Already the reigning champions of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series and the recently completed Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Australia’s women will look to seal a momentous treble when they head to the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town next week. 

In conversation with ESPN’s Brittany Mitchell, Walsh reflected on getting past familiar foes Fiji and New Zealand on the way to winning Australia’s first ever Commonwealth Gold in Women’s Sevens, and how the side is shaping ahead of the World Cup. Walsh opens up on both the evolution and journey of himself as a coach, as well as Australia’s Rugby Sevens apparatus and the players that have made their mark in it. 

And there’s plenty more beyond that, including an explanation of the phenomena of “Crunning” – crying and running at the same time. 

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A prime example of women showing agency and living their own lives in their homeland, the players were forced to evacuate their homes in terrifying circumstances and leave families behind as they fled for their safety as the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan in August of 2021.

After a fraught rescue effort, a significant cohort has since settled in Melbourne, where they play in the local women’s State Leagues under the combined banner of the Afghan Women’s Team and Melbourne Victory. 

Initially, it was thought that the group would gradually disperse and join various clubs throughout Melbourne, Australia, but their desire to continue to support each other and their desire to one day represent their country on the international stage has led them to stay united. 

Though groups such as the PFA, FIFPro, Victory, and Human Rights For All continue to supply the team with important educational, vocational, financial, sporting and legal support a year after their forced evacuation from their country, the shared connection between the team, and their shared love of soccer, has been vital. 

In this special episode of Beyond The Lead, ESPN brings you interviews with Afghan Women’s National Team players Mursal and Bahara, team founder and former captain Khalida Popal, Director Principle of Human Rights for All Alison Battisson, and former Socceroo and human rights campaigner Craig Foster to recall this extraordinary team's extraordinary journey, and how soccer has helped hold them together in their new homes and give them a new sense of hope.

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Now, the 38-year-old is set to make history when she competes for Australia in her third games in Birmingham. And things got off to a fortuitous start when the draw saw her receive a bye through the preliminary round and straight into the quarters.

In a wide-ranging conversation with ESPN’s Adam Santarossa recorded before she jetted off to Britain, Scott reflected upon her Commonwealth Games preparations, her career to date which included taking part in the first legally sanctioned women’s boxing match in New South Wales, life at the Commonwealth Games and the importance of mindset and blocking out the noise.

She also opened up on her thinking on transitioning into the professional ranks and how working at that level differed from amateur fighting. 

But first, she touched on the preparations for her third Commonwealth Games, and if it was any easier the third time around. 

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Appleby played 11 games for the Pies across three seasons -- featuring as an emergency for the 2018 Grand Final after a hamstring injury knocked him out of the senior side -- before being delisted at the end of the 2020 season.

This, eventually, led to him joining a collection of former footballers to graduate through the ProKick Australia system and earn a spot on the ranks of a collegiate roster: Appleby himself joining Aussie Adam Korsak on the Rutgers roster and 55 other Australian punters in the NCAA.

In a wide-ranging conversation with ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic, Appleby reflected upon his AFL career and the challenges that he faced along the way, the art of punting, Pro Kick Australia, and much more.

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After overcoming a staph infection to down Askar Askarov in March, Kara France set up a meeting with Brandon Moreno for the interim UFC Flyweight Title at UFC 277 – a rematch of their fight at UFC 245, which ended with Moreno winning by unanimous decision. 

In conversation with ESPN’s Sam Bruce, Kara France talked about the mindset that he has built coming into this fight -- especially the Māori mentality that has helped shape him -- training under Eugene Bareman at Auckland’s famous City Kickboxing gym, how he kept training through New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more.

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Born in Sydney, Waller is one of a new breed of Australian performers making their mark across the wrestling world; the 32-year-old rising to become a regular star player on NXT 2.0 – doing his bit to show the old NXT guard the door as he did so – and even engaging in a series of pitched battles with the phenomenal AJ Styles across NXT 2.0 and WWE Raw. 

