The Forward Line

20 | TFL TALKS to Lucas Herbert

Hello everyone & Happy Thursday! Today on the show Annie and Emily sit down with professional golfer, Lucas Herbet.

Ranked #64 in the World, Lucas is among the top 5 Australians on the list, not too far behind superstars Jason Day and Adam Scott. Lucas grew up just outside of Bendigo, Victoria and turned pro in 2015. He’s now 24 years old and has been an official player on the European Tour for the last 3 seasons.

In today’s episode we discuss Lucas’ self-proclaimed “love-hate” relationship with his sport, exploring the highs and lows of life on the road. We chat about his first professional win at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in January this year, playing practice rounds with Tiger Woods at his first British Open and what it’s like having everyone on the Internet being able to find out EXACTLY how much money you are making.

Lucas was so generous in giving up some of his time before he hopefully jets back off to US in two weeks to FINALLY start playing again. To keep up to date with Lucas and his latest news, you can follow him on:

• Twitter @lhgolf5
• Instagram @herbznspices_

There’s some absolute cracking stories in this one and we hope you enjoy the show!

19 | TFL TACKLES MJ’s Reebok Cover Up, (Don’t)Go Fund Me & Sport after COVID-19

Hellooooo & Happy Thursday! Winter is here and for all our University listeners…so is exam time (we wish you well). But most importantly…SPORT IS BACK…Well, kind of.

Today on the show we start with a debrief about Netflix’s latest sensation; The Last Dance. Did you watch Episode 5? Were you confused about all the drama with the Nike Air Jordan vs Reebok logo? Same! So today we are breaking it all down before leaving you to decide the big question – did MJ do the right thing?

You may have also seem some headlines around about a Go Fund Me page set up to help Richmond Superstar, Marlion Pickett. But why won’t the AFL allow Pickett to benefit from the public purse?

Lastly, we take a quick squiz at Sport in post COVID-19 world. Will there be new rules? Apparently ‘No Spitting’ is a thing? Maybe more injuries & interchange? And what on EARTH is happening with those fake crowd noises and cardboard cut-outs!? We answer it all.

Enjoy the show!

18 | TFL TALKS to Georgia Godwin

Hello everyone & Happy Thursday! Today on the show we are sitting down with Australian Artistic Gymnast, Georgia Godwin.

Georgia is a 6x All-Around National Champion, a Commonwealth Games Medalist and soon to be Olympian. We discussed her transition from a competitive junior to global star, pressure & motivation during the face of adversity and what it’s like preparing to make the biggest debut of your career, a year later than you had planned.

It was an absolute delight to get to know Georgia and a bit more about the intricacies of her sport of passion. She was candid, hilarious and humble, offering so many pearls of wisdom throughout this conversation.

If you would like to follow Georgia’s Olympic journey, you can find her Instagram page here. In the show we also asked Georgia about the hardest skill she’s ever nailed. She said it was “a front layout, double front” and as promised, you can watch her land it over here!

To keep up to date with all of our news, you can follow our various social media pages. We are on:

- Twitter

- Instagram

- And Facebook

Enjoy the show and we will be back in your ears in two week’s time!

17 | TFL TACKLES Soccer Pay in the USA, Corruption during COVID & The Fall of Castle

Helloooooo and Happy Thursday! We hope you are well & staying healthy during these uncertain times. From the TFL team, we would like to say A BIG THANK YOU for your patience as we set up our new WFH Recording Studio. We are thrilled to be back after our short hiatus and reporting live from a Stage 3 Melbourne lockdown. Although we look & sound a little different, the gist is still the same; How cool is technology right?

Today on the show we unpack a recent judgment from an LA Court. In the case, the Judge rejected an argument by the US Women’s Soccer Team who sued their governing body for gender discrimination. We then shift our focus to domestic news.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the Sports Gambling Industry and the subsequent effects this is having on match-fixers. Finally, we take a deep dive into how one of Australia’s most Senior Sports Administrators, Raelene Castle, was ousted from her role as CEO of Rugby Australia. We consider whether she was treated fairly in her dismissal and ask why it is seemingly SO difficult for Women in Sport to secure the top job.

Annie recommended you watch this short video of superstar Genevieve Gregson setting a new record around the Tan Track. Chloe sends her apologies for the unexpected cameo by her puppy Rocky around the 26 minute mark, but is also happy for you follow her on Instagram if you wish to see more dog content. Enjoy the show!

