one club mentality, that's coming out in the performance of
the teams as well.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
So that's great to see.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
How do you maintain your own identity, obviously with your
partner being a footy player. How do you I've seen
your socials and stuff. It's amazing what you're doing. How
do you find that you're, you know, paving your own way.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
That's a really good question. Who it is I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
I guess you do a lot of stuff, marriage, celebrate,
podcast host, advocate, mom, free fair, it's everything.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Well, we're not doing the podcast this season, so that
helps me a little bit. I've got a little bit
more time this season. But I think I just I
like to stay busy. I think that makes me feel
like me. But I also love being a parent, like
I am very much the primary caregiver for my kids.
My daughter's in two days a week of kinder so
I have two days I have two days away, but
(21:19):
I love that. I love getting to be like that's
a huge privilege to be like the one that's there
to her all the time, and for my oldest daughter
too when she's not in school. But next year they'll
both be in school. So I'm just like trying to
work out what to do. I'm going to podcast and
come back maybe.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Or importantly, we can put some time and development into
finding a men's team for you to support as well,
because this is something that I got told about this morning.
You don't have a team to support yet, so there's
an open canvas, and I feel like, for certain reasons,
there are teams that we can just instantly cross off
the list and we're not going to mention names that
you would just say you're not going to go for them.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
It's okay, oh yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
But for teams that you can support, can you wait
for TASMANI to come in into.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Chase Many will definitely be my team when they come in.
How could they not be. It's a brand new team,
it's got Roman like.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Thing.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Why will that it is? I think it is perfectly
zany turn out of ten for me? I love it.
It works. Yeah, No, I'm definitely, definitely very keen on Tazzy,
and I think like everybody loves an underdog and so
like Tazzi will start as that underdog too, and that
will be appealing and fun and exciting. And Tazzy has
(22:29):
a rich football history, so it'd be nice to continue
that on. But it does it feels weird, like because you.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Can watch games like we watch games during the year
and like we're emotionally invested in and for you it
must be free and just oh that was fun, whereas well,
oh god damn it, why they miss But I can't.
I can't even when I'm when I'm I don't care.
I don't care. I don't care. I care it. Yeah,
like I really care. Alex really cares, and.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Everyone knows that long years I lost the ability, I
think to watch football like quote unquote the normal way
over Ben's year. Like I started off as like I
grew up watching footy. I was a Saints fan, a
very like casual Saints.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Fan, probably the way to be.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I thought I was a big fan, and then going
through football, I was like, wow, no, I was not
that committed. Some people are incredible, but yeah, like I
grew up watching it and loving it, and then when
Ben got drafted, it all changed really quickly for me,
Like I straight away because Melbourne support one thousand percent.
You can't you can't really not, And a lot of
(23:38):
people say like, how could you change teams.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Like like, you're supporting your partner to succeed at his job,
so of course.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And even just like for staff when North had that
first win, the first one this year, it had been
a really long time in the men's program. I felt
so happy for them, just thinking about all the staff members,
so we're gonna have a nicer week at work. It
is also a workplace, yeah, and it affects like the
workplace environment that you're hard to be in a losing
environment all the time. It's it's draining emotionally, and there's
(24:10):
a lot of lovely staff members just trying to do
their job in there, you know, and it's just that
little bit sad. So I was very happy. You're just
thinking about them having a nicer week.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
I feel like everyone was happy for North at that,
Like I was happy for West Coast when they thank
you that.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Was so long ago forgotten. One thing is when teams
lose the people, I feel obviously that the players and
the coaching stuff. People I feel the worst for is
the social media team getting abused and it's like they
don't play the game, guys like okay, you can, you
can vent off like we need to make this change
and that change and that change, but don't go in
there start staring and ranting and raving like come on, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
People get pretty well in the comments.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah it's I love footy, but Jesus, there's a bad
side to it, and I.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Think that has an impact to on. Like I was saying,
like ability to support a team. When Ben was playing,
I think injury was a huge part of it, especially
like there was one game when he was playing for
North against Collingwood. Actually it is Brodie Grundy, who's a
lovely person but accidentally completely ko Ben and like we
(25:16):
ended up in the ambulance together, like going to the
hospital that night, and then even just the after effects
of that. I think like one of the AFL's favorite
photographers must have been there because there's a photo of
Ben and he's just like it's an awful photo, but
it's very expressive, if you will. So every time pretty
much there's an article about a concussion, a concussion, or
(25:39):
even worse like the long term impacts of concussion. They
will have a photo of Ben lying flat on the
mcg turf and I'll just be scrolling Facebook and I'll
hit with it, and those like future health implications are terrifying.
I have friends who are going through that with their
partners now. It's just awful and it's scary and it's
(26:04):
horrible to watch. And I feel like, for a really
long time, every time I've watched football, I've seen someone
fall over and gone, is that a knee? I've seen
someone hit their head and go, is that going to
be one of those deeper concussions that has long lasting
impacts or not? And it's hard to it's hard to
feel the same way as I used to just like
(26:25):
watch it and enjoy it. And for me, I think
AFLW really helped me fall back in love with football.
I know there are those horrible injuries there as well,
and it's a very physical sport, but it gave me
a fresh look at it, I think, and enabled me
to sort of go back to enjoying the game as
just a sport. And then I think, like I was
saying the other side of it is just the awful, awful,
(26:49):
awful hate messages that Ben would receive. And particularly and
very very often there's people in the dms after because
they've it's all about multi bets, they've incorrectly betted, and
then they are so angry about it that they think
that they should level death threats at somebody out on
(27:11):
the field. And so I think, as well, you watch it,
and I think, watch a game and I'm like, oh no,
that person mister shot at the end of the game,
and their dms are going to be fothered so awful.
I hope they never check. So it's hard to kind
of have that separation from it again and to feel
that like genuine joy. So I went to a whole
bunch of games this season, men's game to a whole bunch.
(27:34):
I went to a few men's this season, and the
last one I went to was a se Kilda game,
and that was actually the most fun was of the
same Kilda after the stir and win. All though it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Was it was not that well I think that would
have been, like, I mean, obviously we have quite a
bit of d A little bit hard for me.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
To get behind. It was it was actually Melbourne and Essendon,
which everybody was like that wasn't a great game, But
I had so much fun. That's all the bat it.
I don't think anyone got heard. I think that serious happened.
There were no like I don't even think there were
any louder implications of the game. But I was just
having a jolly time because I had a bunch of
(28:16):
friends to watch it with. And for the first time
I felt disconnected. Like I've been to see North, I'd
been to see Essendon, I'd been to see Melbourne. It's
hard to just like go of all just like of
all those feelings all those years, yeah, like supporting them
of it meaning so much, of knowing so many of
the people out there and behind the scenes and hearing
(28:37):
about how they're feeling. It was nice to watch some
Kilda and just be.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Like, eh, that's what I find with the dub Like
I think I do actually really like how it's still
at those local grounds, like going to Windy Hill. You
just have that community atmosphere and I think, yeah, as
the game grows, just the vibe like you would go
the Swans with Hanson Pop. I haven't been personally, yeah,
but just to the community and what you see and
it's like foody's fun, Like yeah, I think I can.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Obviously I love the Swans, but when it comes to
the w I do feel like I can actually just
except for the Swans, of course, but I can switch off.
