The Footy Lowdown

🦁 The 2026 season began under the brightest lights — a packed Gabba, a premiership flag rising into the Brisbane night, and a crowd expecting another chapter of Lions dominance.🦁 But footy rarely follows the script.🦁 In this episode of Lions Lowdown, Ash breaks down an Opening Round that had just about everything: early momentum swings, moments where the Lions looked every bit the reigning powerhouse… and a final stretch that left plenty of supporters staring at the scoreboard wondering how it slipped away.🦁 There’s media grumbling, strange broadcast decisions, and a few eyebrow-raising umpiring narratives doing the rounds. 🦁 There’s also the usual Lions Lowdown staples — Best Players, fan questions, Weird Stats, Ticks & Crosses, Media Watch and the odd bit of commentary gold that somehow made it to air.🦁 And then there’s the moment everyone is talking about. A collision. A decision. And the fallout that could shape the next few weeks of the season.🦁 Add in injuries, suspensions, selection puzzles, and some unexpected bright spots from new faces and returning players, and suddenly Opening Round becomes a lot more complicated than anyone expected.🦁 It’s not all doom and gloom — but it’s definitely not straightforward either.🦁 If you want the deep dive, the honest Lions-fan perspective, and a few questions the mainstream coverage might be skimming past… this one’s worth a listen.

🦁 The 2026 season starts with a Saturday night at the Gabba… but this one carries a little more weight than just Opening Round.🦁 A milestone match.🦁 New faces in new colours.🦁 Old rivalries in familiar places.🦁 Ash breaks down the numbers, the matchups, the tactics, and the small details that might decide whether the premiers begin their defence the right way — or whether the Bulldogs have a surprise waiting.🦁 Some battles are obvious.🦁 Others might decide the game before anyone realises they’re happening.🦁 Either way… the road to the 2026 premiership starts here.

🦁 Ash is back with a pre-season review that somehow manages to be part analysis, part therapy, part rant and part celebration. 🦁 A key Lion goes under the knife, an undermanned side puts on a statement win, a couple of Suns lose the plot, and the media tries (again) to stir a fire that just won’t catch. 🦁 There’s passion, there’s honesty… and maybe a little chaos. 🦁 Why? 🦁 You’ll see!

🦁 Ash returns with a full sweep of the week in Lions land — from a throwback-style State of Origin clash to a match simulation that revealed more than the scoreboard ever could. 🦁 In this episode, he breaks down how Brisbane’s stars fared on the rep stage, what really stood out in the Carlton hit-out, and which young Lions might be pushing their way into the early-season conversation.🦁 There’s insight on surprise role changes, standout performers, a couple of eyebrow-raising selection experiments, and one club decision that has Ash questioning whether the bold call wasn’tmade when it should’ve been. 🦁 Add in some ticketing tales, a few subtle warnings for travelling fans, and a hint about what’s coming when the season proper kicks off — and you’ve got a full Lowdown with plenty left between the lines.🦁 Who impressed? Who surprised? And which leadership call has Ash scratching his head?🦁 Hit play to find out.

🦁 Ash is back with a full breakdown of Brisbane’s first intra-club hit-out — or at least, as full a breakdown as you can get when half the intel comes from sharp eyes, sideline murmurs and those mysterious “usually reliable” sources that always appear this time of year.🦁 In this episode, he unpacks the early standouts behind the ball, the surprise positional experiments, the midfield mix taking shape, and the handful of young names generating more buzz than expected. 🦁 From one defender looking every bit like a future captain, to a utility who suddenly turned half-back artist, to a forward who may have just announced himself with six majors, there’s no shortage of storylines.🦁 Who’s rising? 🦁 Who’s reinventing? 🦁 And which performance has the coaches quietly grinning?🦁 Hit play for the full Lowdown — and maybe a clue or two about who’s pushing for Round 1.

🦁 Ash returns with a bang as one casual comment from Chris Fagan sparks one of the most bizarre off-season blow-ups in recent memory. 🦁 What should’ve been a simple update on Zac Bailey suddenly turns into a full-blown St Kilda meltdown, complete with CEOs firing shots, former stars demanding apologies, and some truly creative interpretations of “academies.”🦁 In this episode, Ash breaks down the saga piece by piece — from Brisbane’s monster contract debate to the Saints’ fiery response, the culture clash hiding underneath it all, and why some clubs build success while others try to buy it. 🦁 And just when the dust settles, a certain superstar drops a clue about who should wear the captain’s armband next.🦁 What really set St Kilda off?🦁 Why did Fages’ calm comment light the fuse?🦁 And is Brisbane about to unveil its next skipper?

A legend has left us, and today’s episode becomes something different: a walk through the life of Dennis Cometti, the commentator who turned football into theatre.Part tribute, part history, part reflection — and a reminder of why his voice will echo long after the final siren.

