Welcome to The Heart of it, where we delve deep into the stories behind the legends of Tasmanian football. In this podcast, we explore the rich tapestry of Tasmania’s football history, celebrating the players who have left an indelible mark on the game. While their achievements on the field have been well-documented, we believe there’s more to the story. Our conversations go beyond the headlines, offering listeners a glimpse into the journey that shaped these remarkable careers. From humble ...
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The only Tasmanian to win the coveted Norm Smith Medal, Colin Robertson, grew up on a dairy and potato farm in the small north west town of Yolla. The paddocks, with tree limbs for goals posts, were Robertson’s equivalent of the MCG and where he honed his skills before starring with Wynard in two premierships. Multiple VFL clubs came calling, but t…
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A member of the Tasmanian Team of the Century, Paul Williams was drafted to Collingwood as a schoolboy and after a controversial move to the Sydney Swans in 2001, played in an AFL premiership in his 294th game. The Williams story has many fascinating chapters. From family run pubs, fish and chip shops and Tasmanian state league football, to the tra…
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A key pillar in Essendon’s quest for an AFLW premiership, Wynyard’s Ellyse Gamble has enjoyed the highs and lows of football and of life since being drafted while on an east coast bushwalk in 2017. Gamble ran out for the Western Bulldogs in their first ever AFLW game, but injury robbed her of the chance to play in a premiership the following year. …
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Laura McBain was a young mother when she packed up her belongings and moved from Sydney to the northern Tasmanian town of Exeter. After a challenging start to her new life in Australia's smallest state, McBain would rise from humble beginnings to become one of the country's most successful businesswomen. Now, a rusted-on Tasmanian, McBain is a key …
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The Launceston suburb of Waverley might be best known for its woolen mill, but it can also lay claim to a Collingwood premiership star. Doug Barwick was recruited to Fitzroy after winning a best and fairest with East Launceston in 1983. A powerfully built player with a prodigious kick, Barwick's switch to Collingwood in 1988 proved life changing. H…
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There have been few more brilliant or flamboyant footballers than Campbell Town’s Brent Crosswell, who won four VFL premierships with Carlton and North Melbourne. An extreme talent possessing skill, speed and power, Crosswell was a schoolboy prodigy, whose feats in big games were legendary. But he was also highly temperamental and, by his own admis…
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A former Tasmanian player who became a state league senior coach at the age of 24, Zane Littlejohn quickly established his credentials winning back-to-back premierships with North Launceston. After being lured to the Brisbane Lions, where he worked under fellow Tasmanian Chris Fagan, Littlejohn is now the senior coach of VFL club Box Hill and worki…
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A champion swimmer, who once shared the pool with Olympic golden girl Ariarne Titmus, Nicole Bresnahan only started playing football as a 19-year old. Just a couple of years later she was drafted by North Melbourne and selected to play in the Kangaroos’ first ever AFLW match. As she readies for her 50th game with the club, Bresnehan is also working…
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With more than 18-thousand first-class runs, former Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox is a revered figure in cricket and widely considered as desperately unlucky to have never played in Tests for Australia. What is less known about the Wynyard product, is that he was once an Essendon footballer – despite being completely oblivious to the fact. In 1987, a…
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Andy Bennett is proof you don’t need to be born in Tasmania to become a Tasmanian – a very passionate Tasmanian. Originally from Broken Hill, Bennett was very late to football but quickly rose to prominence representing the revered South Australian state team in the late 1970’s. After stints with Hawthorn and St. Kilda in the VFL, which included a …
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One of only four players in the history of the game to win three Brownlow Medals, Ian Stewart describes the harsh environment that gave rise to his immense football talents. Stewart spent his early years on Tasmania’s rugged west coast, but his childhood was most shaped by his experiences living alongside orphaned migrant children at the Hobart wel…
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There is no better example of the importance of the state’s AFL license to young Tasmanians than the story of Ian Callinan. A star junior, the Rokeby product was the epitome of the natural footballer – highly skilled on both left and right foot and with an uncanny sense of where the goals were. But despite a glittering football resume, Callinan’s d…
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One of the AFL’s finest wingmen during the 80’s and 90’s Darrin Pritchard played in three premierships with Hawthorn, the club he barracked for as a child. In this episode, Pritchard details how he had initially hoped to play for Fitzroy. He also reflects on his childhood growing up at Mount Nelson, the guidance of Chris Fagan and Andy Bennett at t…
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From a near death experience to an AFLW premiership, the career of Tasmania Devils girls’ head coach Jess Wuetschner has been truly remarkable. In this episode, Wuetschner details the circumstances around her brush with death and the crippling aftereffects. The women’s football trail blazer also reflects on her involvement in the AFLW revolution an…
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One of Tasmanian football’s sharpest minds Max Brown discusses his journey from premiership-winning forward to highly decorated coach. Affectionately known as ‘The Fox,’ Brown’s involvement in senior football on the north west coast spans five decades. In this episode, he reflects on the bitter rivalries that existed between towns in what was a fer…
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The state of Tasmania is well known for its football champions, in this episode a true champion of Tasmanian football’s quest to join the AFL, former premier Peter Gutwein, discusses the strongarm tactics he used to help deliver the coveted 19th license. Gutwein also shares his own extraordinary football story, which began as a kid at Myrtle Park, …
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With 727 goals in only 129 VFL games at an average of 5.64, the extraordinary goal kicking feats of Australian Football Hall of Fame legend Peter Hudson will never be surpassed. In this episode, the champion full-forward reflects on his early years growing up behind the Boyer Oval in New Norfolk and his cherished memories of playing in a senior pre…
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Launceston's Mia King reflects on her journey from talented teenage gymnast to emerging star of the AFLW. With a family history that bears the scars of the stolen generation, King opens up on her indigenous heritage and the challenges that have accompanied it. She also touches on the disappointment of losing last season's AFLW Grand Final, her love…
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The Australian Football Hall of Fame contains 31 legends, four of them are from Tasmania. The island state that accounts for some two percent of the nation's population extraordinarily boasts 12-percent of its football greats. One of those greats is Royce Hart, arguably the game's finest ever centre half forward. In this episode, Royce reflects on …
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Dodges Ferry flier Jeremy Howe has tasted the greatest high in football, an AFL premiership, but the story of his career is not totally defined by the high marks and high moments. Howe has also endured his share of harrowing experiences. From early challenges at Melbourne and the unexpected death of his mother to the horrific broken arm that almost…
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