The W with Sharni and Sam: Recent Episodes
ABC SPORT
Award winning journalist Sam Lane is joined by cross-code firecracker Sharni Norder to talk all things AFLW. A podcast that is equal parts insight, raw honesty and general madness. This is for the real ones.
The Demons win the flag! They spoil the Lions' house-warming party, as Daisy Pearce put it! And Sharni and Sam loved every second! We have the full grand final debrief you need, plus Sharni reveals her plan to raise the fitness levels across the league, and Sam sets out her number one priority ahead of next season. It's the finale of The W with Sharni and Sam!
It’s time for the big dance so Sharni and Sam do a deep dive into who made it, who didn’t and where on earth is it being played? They also discuss injuries, retirement and give their tips. With the grand final on the horizon that also means its awards season and Sam looks to Sharni for some fashion advice.
Foundation AFLW coach Mick Stinear joins the pod to talk finals footy and the Melbourne Demons' chances at a premiership tilt this season. The main item on the agenda, is the league's undecided venue for the Grand Final. Sam and Sharni find themselves confused, pondering how the AFLW can be so disorganised a couple of week's out from the biggest game of the season... Especially when the men's game is somehow able to lock down the location for its new 'magic round' five months in advance?
SIX-time All Australian and Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney joins the pod, and she makes it clear: the players want more notice on which grounds will stage AFLW finals games. Plus she makes the case for Jasmine Garner to be the Season 7 MVP. And Sharni and Sam cast their eyes over week one of the finals, winners and losers.
Reigning AFLW MVP and Brisbane superstar Emily Bates joins the pod and pulls no punches ahead of the Lions' first finals clash against Mon Conti and the Tigers! Plus she tells us what motivates her to keep striving for peak physical conditioning. And Sharni and Sam preview the finals, and grade every team that finished in the bottom 10.
Collingwood captain - and 52-game legend - Steph Chiocci joins the pod to talk leadership, mental health, and authenticity. Plus she reveals what happened with that premature goal celebration, and if she's keen to play on next season. Meanwhile, Sharni and Sam assess the weekend, and big-up those mighty Tigers.
Geelong captain Meg McDonald takes us through the moment it "clicked" for the Cats, and how it feels riding high on a four-game winning streak. And why she had "the best two days ever" the week the men's team won the flag, and which two young gun teammates are already leadership material. Plus Sharni and Sam assess the ladder, and reflect on Pride Round.
Crows dynamo Ebony Marinoff tells us why she's "not surprised" Adelaide have adapted to the departure of Erin Phillips, and why another flag is in their sights. Plus she makes a very special confession about... our very own Sharni Norder? And Sam and Sharni hand out some (as-yet unnamed) awards to the best individual and team of the weekend.
Richmond superstar Mon Conti tells us why the Tigers' mindset has changed this season, and what she thinks of having a superfan named Patrick Dangerfield. She also explains what it's like being an elite dual-sport athlete, and the pressure to pick a side. Plus we find out if Mon really knows the words to the Tigers song. And Sam and Sharni break down the key takeaways from the AFLW player survey.
Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich tells the pod how coaching has turned him into a big softie, before brainstorming some ideas with Sam and Sharni on how to showcase the AFLW more by utilising venues like Marvel Stadium. Plus, we recap the men’s Grand Final, that disastrous performance by GWS, and do we have a new cult hero on our hands in Adelaide’s Jessica Waterhouse? The answer is yes, long live the mullet!
Essendon's Georgia Gee tells the pod why she made the jump from Carlton, and why she "wasn't enjoying her footy" at the Blues. Plus she reveals what's different about working under a female head coach, and which Dons men's player wrote her a rev-up letter before her first game in the red and black. Plus, Sharni and Sam analyse the big weekend results, why the Lions are supreme, and why Carlton may need to go back to the draw-ing board, if you catch our drift?
Sydney co-captain Brooke Lochland joins the pod, and sets out the brave, bold game plan in the works at the Swans. And she tells us about moving her whole life to NSW with just two weeks notice. Plus Sharni and Sam comb over the issues of the week, including the free-scoring Lions, the dour Cats, and why they thought the AFLW was hung out to dry after the Indigenous round intersected with the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Melbourne superstar Karen Paxman joins Sharni and Sam to talk Dees' premiership ambitions, playing on the MCG, and... her skincare routine? And she reveals which opponent she's been most impressed by. Plus Sharni and Sam review the weekend that was, including the Britney Gutknecht injury and what the AFL has to say about how the incident was handled.
The AFL General Manager of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone joins Sharni and Sam this week, and gives us the top line metrics she delivered to the AFL executive right off the bat! Plus she talks season start time, double-headers and who she's tipping to win the flag! And Sharni and Sam break down the opening weekend of season 7 - it's a doozy of an episode!
The ins and outs, new contenders and old also-rans, and who will win the flag - Sharni and Sam have it all covered in our season preview! Which new team has Sharni tipped for top four? Which player has moved into Sam's street? And will Sharni's voice survive a two-season year? Let's go!
Sharni Norder and Sam Lane are on their way back for a second season of women's footy goodness. There's more than a bit that's happened in the off season and we cannot wait to get our teeth into it. New teams, new players, old champions in new surroundings. Get around us: W-in.
Grand final done and dusted! Sharni and Sam breakdown the Crows' historic third Premiership, before being joined by Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield. As the AFLPA president, he tells us what he's prioritising ahead of the next CBA, and why he loves the AFLW. Plus we go back through the highlights from our interviews this year - it's a final episode for the ages!