Speaking with ESPN’s Adam Santarossa, the product of Sydney’s Pro Wrestling Australia promotion talked about his rise through the independents while juggling teaching and reality TV, just how a bombastic Aussie catches the eye of the WWE, what happens when you get to the Performance Centre in Orlando, and how Grayson Waller came to be.

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It was not only a momentous moment for the 31-year-old but also Australia: her medal lifting the nation’s total in Beijing to 4 -- the highest total Australia has ever achieved at a Winter Olympics.

In conversation with ESPN’s Marissa Lordanic, the Queenslander discussed her journey to becoming the second-best women’s skeleton racer in the world, as well as the difficulties associated with competing in a Winter Olympics in the midst of a global pandemic, her long and arduous journey to the top in a sport that exists very much below the radar in Australia, and much more.

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Formerly with English sides Burton Albion, Queen’s Park Rangers and Aston Villa, Sharkey is now on the international stage: entrusted with monitoring the physical wellbeing of players and putting in place regimes so that they are not only able to peak on the next Matildas’ matchday, but on the biggest stage of them all in 2023 when the World Cup comes around. 

Speaking to ESPN’s Joey Lynch, Sharkey gave an insight into how his day to day work surrounding the Matildas is structured, the nature of sports science itself, and some of the principles that he uses to guide him making sure that not just the likes of Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, and Caitlin Foord are at their best when they get the call, but even players on the fringes. 

But in the wake of Ellie Carpenter’s unfortunate injury suffered in the Champions League final, the unfortunate cloud of ACL injuries continues to hang over not just the Matildas, but all of women’s sport. Sharkey provided an insight into what he thinks some of the reasoning for the rash of ACL injuries is, as well as delving into how the Matildas, as well as the Young and Junior Matildas, are looking to protect their players.

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His 48th win, against Gold Coast fighter Jacob NG, however, didn’t come in a manner that the 36-year-old would have relished. Even though it did end with him securing the IBF International Lightweight and WBO Oriental Lightweight title, Dib won the fight in the sixth when NG was disqualified for an illegal maneuver: throwing Dib to the canvas with a hip toss.

In conversation with ESPN’s Adam Santarossa, Dib discussed the aftermath of that fight, the world title opportunity that he had to miss as a result of his injuries and his hopes for what he believes would be a once in a lifetime fight with undefeated Aussie George Kambosos, who will look to become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world when he takes on Devin Haney at Marvel Stadium on June 5.

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Throughout his long playing career, which ended in retirement in 2020, the 33-year-old was a loud voice in support of social justice causes and greater action on climate change – even getting himself arrested in 2014 after locking himself to digging equipment at a Maules Creek Mine site.

When he retired from Rugby in 2020, the Zimbabwe-born Canberran didn’t have any intention of moving into politics but, after a few years spent on conservation work, announced his intention to stand as an independent candidate for one of the ACT’s two spaces in the Australian senate late last year. 

In conversation with ESPN’s Joey Lynch, Pocock discussed the genesis of his move into politics, policy creation and his platform, climate change, athletes in politics and much more.

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These days, the PFA has recently butted heads with Football Australia and its CEO, James Johnson, over a mooted Domestic Transfer System in Australian football, with duelling statements made to ESPN in the wake of a Johnson interview in which he mooted imposing a system on certain segments of the Australian game. 

In the third of Beyond the Lead’s interviews with the major players in the Australian football scene, PFA co-chief executive Beau Busch spoke with ESPN’s Joey Lynch to provide a better insight into the union’s perspective on a domestic transfer system, as well as their views on a national second division, player development and the intertwining of football and human rights.

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Properly taking control of Australia’s top footballing tier from Football Australia ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, the organisation has seen their grandiose plans dashed on the rocks of the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and, instead, have been forced to scramble simply to deliver a full season in the face of mounting postponements and general chaos. 

But there have been some missteps that can’t be attributed to COVID. And as the honeymoon period has begun to end, fans have begun to ask questions surrounding the direction of the leagues under their new operators. 

To give some insight, APL Managing Director Danny Townsend joined ESPN’s Joey Lynch for the second of Beyond the Lead’s exclusive conversations with the major players in Australian football; providing an insight into why he is still optimistic about the direction of the game. 