I will go and watch games of football, like two
sundays ago, I went watched North and Port three quarters time,
Like this game is over, I'm going to drive to
Windy Hill because Ella Roberts is playing Essendon and I'm
going to go watch. And I think your daughter played.
I was kicking half time because I bumped into a
(29:22):
friend of your I need to go find esther and
the door. I was like, I'm freezing, I'm going to
sit here.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
So on that, and then your daughter's showing good interest
in footy.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
My eldest is obsessed. It o posessed. She loves footy.
She loves all the players like she's.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Very father daughter eligible for.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Well, I mean, if it's still one game.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Then yes, it's one game.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
It's not the one hundred then North. But if it's either.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
North would be too bad.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I do you know what I'm actually because I know,
like the Suns, they get caugh up from the teams
quite early. I'm surprised I haven't had any call up yet.
My daughters are gigantic, cute. I am going to be
the smallest member of my family. I'm just under six
foot like they they're big.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
So we're waiting for the academy called set up there academies.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
Well, actually I had to explain to either that she
wouldn't be eligible for just because yeah there's a coach there.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
But no, she like, she loves it. She's devoted. All
the girls are like across all the teams, they've all
been incredible to my kids. Like my kids get picked
up and taken into the song by Bonnie too Good
this like what can you can you believe?
Speaker 1 (30:45):
He's a friend of mine? His daughter got to run
out with the Swans on Sunday, hand in hand with
Chloe and Malloy. She's got the indigenous ganzy on that's
going down over her knees. Is run out of this.
It's all signed this love and the Swan's media of
sending more of the photos and everything. It's just like
his daughter now has a memory for life and she's
(31:08):
going to be besotted with football now.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
They won't forget that, and they won't forget feeling a
part of it. Like I always say, my kids don't
remember a time where there wasn't afl W. How incredible,
And like my kids have been obviously, like really deeply
involved in afl W for the whole time. It's been going.
What an upbringing. How cool. I was talking to my daughter.
(31:34):
This was a couple of months ago. We were in
the cart and we've got a we've got a local
ground just next to us where my kids do ozkick
and it's great, and they have girls games out on
the weekends, so sometimes we just walk across and yeah,
I watch the girls play. It's awesome. And I said
to my daughter, you know, because I was asking her,
do you want to continue on after oz kick? She
was saying, yeah, definitely, definitely. It's like, yeah, great, so
you might even get to play here one day. And
(31:55):
she goes to me, oh, Mom, actually i'd prefer the mcg.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Fair. Dream big, dream big, I mean dream one.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Day, one day it's going to happen with that.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Do you believe the Grand Final should be held at
Marvel Stadium every year?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Yeah? It needs to.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
I'm just going to keep my campaign going hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
It should be. I will personally, I fl if you
can make this happen, I will personally commit to filling
one hundred seats. That's a good start right up, all commit.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
We could have sold twenty thousand seats last year very
easily and you can get the Lower Bowl done. Look,
if the Swans make it, I know of a certain
podcast that it gets about, you know, ten thousand listens
a month. We can get the faithful there. We know
a lot of people. If North Melbourne make it, they'll
pack it out because North haven't seen a Grand Final
since nineteen ninety.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
We will, we will pack it out and I think
like give the players the opportunity to play on that term.
So in that environment, we.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Look at some of the weekends games, the best game
of the weekend as pure football like we saw some
massive scores. The best pure footballing game of the weekend
was a gm HbA the weekend before. The best games
were at actual grounds as well. I think it's six
of the seven highest scores ever have been kicked at
stadiums and the other ones at Freemantle Community Over which
(33:19):
is a waffle ground. Anyway, you put these games on
at proper stadiums, you see better football this and that.
It's like, yes, will you go and try and kick
goals at Frankton on a Saturday night in July?
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Yeah, at least we've got the fixturing sort of out.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
No midweek footy last year.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I'm on board with midwek footy, just not five o'clock
at Frankston.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Nobody's on board with that.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Just I'm sick. I want to watch footy everything.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
I watch afl W, and I will go to any game.
I don't care who's playing.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
I just don't want to go to Frankston prove crowds.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
And maybe that's hard.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
I mean, who's that's five o'clock on a Wednesday afternoons possible,
It's possible. Whereas if you're like, we're going to play
at Icon Park it's seven on a Tuesday, I'm like,
I'm I'm there there.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah, I go to that.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
It's around the corner. We can get there. This is
my so, this is my big, my big thing. I
want Marquee afl W matches to be played on a
Monday night at six forty five at Icon Park because
it's the it's similar to Monday night football in America,
where it's if you build it, they will come. But
if you start putting big games on, or even if
(34:26):
you did it in Sydney or whatever as well, if
you put big games on, people will keep attending. Because
the good thing about W at the moment games go
for two hours, you can be home by nine nine thirty.
I oh, it's a school night.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It's great.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
I agree with that, but it's if you'd started at
six forty five, you can get there and with when
the games are on, you're not clashing with the men's
which is what we've seen in the first few weeks
where they had five games on at the same time
last week and I couldn't keep up. Yeah, I'll give
you twenty dollars right now to be in charge of
the afl W. What are the three things you're bringing
in to fix the games? Like, not to fix the game,
to make it better?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Great question? How much money are giving me?
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Twenty bucks? I reckon, I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
For twenty bucks.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
The running gag.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
I need a bit more.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
My pitch to Laura Kane is I will do this
for twenty bucks. Give me an now, and I will
improve this game.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Okay. Yeah, to start with, like I said, I love
the game where it is. I love everything that it
is and everything that it brings to me and the community.
It is incredible. It doesn't need my saving. I'm not
an expert, however, if I could. Yeah, I think the big, big,
(35:36):
big one is their alignment of the twos and the ones.
So the AFLW players that are not selected at playing
scrimmage matches at the moment, those are quite difficult to organize.
They're like across club, it's very hard for players to
get the game time that they need or playing the
positions that they need. We're hearing like sometimes players come
(35:58):
back and they're like, oh no, they wouldn't. I couldn't
do that because they needed blah blah blah. Like we
had like one of our midfielders playing rock in the
scrimmage the other way because there.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Wasn't technical issues in the midfield.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Jump if not midfield why midfield shape. Yeah, look a
little different. And I think as well, like it's really
hard to make it harder to come back from injuries.
It's hard to not have that beat a team. And yeah,
the coach that you're aligned with your coaching and there's
so many reasons why we have the AFLA and the
(36:35):
VFL aligned, and I think we could do that in
women's and it would really that would really assist the
athletes because I think, like that's my major concern is
like what do the athletes need? They're the one putting
on this incredible show for us. What's going to make
it better for them? So I would say line up
(36:55):
the seasons. That's really important to me. I would say
more money, give them more money. And I know some
people will hate that, but I think it's like you
were saying, if you build it, they will come, and
we need to have you know, we're expecting professional results.