🏉 This week, Ash unpacks the wild rise and sudden death of the VFL’s infamous 10-Year Rule — a loophole, a gamble, a controversy, and a turning point the league never saw coming. 🏉 Was it genius? 🏉 Was it madness? 🏉 And why does its shadow still linger over today’s AFL? 🏉 Hit play to decide for yourself.

🏉 The 2026 AFL season opens with five massive clashes — and even bigger questions.🏉 In this round-by-round analysis, Ash breaks down everything that matters (and a few things that probably shouldn’t) heading into Opening Round: shock debutants, surprise late injury clouds, tactical mismatches, club-by-club chaos, and the kind of storylines that only March footy can produce.🏉 From Sydney’s statement game under lights, to Geelong’s injury riddles, to a Gabba showdown that could set the tone for Brisbane’s entire season — every match comes with its own pressure points, hidden narratives, and potential flashpoints.🏉 Who’s ready?🏉 Who’s pretending they’re ready?🏉 And which club is about to shock the competition?🏉 Five games.🏉 Dozens of questions.🏉 One very spicy Opening Round.🏉 Hit play. 🏉 Let’s pull it all apart.

G’day footy fans — Ash is in the house with the first episode of a bigger, busier addition to the Lowdown universe. This week: pre-season shake-ups, off-season retirements, early-round dramas, and a few eyebrow-raising moves that might just set the tone for the season ahead. From league-wide transfers to club-by-club previews, nothing is quite as simple as it seems. Injuries, suspensions, hype, and a hint of chaos — who’s ready to rise, and who might stumble? Hit play and decide for yourself.

🏏 In Episode 8 of Weird World of Cricket, Ash dives head-first into one of the most politically charged and morally complex chapters the game has ever known.🏏 From South Africa’s expulsion from world cricket in the early 1970s, through the shadowy rebel tours of the 1980s, and finally to the nation’s long-awaited return, this episode explores a period where cricket, money, politics and conscience collided head-on.🏏 Featuring firsthand accounts, unheard player perspectives, and the uncomfortable contradictions that surrounded figures like Bradman, Gooch, Hughes and Viv Richards, this is a story of isolation, defiance, hypocrisy — and survival.🏏 Were the rebels mercenaries, villains… or something more complicated?🏏 And did these unsanctioned tours ultimately damage South African cricket — or help save it?🏏 No easy answers. 🏏 No sugar-coating. 🏏 Just one of cricket’s strangest and most controversial journeys laid bare.Soundbites of Dr Ali Bacher courtesy of ESPNCricinfo