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In an in-depth interview with ESPN’s Joey Lynch, Johnson discussed his proposed reforms of the Australian marketplace, as well as his push for changes to club licencing and the second division in Australia. This included his view on how the former two would affect the women’s game.

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Part of an offence that propelled the Packers to 13 wins and the NFC’s number-one seed, Jones logged 799 yards on 171 carries in 2021 -- good for a 4.7-yard average -- for four touchdowns, while adding a further 52 receptions for 391 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. The 27-year-old back missed his team’s Week 18 contest against the Detroit Lions due to a knee injury but looms as a likely contributor against the ‘Niners this weekend. 

A former star at UTEP -- the University of Texas at El Paso -- Jones joined ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic to discuss why he keeps returning to the American border city each offseason, his work with those with special needs, his upbringing in a military household as well as his continuing close relationship with his family, and how he coped with the death of his father – who died in 2021 from complications of COVID-19. 

Famously, Jones would lose a pendant he wore bearing the ashes of his father during a game against the Lions earlier this season -- a game in which he would score four touchdowns -- but it would mercifully be recovered by Packers' trainer Bryan Engel.

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For New England Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon and his teammates, their playoff push will begin in the hours that follow -- quarter-past noon on Sunday on the Australian East coast -- when they travel into the frozen and very, very hostile Highmark Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills in what is the first playoff meeting between the two rivals for the first time since an AFL divisional-round game in 1963 – before the Super Bowl era even commenced. 

After signing a 4 years, $54.5 million contract with the Pats in the offseason (that’s almost 75 million in Australian dollarydoos) after starting his career with the Baltimore Ravens, Judon has certainly had a strong start to life at Gillette Stadium – recording a career-high 12.5 sacks and earning a third Pro Bowl honour as his side ended what was, no doubt an agonizing, one-year absence from the playoffs for its fans. 

In conversation with ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic, the 29-year-old out of Grand Valley State, talked about his mindset surrounding putting in the work, what makes the Patriots a difficult schematic match-up on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and the little considered aspects of players moving from one city to another in free agency.

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The 25-year-old has taken an unusual path to get to where he is on the pro tour, having spent 2014 to 2018 not on the road but, instead, in the American collegiate system with the University of Illinois.

But now in 2021, having started his year by sending a scare through current world No. 29 ranked Karen Khachanov in the first round of his home Grand Slam, Vukic is set to end this year at a career-high ranking of 156 -- the second-highest of the Australians vying for a wildcard slot next month -- and eager to once again get to experience playing in the showpiece event in front of friends and family. This is despite a COVID diagnosis ahead of the US Open that he admits took longer to completely clear than he would have hoped. 

Joining ESPN’s Joey Lynch, the right-hander talked about his previous Grand Slam experiences, his mindset as a wildcard taking it to the big boys, the difference a Grand Slam appearance can make to a lower-ranked player battling away, his COVID experiences, and what keeps him occupied away from the court.

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And in a media market hungry for blood and the clicks that come from negative headlines, that scrutiny only intensifies if your team is struggling like Pro-Bowl cornerback James Bradberry’s New York Foobtall Giants.

But in an extended conversation with ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic, the 28-year-old Pleasant Grove, Alabama native discussed how he has dealt with the scrutiny of the New York media and the increasingly loud social media since signing with the Giants from the Carolina Panthers – opening up on how he maintains a clear head and focus on what’s important in life.

The second-round draft pick in the 2016 draft also talked about growing up in a small town, his family, playing for a small school, playing Santa for his teammates and much, much more.

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Under the guidance of rookie quarterback Mac Jones, he and the Pats have shrugged off a slow start to fire off a six-game winning streak across the past month and a half to sit first in the AFC East on eight wins and four losses – seemingly on the path for, at least, another run in the playoffs. 

For Henry, who signed with the Patriots during the offseason after five seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, he has rapidly emerged as a key red-zone target for his rookie quarterback. 