We need to have professional pay. Yep, I agree.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
What's your opinion on like curtain raisers if it was
to be aligned with the men's season or.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Even after the game, the game you played four thirty steam.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
I've thought about it a lot, and I feel like
I don't have a strong opinion on it. And again,
for me, it comes back comes back to what do
the players want? Yeah, I would want that to be
like Canvas through the PA and.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Ones I've talked to. Some of them are like, yes,
I want to want to deal wors. Others are like,
I don't want to play before or after where there's
one hundred people that have hung around. I don't want that.
Whereas if we're getting five thousand plays, five thousand people
at ar Oval, it sounds great having a lot of
people leaving straight after the men's game. It's it's also
the looks. It's the aesthetic of it too, which is
(38:00):
a thing. Whereas in time I think we're going to
get there. My big thing is eighteen versus eighteen?
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Yeah, for sure, sure, Why are we there yet?
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Like that, that's my big one of the mament. Like VFLW,
every other competition around the country's eighteen versus eighteen. Why
isn't the premier competition eighteen versus eighteen? It's like, oh,
it'll create it'll create more you know, stoppages and stuff
like that. Watching these games on the weekend, there's a
lot of kicking to nowhere because you need to kick
the footage. Yeah yeah, And it's just like, oh, that's
where that person would be if there was eighteen versus eighteen, Like.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
That's when I'm seventeen, would have been here.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yeah, that's where you're fourteen. Your full pocket would be
taking a Marquie and then the game would keep flowing.
So that's that's my big thing. Now. My final question
is on a rating of one to your husband's goal
kicking accuracy, can you tell me when couples are going
to last or not when you're doing the wedding celebrant
because he's obviously was a very accurate goal kicker. Is
(38:53):
the gag I would have had from length of run up,
but that didn't really work, Like, can you tell when
you think when these are going to work out? On
when weddings are going to work out on not long term?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Do you know what? I don't think I ever really
take stock of that before the wedding happens, Like it's
something that I'm just like so immersed in their story
and what they need out of their day, and I
think what comes after their wedding is something that I
most of the time, I'm really lucky. I do get
to follow along, like thanks to social media, I do
get to see people's stories continue, And I always always
(39:31):
always run into my couples at the AHLW. The like
the Venn diagram of people I marry and people who
support AFLW is a circle. So yesterday at the game,
I saw two couples one that I'm marrying at the
end of this year and one that I married last
year and they're pregnant and they were telling me all
about about to tell a baby I know, and justin congratulations.
(39:52):
It's so nice, And I think, honestly, I have a
pretty good marriage tain rate, customers, return customers, although bring
back barer and yours. I want to see more people
get married to the same person again. Yeah, but I
(40:13):
also think as well, life has so many ear twist
symptoms and you never know where you're going to end up.
You never know how one story is going to continue
or end, or what's going to come next. So I
was thinking about this the other day, and I was thinking,
I hope people never look at their celebrant and think
they would judge me if I wasn't still married to
(40:34):
the person I married them too, Like, okay, sorry, this
is me being serious again. Why do I always do this?
But yeah, like, life is so unpredictable, and I love
the idea of people getting a second chance as well.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
And in the most selfish podcast question that's ever going
to be asked, but if someone hypothetically speaking needed a
celebrant who gets relationships and brings out the magic. How
would they get in touch with you just asking for
a friend. That friend is me Hi.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Homi, nice to be here. Yeah, I'm on social media.
That's how most people find me, I would say, which
is really cool because it means like like the ifow thing,
like we connect, we have stuff we connect over. I
get emails from people. I remember I got this email
once and it was a bride and she was like,
I just think we would be friends. And then I
met her and I was like, oh, I want to
(41:20):
be her friend forever. People like people just somehow understand me.
I'm like, yes, I do live here.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
That's a common thing these days, especially with like females
or just like see girl on social media, like I
want to be friends with her a DMO and it happens.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
Yeah. I love making friends on the internet. It's like
you already know so much us not to do safely. Yeah,
but I'm on social media. Most people find me there,
and I have a website and you can look me up.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I do want to know if you have the to
create the perfect wedding ceremony using only AFL metaphors.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Or cliches cliches, what would it be just like a
sentence or two has just been done before.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
How many IFL gags have you slipped in there?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
This is such a funny question. I often see, like
in celeibrant groups, people will be like, I've got a
couple and they're really obsessed with footy. Has anyone got
any good he No, I'm the opposite. I'm like, I'm
steering clear. I am way too I'm way too connection
to get involved in this. But every now and then
I think for me, like it's just like a little
(42:30):
bit of a jab at someone's football team. I think
that's like the perfect, the perfect little addition all the opposite.
Like often I'll marry people who are like Melbourne or
North Melbourne supporters, so I'll just talk about how like
superior their taste is.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
We've covered everything. We've gone from weddings to football to
fixing the AFLB. We still haven't found you a footy team,
but I think we'll get there. But thanks for joining
us an IFL W today.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
Thanks so much for having me. It was so much Yeah,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
That was great.
Welcome back to the afl W. It's today's show. Something
a little bit different today. Well social GW. Spence is
on the camera today. She's over here.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I am back, Thanks for having me back. Excited to
be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, you're not the important one. So Spence just over
in the corner. We do have a special guest today.
What have we got here? We have footy wife, footy Mum, podcast, activist,
marriage celebrate has a law degree as well. Still trying
to find a football team to support in the men's
competition and just overall footy lover. Hester Mary Brown, what's up?
And I'm going to say Hesse because Google said you'd
rather be called Hess.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh my god, I'm so thrilled with that. I my
name is Hester, and I feel like it's not a
common name, and so there's no common nickname. And I
feel like, growing up, my sister calls me Hesse, but
I haven't had very many nicknames and ask jealous of them.
There's something I'd love about her nickname. I think it's
so like fun and familiar and it feels like you
(00:53):
know someone. So when I started my own business as
a marriage celebrant, I just started slowly changing my email signature,
I love Concerted. I've put so much effort into this,
you don't even know. So I you know, I start
with oh, semi professional, I'm like Cone regards, and then
by the end I'm like love Hess And so now
I have all of these couples who call me Hess,
(01:14):
and now people on the internet have started doing it too,
so I feel like I've won. Now, Thank you, Alix.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Shout out to Google and the Internet for Olivia. Olivia's
nickname is Spence. Her name is Olivia Spice. You think
how would that work? Well? Her first month within the business,
and we're just going to go off topic straight, welcome
Olivia Spencer to the bus. That is not my name.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well done, So now I'm social girl Spence.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Actually Ben got a nickname like that when he was
playing at Melbourne, my husband Ben, because he went on
I think it was like the gust and Gorney podcast
and Gorney accidentally called him Brennie Brown.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And his name is now Branie.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
They call him Brennie.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
That makes sense, Yeah, it's that's how the best new
names come from.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So good.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So I want to talk about the marriage celebrate thing
before we get into the whole like footballing and everything
else that goes on that you do. Is there's a
whole lot of stuff that you do. But you got
married in Tazzy and then all of a sudden, like, oh,
I want to be a marriage celebrant because that's cool.