16 | TFL TACKLES COVID-19

Hello and Happy Sunday! Don't mind us popping into your feeds unexpectedly. We know it's not a normal release day but we decided to hold an emergency recording, while it was still logistically possibile to do so!

Today on the show we have an entire special dedicated to the Coronavirus. We talk about its effect on global sport at the elite level and take a deep dive into two case studies in our hometown of Melbourne, Namely, the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix and the decision by the Australian Football League to continue with Round 1 of its 2020 Men's competition.

We then consider the effect of "no sport" at the grass roots level and talk you through what WE are doing to keep active and healthy throughout this period of social distancing. Lastly, we've got a couple of good news, sports stories to put a smile on your face, amidst these challenging times.

We hope you enjoy the show and please take extra care of yourself and your loved ones over the coming weeks and months. We are all in this together!

15 | TFL TALKS to Mitch Hannan

Today on the show we are sitting down with Australian Rules Football player, Mitch Hannan. With the Men's Australian Rules Football 2020 Season due to commence next Thursday, we felt Mitch was the perfect person to introduce this competition. During the show, we chat all things footy, including Mitch's path to AFL, life as an AFL player, career highlights and Melbourne Football Club's 2020 pre-season.

Off the field, Mitch continues to kick goals as the co-founder of Mendl, a non-profit fashion label with a mission to encourage men to start conversations about their mental health. We chat about the inspiration behind Mendl and the recent positive changes in society surrounding conversations about men's mental health.

If you would like to join the Mendl Movement, you can find out more information and purchase pieces at https://mendl.com.au/ or follow the movement on Instagram: @_mendl_. To read more about Mendl (from those who know fashion better than we do) check out this feature article in GQ: https://www.gq.com.au/style/news/meet-mendl-the-aflbacked-nonprofit-talking-about-mental-health-through-fashion/image-gallery/e1583e25d386389e952cb9a1bddb3a85

To keep up to date with Mitch's latest news, you can follow him on Instagram: @mitchhan19

Thanks for listening!

14 | TFL TACKLES disruption in the Administration of Australian Sport, the ’Netflix Effect’ and Reflections from Geneva

Today we discuss the disruption in the Administration of Australian Sport, covering the "Sports Rorts Affair" and the money battle of the two Johns: John Wylie, Chair of the Australian Sports Commission and John Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee. We explore the effect of Netflix and other streaming services on how we consume sport and lastly our producer Emily, reflects on her time at the International Labour Organisation's inaugural Global Dialogue Forum on Decent Work in the World of Sport held in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the show we recommended you LISTEN to this episode of Tracey Holmes' The Ticket podcast: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/newsradio/podcasts/the-ticket/the-ticket:-22-february-2020/11991524 and READ this article in the Atlantic by Amanda Mull which examines some of the more problematic behaviours evidenced in Netflix's Cheer documentary: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/01/athletes-cheer-deserve-better/605326/. Enjoy!

13 | TFL TALKS to Catriona Bisset

Today on the show we are sitting down with Catriona Bisset. In 2019, Triona sprung to prominence after a shock win in the 800m event at the Track & Field National Championships. Two months later she broke a 43 year old Record, making her Australia’s fastest EVER 800m female athlete and ensuring her eligibility for selection at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In contrast to her competitors, Triona’s journey has been unconventional. After dominating the junior ranks, she spent a lengthy period of time away from the sport. This has allowed her to pursue other passions including a Masters of Architecture and Diploma of Chinese Language.

It’s this time spent outside athletics that has given Triona such a unique perspective on the sport she loves. Today you’ll hear from an incredible critical thinker as we chat about agents, athlete advocacy her relationship with social media and what its like to have your toughest rival, Caster Semenya, banned from your event.

To read more about Triona's journey head to her website here: https://catrionabisset.com/ or follow her on Instagram here: @catrionabisset. Thanks for listening!

12 | TFL TACKLES The Australian Open

Today on the show we discuss the air quality policy that had players up in arms (to read more on this see also: https://themediatimes.com/tennis-continues-at-australian-open-despite-fire-this-time/), the role of ballkids when it comes to banana peels and the interesting timing surrounding the media's coverage of Nick Kyrgios.

11 | TFL TACKLES RoadNats 2020

Hello friends and Happy Thursday! Today on the show we are doing things a little differently. Last week, we headed to the Australian National Road Cycling Championships in Buninyong. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Nick White and Sarah Gigante who both won the 2019 Road Race. In this episode we chatted about the course, their wins last year and how they were feeling about their 2020 seasons. Enjoy the show