Through his side’s opening 12 games, Henry has caught 35 passes for 394 yards to go along with seven touchdown passes – putting him well on track to surpass his career-high of eight set in his rookie year with the then-San Diego Chargers. 

And in the lead-in to his side’s massive Monday Night football meeting with the AFC East Rivals the Buffalo Bills, Henry sat down In conversation with ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic, the tight end discussed working with Bill Belichick, the difference between the Charger and Patriot locker rooms, his life outside football, Mac Jones and Cam Newton, Philip Rivers' Hall of Fame case, and much more. 

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Though largely unknown in his native Australia, Dickson has been making waves in the United States for a number of years now: consistently recognised as amongst the best punters in the nation at both collegiate and professional levels. 

Drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft, he would go on to make the Pro Bowl and be named All-Pro in his rookie season -- the first rookie punter since Dale Hatcher in 1985 to receive the former honour -- and he signed a four-year, $14.5 million contract extension with the Seahawks in June of 2021. 

Earlier this season, he earned headlines when he completed a 69-yard ‘double punt’ against the Los Angeles Rams -- retrieving his first blocked effort with a one-handed scoop before wheeling around onto his right boot and snapping the ball forward. 

Joining ESPN’s Patrick Djordjevic, he sat down to discuss the man behind the leg.

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One of the biggest sporting events on the planet, the Women’s World Cup is set to hit Australia and New Zealand in 2023, and the Socceroos are knee-deep in their quest to appear at a fifth straight men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The much-loved FFA Cup has made a return and will soon be launched with a new name, and the A-Leagues have undergone their own reformation in the wake of their independence ahead of the 2021-22 season.  

There is also the potential introduction of one of the most sought-after reforms in Australian football: a national second-tier. 

With so much on the horizon, Football Australia CEO James Johnson sat down for an exclusive one-on-one with ESPN’s Joey Lynch to break down what lies ahead for the world game Down Under.

The full conversation can also be found on YouTube.

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In a message posted across his and club Adelaide United’s social media accounts, the Reds’ utility revealed that for six years he had been hiding his sexuality from the world; battling feelings of pain and shame as he battled with the fear that being gay meant he wouldn’t be able to continue to play the game he loved. 

There have been a select few male players that have come out before, of course, former A-League Men player Andy Brennan recently did so while playing in the semi-professional NPL Victoria competition and the women’s game has a bastion of inclusivity and safety for LGBTQIA+ athletes. But his announcement, coming at the beginning of his professional career -- and when there was not a single other out male footballer in any top-flight competition around the world -- was significant. 

The reaction to Cavallo’s announcement was swift and, heartwarmingly, overwhelmingly supportive. Messages, first from around Australia and then around the world, from football, other sports and broader society, began to pour in expressing solidarity and pride in his bravery.

Across the whirlwind 24 hours that followed Cavallo, wanting his coming out to serve as an inspiration to others that were in his position, expressly tried to do as much media as possible and he spoke to Beyond the Lead about his brave decision, the reaction, and what was next for him.

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Ortega at one stage looked to have the title won in the much-anticipated bout when he sunk in multiple chokes in the third round - only for Volkanovski to escape twice and land some vicious strikes that left Ortega seemingly out on his feet.  

The champion ended up outlanding his challenger 214-88 in significant strikes, with a 53-0 margin for strikes on the ground, on his way to a deserved unanimous win - the third-most strikes landed in a featherweight fight in UFC history and the seventh-most in UFC history in any division.

Having retained his title and put on a third-round quickly labelled as an all-time classic, Volaknovski took his time to do a bit of partying in Vegas, as you do, before returning home to Australia with his coach Joe Lopez and entering quarantine - something he’s gotten pretty used to as of late. 

While in quarantine, he caught up with ESPN’s Sam Bruce to discuss his fight, that famous third round, his future plans - and perhaps if Conor McGregor fits into that, getting respect, and more.

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Beyond bringing her agility and creative nous to coach Megan Anderson’s side, Mi Mi is also set to remain her league’s only Indigenous player in 2022 - saying when she re-signed that “I hope to still be a role model to young Indigenous kids out there who love sport and one day want to play at the elite level.”