Is that just the natural progression that we find ourselves
in always just like I could do this, this is fun.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So, like you said, I did a law degree first,
which I loved, was super interesting. But I think I
knew from pretty early on that I didn't want to
be a lawyer. I think just like.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I don't know, I know every.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Day it's a lot of hours answer.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
No, I don't know. I think it's like I really
wanted to be a human rights lawyer. I think there's
so many amazing things you can do with the law degree,
so many ways to help other people, which appeals to
me a lot. But I think I realized, like I
would describe myself as buttersoft in personality. I love that,
and I think it probably would have just broken me.
I found it so interesting. I'm amazed by what people
(03:01):
can do, but I think I just need a gentle
a way to help others and be involved in community.
That suits me and gives me a happy life. Ah.
So I did my law degree. I knew I didn't
want to be a lawyer. Ben had proposed to me
sort of in the last year of my law degree,
so took a little bit of time off, did a
bunch of volunteering after I finished my degree, and just
(03:22):
kind of prepared head for a wedding and meeting our
celebrant amazing. Her name's Maren. She's from Tasmania, obviously in Hobart,
and she kind of changed my life, I guess in
a way. I know, no pressure, but we had the
first meeting in person with her and she sort of
said to us, Oh, sorry, this is the boring stuff.
This is where we do the legal paperwork. And I
(03:44):
was like, oh, the marriage ack nineteen sixty one was
so interesting for me, I'm sure. I was like, this
is this is good stuff, and then just kind of
realizing over that process that it had so many things
that I love in it, like like a little bit
of performance. I was definitely a theater kid at school.
I don't have any issue with public speaking, which most
people who tell me they would never want to do
my job. It's the public speaking side of it, which
I'm guessing neither of you feel, but most people. I
(04:07):
love a bit of public speaking, but I think mostly
I mean and happiest day of people's life. Incredible honor
to be a part of. But it's also just connecting.
Ye people people shared their story with me. They tell
me so much about themselves, they let me know them.
I see their parents' criety is of joy, so good
(04:28):
just in terms of human connection. I think it's like
an unbeatable job.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And you signed up to be a marriage celebrant, like
right when the laws changed twenty seventeen.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That feels very intentional. Yeah, I have said I would
do it if the law Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
What was that period like when you were you know,
going through the process and stuff and all.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That, the process of getting registered, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And then obviously at that time with the laws.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, really interesting. I actually I don't think I've ever
talked about this publicly, but I had a bit of
a freak out before Ben and I got married. Not
because of marrying Ben, that was like the easiest decision
I ever made in my life, but I really naively
thought the laws were going to change before then, so
we had quite a long engagement and I was very
certain the laws would change before we got married. And
(05:11):
I remember actually telling my mother in law. I was like, oh,
you know, like I just feel like as bisexual, like
only half of me can get married, Like it doesn't
feel right to be getting married when if I had
fallen in love with someone else, I wouldn't be able to.
So I found that quite emotional and something that my
mother in law said to me actually meant a lot
to me. And she said, no, you're showing people why
(05:32):
this matters, Like you have a statement about what marriage
means to you within your ceremony. I'll celebrate. Was amazing,
like I said, And you make it, you know, aligned
with your values, but you show everyone that you know,
young people do still want to get married, and this
is a rite that everyone should have access to because
it is something that you care about. It's really great
to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So then as soon as I think the day that
the laws changed officially, I called up the registered training
provider I had sign up for the call, and that
meant that the course was just full of other people
who had done the same thing too. So it's pretty slow.
I love it.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Let's talk about footy I reckon, let's talk about some dub.
What's your take on the growth of the game so
far and just women's sport as a whole because we.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Love the dub listening to this. Round three has just
ended in the great round, great.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Round, lots of great games. I could not love the
w more. It means so much to me, and I think, like,
I see a lot of commentary online of people being like,
who cares, nobody watches it?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
They care enough to comment, right, they're obsessed?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Do you gidding read? They care so much? But I like,
I love it. It means so much to me. I
can't tell you how many times I cried thinking about
I grew up watching sport, playing sport but not footy,
and always being connected to sport. But it's so funny
(06:58):
when you look back on it and you realize how
different it was. Like my dad used to take me
all the time to the wnbl used to be Danielong
fans nice because it was amazing. And when I was younger,
I used to always say that I wanted to be
an actor, slash dancer slash basketball player. I love it first,
and I like, she was like, yeah, I'm going to
(07:18):
be a teacher slash basketball player slash, and we thought, oh,
that's so funny. But then we realized that was because
all of the players had that football job. Literally it is. Yeah,
it wasn't just some silly kid thing. It was because
you know, you'd go and get a signature from the
players afterwards, and my dad would be like, oh, yeah,
she's a teacher, she does this, so yeah, it's not
(07:40):
make believe. We just didn't realize that that was because
those players were certainly not getting paid a living wage
like to do something else. So I think like AFLW
has changed the landscape of women's sport in Australia, no
doubt about it. It's like pushed up pay in other sports,
pushed up view viewership in our sport and other sports.
(08:03):
And also just like the participation of women and girls
at a local level, isn't it like two hundred percent
or something? It might even be more. It's just like
crazy astronomical, Like that's unbelievable, and that's like don't we care.
Don't we care about like young people feeling involved in sport.
We know like physical health and mental health, socialization, benefits
(08:27):
of growing up playing sport, team sport, what you learn,
what you can learn from meeting new people. There are
so many positives of it.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It just like I just yeah, like a local games
like grown so much.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
For like women's footy.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I remember like you wouldn't even I wasn't have the
opportunity to play women's foot We had soccer and stuff
like that, and that's grown astronomically thanks to the matildas
as well.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Just that like any girls of.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
The age of twelve, now we're going to start see
that coming through with the w from playing footy since
the we're younger, not transitioning from basketball players and other
sports like that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We're just going to see the game.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Get better with skills as we progress through time, which
is just so good, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And I also just love the game where it started,
Like I remember going to the first exhibition matches just
being overcome by how amazing it was, how strong those
women were, and how incredibly talented. Like I'm so excited
about the growth, but I also love the game as
it is. I think it's amazing and that those trailblazers
(09:25):
and you know, all the people who've come through our
game and who were there before it started are so
brave and courageous and they've changed it for everyone else,
and I'm so grateful to those people for having the
strength to do that for You know, something that I
find amazing in sports is the stories behind it. Yeah,
Like with my husband, he was rejected from three drafts
(09:49):
before he was eventually drafted, and I think that that
changed who he was as a person and a player.