Carlton superstar Darcy Vescio joins the pod this week, in an emotional episode. They reflect on how they've felt in the months since announcing they're non-binary, and why crying isn't always a bad thing. Plus Darcy and Sharni reveal why they were at loggerheads negotiating the last AFLW collective bargaining agreement, and how that will affect the next deal. Oh yeah, and the Grand Final's here! It's an incredible episode with an incredible person, and you won't want to miss it!
AFL Player's Association CEO Paul Marsh joins the pod and it's a must-listen for anyone who cares about the AFLW's future. He updates us on the CBA negotiations, and tells us exhausted players have told him they've nearly fallen asleep on the freeway driving home from games. Plus Sharni and Sam preview the prelims, and Sharni shares her favourite Mad Monday moment.
Sharni Layton, being the warrior that she is, is playing injured this week! She’s returned triumphantly with her dulcet tones as her ever important voice recovers, to join Sam Lane for an important episode of The W. The team talk everything AFLW finals and the ongoing impact of covid as Collingwood face a uniquely challenging preparation to their clash against premiership contenders in Brisbane. Sam & Sharni then turn their attention to the recent events within football media, that has forced the industry to reflect on its own cultural problems.
Sam Lane hosts the pod this week alongside... no one? That's right, the podcast gods - and a great number of netball clinics - have struck down Sharni Norder's voice, and she's been given doctor's orders to mute herself. But don't fret, this week's episode of The W with Sharni and Sam will be out later in the week, so stay tuned! In the meantime, everyone please send healing vibes to Sharni's vocal chords.
Dees powerhouse Kate Hore joins the pod, and dispels the idea that "perfect" Melbourne can't "get down and dirty" when they need to. Plus she tells us how the team reacted to superstar Tayla Harris's recruitment, and what she wants Daisy Pearce to do next. Also Sharns makes her tips for the upcoming finals clashes, and grades all the sides that missed out using what may be the weirdest grading system in sports media history.
Collingwood's All-Australian Brit Bonnici shares with raw honesty what it's been like in the week following her devastating ACL tear. She tells us how she felt in the days before the injury, and what it means for her livelihood. Plus, she talks about the amazing thing her partner did to give her hope. Also, Sharns and Sam dissect that monster Dees win, and assess the race for the finals.
Carlton's young gun Mimi Hill joins the pod this week! She takes us through exactly what it's like to come back from an ACL injury, and how some AFLW players are paying to outsource their rehab. Plus she talks about seeing Darcy Vescio kick their milestone 50th AFLW goal, and what Darcy's like as a teammate. And Sharni explains why she was worried about the Pies' Britt Bonnici before her ACL injury.
The Australian Football Hall of Fame's first female inductee Debbie Lee joins the pod this week to lay it all out on the table! She tells us the AFLW can be full time "anytime we want", and why she likes a summer season. Plus she explains how she's protecting her players from a COVID-crazy fixture list in her role as the Bulldogs' AFLW boss. Also, Sharni and Sam chop up the Pies/Roos fizzer, and Sharni tells us why athletes and extreme sports shouldn't mix.
Bulldogs captain Ellie Blackburn takes us through the highs of beating the "unbeatable" Crows, and the horror of her first game after her bout of COVID. Plus she tells us why she thinks the league's players are "demanding what they deserve" this season, and what it's like to have Sharni Norder slide into your DMs. And, of course, Sharni and Sam dissect the week's results, including what's going wrong at Carlton and GWS.
The Swans' inaugural AFLW coach Scott Gowans tells us the league's assistant coaches are on just $6000 a season and why that needs to change. Plus he reflects on the sudden end to his tenure at North Melbourne and why he isn't bitter. Sharni and Sam break down the weekend's action, and explain why scoring has waned this season.
AFL General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy Tanya Hosch takes Sharni and Sam behind the scenes of how the AFL assisted GWS Giants player Haneen Zreika's decision to sit out Pride round, and what it means to be a genuinely inclusive league. Plus Freo's Hayley Miller explains the Dockers' hot start, and tells us exactly how much AFLW players are compensated while playing in a hub.
North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney joins Sharni and Sam this week, and she wants to hold the powers that be to account! The AFL's long-term vision for the women's game is in her crosshairs, as is the Eagles' coach's comments on Pride week. Plus she takes on sexism at work, and talks about the rigours of working and playing during a COVID-affected AFLW season.
Sharni and Sam assess the round two action and chat all things footy with Craig Starcevich. The reigning AFLW premiership coach and Collingwood premiership player questions whether male players will be willing to give up some of their pie when it comes time to professionalise the women's game? And delivers some home truths about the state of the current competition.
Sharni and Sam assess the round one action, and get the exclusive scoop with AFL icon Erin Phillips. She calls for an October season start, and tells us about when she was so overwhelmed by the work/footy/life juggle that she "couldn't breathe". And she says what she'd change about the AFLW, and what her playing future looks like. It's a massive episode of The W this week!
Hear from Bri Davey on how the reigning AFLW MVP gets her game even better in 2022. How tough it was in Collingwood's inner sanctum during the explosive release of the "Do Better Report". And the chasm between being a Brownlow Medallist and an AFLW MVP. Sam gives a thumbs down to the 2022 AFLW season launch match. And Sam and Sharni celebrate non-binary game-changers Darcy Vescio and Tori Groves-Little.
The 2022 AFLW season is so close we can taste it! Sharni Norder and Sam Lane bring you a preview of their new podcast that will cover everything in women’s footy throughout the season.