The opportunity to serve as a role model and an inspiration is one she relishes, and even has tie ins to her goals after netball but given the heavy lifting she continues to do in this space, does it ever get fatiguing? 

Beyond that, she spoke with ESPN’s Joey Lynch about Super Netball’s direction and its international vs. domestic player debate, her love of the game, the Firebirds coming season, and much more.

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Running in his second Games, he made history when he became the first Australian man in 53 years to qualify for an 800m final - a final that he set the pace in before eventually finishing fourth. Though he just missed out on a medal, he quickly embedded himself in the hearts of a largely locked-down nation anyway: declaring that “the whole of Australia was watching - and that carried me on."

And as more Australians learned of his story and the man behind the athlete, the affection only deepened. 

The 27-year-old had very few chances to sit back and ponder his accomplishments in Tokyo -- immediately jetting out for more competition in Europe -- but now, months on from the Games, he’s finally had a bit of a chance to reflect. 

He sat down with ESPN’s Stephanie Brantz to discuss his past few months, how his story has been told compared to his own recollections, his pastimes outside of running, the support structures that had delivered him to where he is today and much more.

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Across the next month, the eight ballclubs still standing after Major League Baseball’s 162 game regular season and the AL and NL Wild Card games are set do battle for the right to call themselves the 2021 World Series Champions. 

There’s nothing really quite like postseason baseball, so to make sure you can tell your Brewers from your White Sox, to your Astros, Beyond the Lead turned to ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan to help break it all down. 

One of Baseball’s leading voices, Jeff’s work and Twitter feed is a must-follow for anyone with even a passing interest in baseball, and he joined Joey Lynch to break down what the current state of play was, the regular season just gone, who his Australian Rules Football team should be and … cheese boards?

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Beyond his work in gaming, the venerable commentator serves as one of the most prolific callers in all of football; currently providing commentary of Bundesliga and La Liga games for ESPN and also serving to call the German league’s world feed. This is in addition to a resume that includes stints behind the microphone at World Cups, Olympic Games, Champions Leagues and some of the biggest domestic leagues in the world. 

It’s a career that has afforded him the chance to see some of the biggest moments in recent footballing history live, including the 2005 World Cup qualifying playoff between Australia and Uruguay that saw the Socceroos break their 32-year drought between appearances on football’s biggest stage. 

Ahead of the release of FIFA 22, he joined Joey Lynch to talk commentary in both the virtual and real worlds, his past brushes with Australian football, the Bundesliga, and much, much more.

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Born in Melbourne, the 25-year-old signed with the WWE in 2019 after impressing on the independent circuit and, as she began to find her feet as a performer and character, rose to prominence as a part of “The Way” faction alongside the highly regarded veteran pair -- and real-world husband and wife -- Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae and fellow phenom Austin Theory. 

Alongside LaRae, she has been an NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion and has recently been involved in one of the more well-received storylines in NXT for quite a while: her forbidden romance with a rival of Gargano -- and possible (storyline) serial killer -- Dexter Lumis.   

The WWE having been Hartwell’s goal when she first started wrestling, her current work with both The Way and Lumis has given her an excellent opportunity to not only get in front of the camera, but also learn and develop from some of her industry’s best talents.

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But on a more personal level, it’s been a bit more up and down for star fullback Papenhuyzen - a concussion suffered during Magic Round forcing the fullback to miss seven weeks of action.

However, in a year in which fullbacks such as Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell have been dominating the NRL, Papenhuyzen has found form at just the right time for his Melbourne Storm -- scoring three tries in the win over Cronulla that secured the Storm the minor premiership and crossing the try line twice as his side convincingly booked a place in the preliminary finals with a win over Manly. 

He spoke to ESPN’s Lucie Bertoldo about returning from concussion, finals footy, bubble life, and much, much more.

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Tragically, in 2017 she was involved in an off-road car accident, suffered life-threatening injuries and was forced off the bike as she underwent a long and arduous rehabilitation progress. Helped by their one-year delay, she targeted a third Olympics at Tokyo 2020 but, alas, missed out on selection. 