It's that resilience, it's having to believe in yourself when
no one else starts. I think those stories are interesting
and heartwarming to watch as well. And when you look
on an afl W field, I'm not sure you're seeing
anyone who hasn't had no said to them five hundred
(10:10):
times along their journey. You're seeing so much resilience and
strength and personal fortitude as well as talent and skill
that I think the stories within it are so strong
and they mean a lot to so many people. I
love it, But I think the game's in amazing shape
personally watching it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
We're out of stage now where, and it's been noticeable
the last few weeks where the stage because it's still
it's only ten years old's it's basically still an embryotic
stage where every week, every season. For the next probably
five or six years, we will see a new record
broken in some way, shape or form. In the last
two weeks we have seen biggest wins by clubs, the
highest score in afl W ever seven goals kicked in
(10:54):
a game. The leading goalkicker this year will kick more
than the twenty one goals that is currently the leader
of the shit. Every year for the next five or
so years, until we hit that eventual dream phase that
we've all got of having seventeen to eighteen rounds of
footy a year, records will be broken week on week,
and it's great.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
It's amazing, it's so cool.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I'm obsessed with the afl W. Obviously a lot of
teams that you sort of you dot. Obviously your husband
has had working a lot of programs as well. But
for you yourself, if I had to put, you know,
a sack of money in front of you, be like,
this is the one team you can choose. I'm not
gonna say Gundy he because that's really violent. I don't
want to do that. Or let's just say a latte
of some sort in front of you, like you have
(11:34):
to choose a team or I am taking this away
from you forever, who is the one team you support
in the afl W. And yes, I'm very well aware
that Essenon's goalkicking this year is probably because of a
new employee that.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
They have AFLW.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes, I know you don't. I know you don't have
a men's team yet. We'll get on to that. So
we're just we're just moving with Essendon at the moment.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It has to be.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So they're throwing O for a specific reason, right.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, no, it's a right start. It's
super exciting and I do think we'll see the draw
is about to get harder for us. But I think
the team have also shown that they were able to
win entight contests over the last few weeks, so I
think it's a huge improvement. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So dream Time, dream Time up in Darwin last week. Massive,
They did it last year, they've done it again this
year and it looks like they're making a commitment to
do it year on year. With someone who has somewhat
of an insight into how that week would have been
for the team and the squad from your perspective as well,
what's that like, not just for the growth of the game,
but just for the impact that it can have as well.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Yeah, I think it's a pretty amazing experience. Ben was
really excited to go up. They went up for four
days I think, and obviously all the players too. They
were involved in like community that's what I want to hear,
like some community coaching sessions. I think even a couple
of complainings. A couple of the coaches ran like leadership
(12:52):
and coaching sessions as well for some aspiring coaches over there,
which is really cool. And I think just like it's
an amazing experience for the players and the staff to
get to experience what that's like to be a part
of that environment, to have that you know, they had
that beautiful ceremony altogether, and that's really like emotional and
(13:15):
special and an honor to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I think, what's that transition been like for you and
your family going from obviously Ben being a Melbourn Premiership
player now transitioning to the coaching side of things in
the afl W.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
How has that been for you and your family as well?
I love it people are like, oh do you miss footing?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
No? Sorry, I love is there a bit more balance
obviously given the full time nature of what his job
was as a player, and obviously trying to raise a
young family too. To now it's still full time, but
not as full time, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, I think he's technically four days a week at
the moment. Technically, Yeah, it's women's sports, so we're all
working more than and he loves it, so that's fine.
It's great. It's been amazing moving over. I think Ben
and I both feel like a lot of acceptance within
the AFLW community, like we feel like we belong there,
(14:12):
which is just really nice. It feels really comfortable to
be a part of.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
And I think the.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Coaching lifestyle is really nice for a number of reasons.
I think first of all, Ben medically retired at the
end of last year. His knee is so bad he
had nine surgeries on it over you know, like he
would do a main training or a game and then
not be able to walk up the stairs to the
kids rooms. Like it was rough. You know, it's not
a lot of fun. So it's really nice now that
(14:39):
he's able to give his body the rest that it needs,
he's able to like live bit much more normal life
now in terms of like his own personal mobility, and
like the arthritis and his knee, and yeah, like he
doesn't have to worry about it all the time. It
used to be like anytime he took a funny step,
but it'd be like, oh, no, my job, my life,
my career, everything on that one side, on that one
(15:03):
and that one knee. So it's really nice to take
that pressure off. But I think also he's really passionate
about AFLW. I think it's sort of all started when
I decided to follow my childhood dream and try and
plate women's footage. So I went down to some Muggers training,
you know. I think it was just before the first
AFLW season started. Maybe North Melbourne didn't have a team yet,
(15:25):
but they'd had an affiliation with the Muggers of fIF
ten years. This is the Melbourne Nie, the Melbourne Nye side.
So I went down for some training and Ben came
too to help out, and he sort of just started
helping out at trainings there. He sort of realized they
didn't have lights on at night in the four He
was like, hey, guys, because he had that insight at
the club and we switched flights. Everyone's getting.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
This is actually an inside a massive insight into like
the growth of women's sport, it also just the lack
of support that it gets not only at a professional level,
but a grassroots who doesn't have the lights.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
That's all sports Like I found that in when I
was playing soccer, We'd be thrown on the paddock out
the side with no lights, like they've got one.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Fine, Yeah. So we then North Melbourne started to like
go for their license, so they asked us to help
out with the license program and they also set up
the North Melbourne had a gender Equity working Group, so
we'd meet once a month I think it was, and
sort of work on what the business and the like
North Melbourne as a business but also as a sporting club,
(16:34):
what they were going to do to ensure like gender
equity within their club and the afl W license and
preparing for an afl W team was a huge part
of that. So we felt really privileged to be a
part of that process. And then when that team came in,
Ben got to have a lot of involvement, you know
as a volunteer and I think as well, like a
f l M salaries are such that it provides a
(16:58):
lot of privilege. His time at North Melbourne and Melbourne.
He was able to be a volunteer with the AFLW
programs because he has paid so well play as a man,
you know, and the fact that he had access to
all of those resources and he noticed that his colleagues
in the women's players didn't have that, and he knew
he could provide some of that. He could help provide
(17:20):
some of that. So that was kind of a part
of I don't know that real one club approach. I think,
I think, what can you do to help your teammates
and their teammates.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah, have you noticed that with some of the other clubs.
I think it's without naming names the ones that don't
do it, But have you noticed with certain clubs that
it is just to complete one club approach? You can
see that they're all using the facilities, all of them
are sort of a tighter knick group. Like I'm a
Swans fan, so I can tell from firsthand knowledge that
that is a one club mentality At Sidney Swan's HQ.
(17:50):
It looks like the North the North team get around
each other, make sure they're all supportive of each other.
I know that Geelong is somewhat similar as well as
his Brisbane. So have you noticed just from your perspective
as well? Obviously you did do your podcast as well
talking about AFL and AFLW have you noticed that sort
of not what's the right what I'm looking for that
(18:13):
not disparity, but just the difference between certain clubs.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I think it's quite
hard to know. I've definitely heard from people about some
quite big disparities in that. I think in North Melbourne
it was very ingrained, like it was so important to
the fabric of North Melbourne to have that women's team.