🦁 Ash kicks off 2026 with a fresh channel, a fresh feel, and a deep dive into one of the most passionate debates in Lions land: the ultimate Brisbane Lions premiership 23. 🦁 After running a series of fiery Facebook polls, listeners helped build a full side chosen strictly by where each player lined up on grand final day — a rule that created surprises, arguments, and more than a few head-scratching calls.🦁 From midfield stars pushed into defence, to cult favourites squeezing into tight spots, this episode unpacks the final team line by line and Ash reveals how his own selections compare. Some choices match the fan vote perfectly… others drift miles away.🦁 Who made the cut? Who missed out? And which decisions will have Lions fans talking all season?🦁 Press play to find out.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🏏 Ash is back with another stroll into the strange, nostalgic and wonderfully unpredictable corners of cricket. 🏏 This week, instead of naming an all-time XI like so many listeners demanded, he zigs where others zag — building an XI made up of the players who shaped his school years of the 80s and early 90s.🏏 There are rules (of course), a few surprising omissions, and some choices that will raise eyebrows. No Sachin. No Sri Lankans in the final cut — though one Sri Lankan cult hero gets an honourable 12th-man nod. And a left-field wicketkeeper pick that absolutely no one will see coming.🏏 Why these players? Why this era? And who makes the XI that carried young Ash through joy, heartbreak and early cricketing identity crises?🏏 Hit play and find out.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🏏 Ash is back with episode 6 of Weird World of Cricket, and with the Ashes done and dusted, it’s time to unveil the Team of the Series. 🏏 With Australia taking the urn 4–1, Ash breaks down a quirky summer where reputations rose, fell, and floated somewhere in between — making selection tougher than ever. 🏏 Three Aussies were absolute certainties, and the rest… well, they scraped in by the barest of margins. 🏏 Dive in for analysis, banter, and all the weirdness you’ve come to expect.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G’day cricket tragics! Ash is back with Episode 5 of Weird World of Cricket — and this week we’re diving into the fascinating (and slightly chaotic) club of players who represented two nations at international level.It’s been a spicy few weeks in world cricket, media madness on both sides, and… has Kerry O’Keeffe officially peaked? Ash has thoughts — and wants yours.Then it’s onto the main event: an XI of cricketers who played for two Test nations. From the unique dual success of a South African who wore the baggy green, to a Zimbabwean Englishmen’s rare twin centuries, to the wild journeys of some of the earliest test stars and more — this team is as weird as it is wonderful.Ash also gives a quick life update and for now it’s cricket, cricket and… more cricket.Stay weird, legends.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G’day Lions fans — Ash here, back (barely) from a busted shoulder. But enough about the injury report — let’s talk footy.🦁 In this season finale, I wrap up everything that’s happened across the Lions’ men’s and women’s programs since I was last on air. From draft hauls and list changes to big contract calls, AFLW trade moves, and a history-making draftee, it’s been a massive few weeks on and off the field.🦁 I’ll break down the recruits, the risers, the reshuffle, and the storylines that actually matter — plus the club’s record membership, debt-free milestone, and the huge news of our future home at Victoria Park.🦁 There’s All-Australian honours (and a couple of eyebrow-raising decisions), Club Champion results, a quick word on the Lachie Neale noise, AFLW accolades, and a look back at a Grand Final that left us all feeling a little flat.🦁 And to cap it all off, I’m handing out my end-of-season Lions Lowdown Best Player awards — with a few surprises thrown in.🦁 Strap in for the final Lowdown of the year. Let’s get into it!Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🏏 G’day cricket degenerates — Ash here, welcoming you to Episode Three of Weird World of Cricket, where we rummage through cricket’s dusty attic, pull out the strangest relics imaginable, and proudly wave them around like a kid showing off a frog from the backyard.🏏 This week, we unveil the One-Test Wonders XI — a full team of blokes who played one Test, did something outrageous, unforgettable, or downright heroic… and were then immediately banished by selectors with the attention span of a startled goldfish. Expect nostalgia, chaos, trivia, and plenty of “how on Earth was he not picked again?” energy.🏏 We also go Around the Grounds, featuring Ash’s own Fourth Grade misadventures, plus a tour through the latest Ashes nonsense, global cricket weirdness, and WBBL happenings — from Stokes on an E-scooter to the Renegades spiritually napping through the season.🏏 Then, when the dust settles… we get WEIRD.🏏 Strap in as we introduce the ONE-TEST WONDERS XI — the greatest team ever assembled that selectors immediately forgot existed.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🏏 G’day cricket tragics, Ash here. Today’s special episode hits a little differently - we’re pausing the banter to honour a genuine cult hero of the game — the incomparable Robin “The Judge” Smith.🏏 We pay tribute to a cricketer who wasn’t polished, wasn’t pretty, — but was pure theatre. A bloke who could look out of form in county cricket, then walk into a Test match against world-destroying West Indies quicks and start belting them like it was backyard Christmas cricket. A man who wore bouncers to the face like most people wear sunscreen.🏏 We look back on his unforgettable knocks. We remember the courage, the swagger, the moustache that should have had its own central contract — and yes, the slightly Cullinan-esque struggles against leg spin.🏏 But more importantly, we honour the man off the field: warm, funny, generous, unfiltered, and in later years, brave enough to speak openly about mental health long before it was fashionable or encouraged.🏏 Robin Smith didn’t just play cricket — he lit it up.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G’day Lions fans — Ash here, and if your heart rate hasn’t come down yet, don’t worry… neither has mine. In this episode, we’re breaking down the night OUR girls unleashed a third-quarter firestorm so fierce it sent us roaring into a FOURTH straight Grand Final.Brighton Homes Arena was heaving — 6511 in, November air thick enough to slice — and after a scrappy, nervy first half where we owned everything except the scoreboard, the dam wall finally burst.Enter Ruby. Bloody. Svarc.Four goals. One finals masterclass. Absolute chaos agent energy.From Shannon Campbell backing into traffic like she’s made of steel, to Daks bending physics on the boundary, to Belle Dawes running on what I can only assume was caffeine and vibes — this one had it all.A 35-point win that stamps our ticket to a seventh Grand Final in ten seasons.And yep… it’s us and North Melbourne again. The trilogy. Brisbane–North III: The Decider.We won 2023.They pinched 2024.2025? That’s on us.Strap in, back the girls, and get ready — history’s calling.Go the Mighty Lions.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G’day cricket tragics — Ash is back with Episode Two of Weird World of Cricket, and this week we’re diving into one of the most infamous chapters in the game’s history: the Bodyline series.After kicking things off last episode with an Aussies-and-Poms XI built entirely from blokes who provided top-tier unintentional comedy (plus the compulsory inclusion of Gary Pratt), we’re sticking with the same nations… but cranking the intensity way up. This time, Ash builds an XI made solely from players who took the field during the brutal 1932–33 Bodyline Ashes — picking the top bats and bowlers across the whole series, with a few selection quirks, naturally.Along the way, we swing around the grounds and reluctantly mention Ash’s own Div 2 Fourths heroics.Then it’s back into the history books: the myths, the real story, the villains, the victims, and why the series was far more nuanced than the “Jardine bad, Bradman good” folklore we all grew up with.If you love cricket, chaos, questionable selection logic, and stories so wild only this sport could produce them — hit play. This one’s a beauty.Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast app and give us a five star review so we stay at the top of your feed.FB: Brisbane Lions LowdownFB: 5 Minute Warning IG: brisbanelionslowdownE: brisbanelionspodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.