They had Lacey Harvey, the daughter of Boomer Harvey, present
their submission to the AFL, and really I think connected
(18:41):
the teams up early and a huge part of that
was Laura Kane, who's obviously now at the AFL, who
was the head of ops at North Melbourne and had
been the president of the Muggers. The connection between the
two programs was undeniable and I think that's really continued
to flow on, which is fantastic. Obviously, I think Melbourne
are pretty good at it as well. I think having
(19:02):
the multiple facilities makes it difficult. North Melbourne is a
community club in a community location, there's just the one spot.
It's very much in North Melbourne. I think that difference
between being at Amy Park with many other sporting clubs
and codes, and then also having the Casey facility, which.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Is like the struggles of their program overall, not having
the one base at the moment.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, I agree, I agree, but I think that also
helps with the like synergy of the teams hurts. It
hurts the synergy of the teams a little bit. Sorry,
But I do think you'll also find, like within within
Melbourne's program, there are some players in the men's side
that are really quite committed to the w side. Even
yesterday at the game, the Collingwood Melbourne game, we rang
(19:45):
into Maxicon and his family and also Tom McDonald and
his family, and I would say that those two attend
quite a few games and their trainings.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So I think sometimes it's kind of player to player
as well.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
But I think saw Justin McInerney at Geelong on Sunday,
this one season's over and he's come to Melbourne to
go did you long to watch the game? So that
shows as well.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
And you see the teams will post on social was
like when nor did the unveiling the flag. I thought,
she's all was there, and they all, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
It's there on the cosierras that the Red Cans look
like Melbourne. I was right there, it was.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
It was I think with the synergy of the clubs,
like the ones that are like close together in a
one club mentality, that's coming out in the performance of
the teams as well.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
So that's great to see.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
How do you maintain your own identity, obviously with your
partner being a footy player. How do you I've seen
your socials and stuff. It's amazing what you're doing. How
do you find that you're, you know, paving your own way.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
That's a really good question. Who it is I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
I guess you do a lot of stuff, marriage, celebrate,
podcast host, advocate, mom, free fair, it's everything.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Well, we're not doing the podcast this season, so that
helps me a little bit. I've got a little bit
more time this season. But I think I just I
like to stay busy. I think that makes me feel
like me. But I also love being a parent, like
I am very much the primary caregiver for my kids.
My daughter's in two days a week of kinder so
I have two days I have two days away, but
(21:19):
I love that. I love getting to be like that's
a huge privilege to be like the one that's there
to her all the time, and for my oldest daughter
too when she's not in school. But next year they'll
both be in school. So I'm just like trying to
work out what to do. I'm going to podcast and
come back maybe.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Or importantly, we can put some time and development into
finding a men's team for you to support as well,
because this is something that I got told about this morning.
You don't have a team to support yet, so there's
an open canvas, and I feel like, for certain reasons,
there are teams that we can just instantly cross off
the list and we're not going to mention names that
you would just say you're not going to go for them.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
It's okay, oh yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
But for teams that you can support, can you wait
for TASMANI to come in into.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Chase Many will definitely be my team when they come in.
How could they not be. It's a brand new team,
it's got Roman like.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Thing.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Why will that it is? I think it is perfectly
zany turn out of ten for me? I love it.
It works. Yeah, No, I'm definitely, definitely very keen on Tazzy,
and I think like everybody loves an underdog and so
like Tazzi will start as that underdog too, and that
will be appealing and fun and exciting. And Tazzy has
(22:29):
a rich football history, so it'd be nice to continue
that on. But it does it feels weird, like because you.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Can watch games like we watch games during the year
and like we're emotionally invested in and for you it
must be free and just oh that was fun, whereas well,
oh god damn it, why they miss But I can't.
I can't even when I'm when I'm I don't care.
I don't care. I don't care. I care it. Yeah,
like I really care. Alex really cares, and.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Everyone knows that long years I lost the ability, I
think to watch football like quote unquote the normal way
over Ben's year. Like I started off as like I
grew up watching footy. I was a Saints fan, a
very like casual Saints.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Fan, probably the way to be.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I thought I was a big fan, and then going
through football, I was like, wow, no, I was not
that committed. Some people are incredible, but yeah, like I
grew up watching it and loving it, and then when
Ben got drafted, it all changed really quickly for me,
Like I straight away because Melbourne support one thousand percent.
You can't you can't really not, And a lot of
(23:38):
people say like, how could you change teams.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Like like, you're supporting your partner to succeed at his job,
so of course.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And even just like for staff when North had that
first win, the first one this year, it had been
a really long time in the men's program. I felt
so happy for them, just thinking about all the staff members,
so we're gonna have a nicer week at work. It
is also a workplace, yeah, and it affects like the
workplace environment that you're hard to be in a losing
environment all the time. It's it's draining emotionally, and there's
(24:10):
a lot of lovely staff members just trying to do
their job in there, you know, and it's just that
little bit sad. So I was very happy. You're just
thinking about them having a nicer week.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
I feel like everyone was happy for North at that,
Like I was happy for West Coast when they thank
you that.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Was so long ago forgotten. One thing is when teams
lose the people, I feel obviously that the players and
the coaching stuff. People I feel the worst for is
the social media team getting abused and it's like they
don't play the game, guys like okay, you can, you
can vent off like we need to make this change
and that change and that change, but don't go in
there start staring and ranting and raving like come on, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
People get pretty well in the comments.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah it's I love footy, but Jesus, there's a bad
side to it, and I.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Think that has an impact to on. Like I was saying,
like ability to support a team. When Ben was playing,
I think injury was a huge part of it, especially
like there was one game when he was playing for
North against Collingwood. Actually it is Brodie Grundy, who's a
lovely person but accidentally completely ko Ben and like we
(25:16):
ended up in the ambulance together, like going to the
hospital that night, and then even just the after effects
of that. I think like one of the AFL's favorite
photographers must have been there because there's a photo of
Ben and he's just like it's an awful photo, but
it's very expressive, if you will. So every time pretty
much there's an article about a concussion, a concussion, or
(25:39):
even worse like the long term impacts of concussion. They
will have a photo of Ben lying flat on the
mcg turf and I'll just be scrolling Facebook and I'll
hit with it, and those like future health implications are terrifying.
I have friends who are going through that with their
partners now. It's just awful and it's scary and it's
(26:04):
horrible to watch. And I feel like, for a really
long time, every time I've watched football, I've seen someone
fall over and gone, is that a knee? I've seen
someone hit their head and go, is that going to
be one of those deeper concussions that has long lasting
impacts or not? And it's hard to it's hard to
feel the same way as I used to just like
(26:25):
watch it and enjoy it. And for me, I think
AFLW really helped me fall back in love with football.
I know there are those horrible injuries there as well,
and it's a very physical sport, but it gave me
a fresh look at it, I think, and enabled me
to sort of go back to enjoying the game as
just a sport. And then I think, like I was
saying the other side of it is just the awful, awful,
(26:49):
awful hate messages that Ben would receive. And particularly and
very very often there's people in the dms after because
they've it's all about multi bets, they've incorrectly betted, and
then they are so angry about it that they think
that they should level death threats at somebody out on
(27:11):
the field. And so I think, as well, you watch it,
and I think, watch a game and I'm like, oh no,
that person mister shot at the end of the game,
and their dms are going to be fothered so awful.
I hope they never check. So it's hard to kind
of have that separation from it again and to feel
that like genuine joy. So I went to a whole
bunch of games this season, men's game to a whole bunch.
(27:34):
I went to a few men's this season, and the
last one I went to was a se Kilda game,
and that was actually the most fun was of the
same Kilda after the stir and win. All though it.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Was it was not that well I think that would
have been, like, I mean, obviously we have quite a
bit of d A little bit hard for me.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
To get behind. It was it was actually Melbourne and Essendon,
which everybody was like that wasn't a great game, But
I had so much fun. That's all the bat it.
I don't think anyone got heard. I think that serious happened.
There were no like I don't even think there were
any louder implications of the game. But I was just
having a jolly time because I had a bunch of
(28:16):
friends to watch it with. And for the first time
I felt disconnected. Like I've been to see North, I'd
been to see Essendon, I'd been to see Melbourne. It's
hard to just like go of all just like of
all those feelings all those years, yeah, like supporting them
of it meaning so much, of knowing so many of
the people out there and behind the scenes and hearing
(28:37):
about how they're feeling. It was nice to watch some
Kilda and just be.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Like, eh, that's what I find with the dub Like
I think I do actually really like how it's still
at those local grounds, like going to Windy Hill. You
just have that community atmosphere and I think, yeah, as
the game grows, just the vibe like you would go
the Swans with Hanson Pop. I haven't been personally, yeah,
but just to the community and what you see and
it's like foody's fun, Like yeah, I think I can.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Obviously I love the Swans, but when it comes to
the w I do feel like I can actually just
except for the Swans, of course, but I can switch off.
I will go and watch games of football, like two
sundays ago, I went watched North and Port three quarters time,
Like this game is over, I'm going to drive to
Windy Hill because Ella Roberts is playing Essendon and I'm
going to go watch. And I think your daughter played.
I was kicking half time because I bumped into a
(29:22):
friend of your I need to go find esther and
the door. I was like, I'm freezing, I'm going to
sit here.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
So on that, and then your daughter's showing good interest
in footy.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
My eldest is obsessed. It o posessed. She loves footy.
She loves all the players like she's.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Very father daughter eligible for.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Well, I mean, if it's still one game.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Then yes, it's one game.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
It's not the one hundred then North. But if it's either.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
North would be too bad.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I do you know what I'm actually because I know,
like the Suns, they get caugh up from the teams
quite early. I'm surprised I haven't had any call up yet.
My daughters are gigantic, cute. I am going to be
the smallest member of my family. I'm just under six
foot like they they're big.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
So we're waiting for the academy called set up there academies.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
Well, actually I had to explain to either that she
wouldn't be eligible for just because yeah there's a coach there.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
But no, she like, she loves it. She's devoted. All
the girls are like across all the teams, they've all
been incredible to my kids. Like my kids get picked
up and taken into the song by Bonnie too Good
this like what can you can you believe?
Speaker 1 (30:45):
He's a friend of mine? His daughter got to run
out with the Swans on Sunday, hand in hand with
Chloe and Malloy. She's got the indigenous ganzy on that's
going down over her knees. Is run out of this.
It's all signed this love and the Swan's media of
sending more of the photos and everything. It's just like
his daughter now has a memory for life and she's
(31:08):
going to be besotted with football now.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
They won't forget that, and they won't forget feeling a
part of it. Like I always say, my kids don't
remember a time where there wasn't afl W. How incredible,
And like my kids have been obviously, like really deeply
involved in afl W for the whole time. It's been going.
What an upbringing. How cool. I was talking to my daughter.
(31:34):
This was a couple of months ago. We were in
the cart and we've got a we've got a local
ground just next to us where my kids do ozkick
and it's great, and they have girls games out on
the weekends, so sometimes we just walk across and yeah,
I watch the girls play. It's awesome. And I said
to my daughter, you know, because I was asking her,
do you want to continue on after oz kick? She
was saying, yeah, definitely, definitely. It's like, yeah, great, so
you might even get to play here one day. And
(31:55):
she goes to me, oh, Mom, actually i'd prefer the mcg.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Fair. Dream big, dream big, I mean dream one.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Day, one day it's going to happen with that.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Do you believe the Grand Final should be held at
Marvel Stadium every year?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Yeah? It needs to.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
I'm just going to keep my campaign going hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
It should be. I will personally, I fl if you
can make this happen, I will personally commit to filling
one hundred seats. That's a good start right up, all commit.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
We could have sold twenty thousand seats last year very
easily and you can get the Lower Bowl done. Look,
if the Swans make it, I know of a certain
podcast that it gets about, you know, ten thousand listens
a month. We can get the faithful there. We know
a lot of people. If North Melbourne make it, they'll
pack it out because North haven't seen a Grand Final
since nineteen ninety.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
We will, we will pack it out and I think
like give the players the opportunity to play on that term.
So in that environment, we.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Look at some of the weekends games, the best game
of the weekend as pure football like we saw some
massive scores. The best pure footballing game of the weekend
was a gm HbA the weekend before. The best games
were at actual grounds as well. I think it's six
of the seven highest scores ever have been kicked at
stadiums and the other ones at Freemantle Community Over which
(33:19):
is a waffle ground. Anyway, you put these games on
at proper stadiums, you see better football this and that.
It's like, yes, will you go and try and kick
goals at Frankton on a Saturday night in July?
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Yeah, at least we've got the fixturing sort of out.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
No midweek footy last year.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I'm on board with midwek footy, just not five o'clock
at Frankston.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Nobody's on board with that.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Just I'm sick. I want to watch footy everything.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
I watch afl W, and I will go to any game.
I don't care who's playing.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
I just don't want to go to Frankston prove crowds.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
And maybe that's hard.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
I mean, who's that's five o'clock on a Wednesday afternoons possible,
It's possible. Whereas if you're like, we're going to play
at Icon Park it's seven on a Tuesday, I'm like,
I'm I'm there there.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah, I go to that.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
It's around the corner. We can get there. This is
my so, this is my big, my big thing. I
want Marquee afl W matches to be played on a
Monday night at six forty five at Icon Park because
it's the it's similar to Monday night football in America,
where it's if you build it, they will come. But
if you start putting big games on, or even if
(34:26):
you did it in Sydney or whatever as well, if
you put big games on, people will keep attending. Because
the good thing about W at the moment games go
for two hours, you can be home by nine nine thirty.
I oh, it's a school night.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It's great.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
I agree with that, but it's if you'd started at
six forty five, you can get there and with when
the games are on, you're not clashing with the men's
which is what we've seen in the first few weeks
where they had five games on at the same time
last week and I couldn't keep up. Yeah, I'll give
you twenty dollars right now to be in charge of
the afl W. What are the three things you're bringing
in to fix the games? Like, not to fix the game,
to make it better?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Great question? How much money are giving me?
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Twenty bucks? I reckon, I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
For twenty bucks.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
The running gag.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
I need a bit more.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
My pitch to Laura Kane is I will do this
for twenty bucks. Give me an now, and I will
improve this game.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Okay. Yeah, to start with, like I said, I love
the game where it is. I love everything that it
is and everything that it brings to me and the community.
It is incredible. It doesn't need my saving. I'm not
an expert, however, if I could. Yeah, I think the big, big,
(35:36):
big one is their alignment of the twos and the ones.
So the AFLW players that are not selected at playing
scrimmage matches at the moment, those are quite difficult to organize.
They're like across club, it's very hard for players to
get the game time that they need or playing the
positions that they need. We're hearing like sometimes players come
(35:58):
back and they're like, oh no, they wouldn't. I couldn't
do that because they needed blah blah blah. Like we
had like one of our midfielders playing rock in the
scrimmage the other way because there.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Wasn't technical issues in the midfield.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Jump if not midfield why midfield shape. Yeah, look a
little different. And I think as well, like it's really
hard to make it harder to come back from injuries.
It's hard to not have that beat a team. And yeah,
the coach that you're aligned with your coaching and there's
so many reasons why we have the AFLA and the
(36:35):
VFL aligned, and I think we could do that in
women's and it would really that would really assist the
athletes because I think, like that's my major concern is
like what do the athletes need? They're the one putting
on this incredible show for us. What's going to make
it better for them? So I would say line up
(36:55):
the seasons. That's really important to me. I would say
more money, give them more money. And I know some
people will hate that, but I think it's like you
were saying, if you build it, they will come, and
we need to have you know, we're expecting professional results.
We need to have professional pay. Yep, I agree.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
What's your opinion on like curtain raisers if it was
to be aligned with the men's season or.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Even after the game, the game you played four thirty steam.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
I've thought about it a lot, and I feel like
I don't have a strong opinion on it. And again,
for me, it comes back comes back to what do
the players want? Yeah, I would want that to be
like Canvas through the PA and.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Ones I've talked to. Some of them are like, yes,
I want to want to deal wors. Others are like,
I don't want to play before or after where there's
one hundred people that have hung around. I don't want that.
Whereas if we're getting five thousand plays, five thousand people
at ar Oval, it sounds great having a lot of
people leaving straight after the men's game. It's it's also
the looks. It's the aesthetic of it too, which is
(38:00):
a thing. Whereas in time I think we're going to
get there. My big thing is eighteen versus eighteen?
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Yeah, for sure, sure, Why are we there yet?
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Like that, that's my big one of the mament. Like VFLW,
every other competition around the country's eighteen versus eighteen. Why
isn't the premier competition eighteen versus eighteen? It's like, oh,
it'll create it'll create more you know, stoppages and stuff
like that. Watching these games on the weekend, there's a
lot of kicking to nowhere because you need to kick
the footage. Yeah yeah, And it's just like, oh, that's
where that person would be if there was eighteen versus eighteen, Like.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
That's when I'm seventeen, would have been here.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yeah, that's where you're fourteen. Your full pocket would be
taking a Marquie and then the game would keep flowing.
So that's that's my big thing. Now. My final question
is on a rating of one to your husband's goal
kicking accuracy, can you tell me when couples are going
to last or not when you're doing the wedding celebrant
because he's obviously was a very accurate goal kicker. Is
(38:53):
the gag I would have had from length of run up,
but that didn't really work, Like, can you tell when
you think when these are going to work out? On
when weddings are going to work out on not long term?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Do you know what? I don't think I ever really
take stock of that before the wedding happens, Like it's
something that I'm just like so immersed in their story
and what they need out of their day, and I
think what comes after their wedding is something that I
most of the time, I'm really lucky. I do get
to follow along, like thanks to social media, I do
get to see people's stories continue, And I always always
(39:31):
always run into my couples at the AHLW. The like
the Venn diagram of people I marry and people who
support AFLW is a circle. So yesterday at the game,
I saw two couples one that I'm marrying at the
end of this year and one that I married last
year and they're pregnant and they were telling me all
about about to tell a baby I know, and justin congratulations.
(39:52):
It's so nice, And I think, honestly, I have a
pretty good marriage tain rate, customers, return customers, although bring
back barer and yours. I want to see more people
get married to the same person again. Yeah, but I
(40:13):
also think as well, life has so many ear twist
symptoms and you never know where you're going to end up.
You never know how one story is going to continue
or end, or what's going to come next. So I
was thinking about this the other day, and I was thinking,
I hope people never look at their celebrant and think
they would judge me if I wasn't still married to
(40:34):
the person I married them too, Like, okay, sorry, this
is me being serious again. Why do I always do this?
But yeah, like, life is so unpredictable, and I love
the idea of people getting a second chance as well.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
And in the most selfish podcast question that's ever going
to be asked, but if someone hypothetically speaking needed a
celebrant who gets relationships and brings out the magic. How
would they get in touch with you just asking for
a friend. That friend is me Hi.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Homi, nice to be here. Yeah, I'm on social media.
That's how most people find me, I would say, which
is really cool because it means like like the ifow thing,
like we connect, we have stuff we connect over. I
get emails from people. I remember I got this email
once and it was a bride and she was like,
I just think we would be friends. And then I
met her and I was like, oh, I want to
(41:20):
be her friend forever. People like people just somehow understand me.
I'm like, yes, I do live here.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
That's a common thing these days, especially with like females
or just like see girl on social media, like I
want to be friends with her a DMO and it happens.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
Yeah. I love making friends on the internet. It's like
you already know so much us not to do safely. Yeah,
but I'm on social media. Most people find me there,
and I have a website and you can look me up.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I do want to know if you have the to
create the perfect wedding ceremony using only AFL metaphors.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Or cliches cliches, what would it be just like a
sentence or two has just been done before.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
How many IFL gags have you slipped in there?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
This is such a funny question. I often see, like
in celeibrant groups, people will be like, I've got a
couple and they're really obsessed with footy. Has anyone got
any good he No, I'm the opposite. I'm like, I'm
steering clear. I am way too I'm way too connection
to get involved in this. But every now and then
I think for me, like it's just like a little
(42:30):
bit of a jab at someone's football team. I think
that's like the perfect, the perfect little addition all the opposite.
Like often I'll marry people who are like Melbourne or
North Melbourne supporters, so I'll just talk about how like
superior their taste is.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
We've covered everything. We've gone from weddings to football to
fixing the AFLB. We still haven't found you a footy team,
but I think we'll get there. But thanks for joining
us an IFL W today.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
Thanks so much for having me. It was so much Yeah,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
That was great.
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