Not one to rest on her laurels, though, Buchanan immediately turned her focus elsewhere and in August became the first-ever woman to perform a front flip on a mountain bike at an Audi Nines event in Germany. 

Having announced on her Instagram in June that she was set to focus full-time on Mountain Biking, the 30-year-old has a jam-packed schedule ahead of her over the next 12-months, a competitive slate she will balance with her work with Ignite -- a mentorship program for young Australian girls all across the action, two-wheel world.

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The wheeling and dealing West Australian arrived on the South Side of Chicago the last offseason, leaving the Oakland Athletics and signing a three-year deal with an option for a fourth for a guaranteed minimum of USD $54 million with the Sox -- breaking record average annual value for a relief pitcher. 

So far in 2021, he leads the American League and is second in all of Major League Baseball in saves, is limiting opposing batters to a .179 batting average, has a WHIP of 0.77 and a career-high mark of 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings. However, he’s also given up 11 homers and blown six saves -- leading to him recently telling the Chicago Sun Times that he was having a mixed season.

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The 2020s, however, got off to a bittersweet start for Perry. A key figure in the promotion of the 2020 World Cup in Australia, she suffered a torn hamstring against New Zealand during that tournament. After a few false starts, she made her domestic return for the Sydney Sixers during the 2020 WBBL and an eagerly anticipated international return against New Zealand in March of this year. 

Now, despite the COVID and international travel restrictions doing their best to scupper the tour, Perry has been named in the Australian squad to face India in a multi-format series set to commence with a one-day match at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay on September 21. 

In conversation with ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew McGlashan, Perry spoke on the coming tournament, a jam-packed upcoming schedule that features a WBBL season, an Ashes, One-Day World Cup and then a Commonwealth Games, the growth of the women’s game and much more.

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And yet, the club’s A-League side hasn’t played finals football since the 2016-17 season and, despite making three Grand Finals in its first four years and winning an Asian Champions League in 2014, has never won an A-League championship. 

Recruiting Robinson from Newcastle Jets ahead of the 2020-21 season, in a manner that still has a few noses out of joint in the Hunter, and recruiting strongly, hopes were high that the last A-League season would be the one that ended the drought - only for that familiar feeling of disappointment to set in by year’s end. 

Now, despite the challenges wrought by COVID-19, the club has been highly active in recruiting ahead of the coming A-League season and, as the fanbase rumbles with discontent at their continued playoff absence, Robinson is confident that the club has what it takes to succeed.

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This increase in athlete activism is taking place a backdrop where the traditional ethos of sports are colliding with the profitability and power that can be sourced from it -- the business of sport, the huge sums of money at stake and the reputational laundering on offer increasingly precedence over more antiquated notions. 

Furthermore, the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to find a new normal and the race to vaccinate is further complicating the lives of athletes, members of the sporting industry and fans. 

Deep in the reeds on these issues, amongst others, is Brendan Schwab, the current Executive Director of the World Players Association and a long-time figure in athlete labour movements.

Prior to landing with the World Players Association, Schwab has had involvement with the global football players union FIFPro, the Australian Athletes’ Alliance and, back in 1993, co-founded the Australian Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) with former Socceroo Kimon Taliadoros. The World Players Association, for their part, represent over 80,000 players across professional sport through more than 100 player associations in over 60 countries -- working with the likes of FIFPro, the MLBPA, the NBPA, and the NFLPA.

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At the three-quarter time break of his GWS Giants' thrilling one-point win over the Sydney Swans, firecracker forward Toby Greene began to gesticulate and exchange words with umpire Matt Stevic, before making contact with the official as he continued to follow his teammates. 

The polarising Greene’s reputation for pushing the boundaries widely recognised and his rap-sheet quite long at this point, match review officer Michael Christian him directly to the tribunal over the incident -- where he was ultimately suspended for three matches.

The AFL’s resident panto villain, Greene, unsurprisingly, had individuals spring to both his defence and prosecution in the wake of the incident, with the latter camp increasingly dominating the discourse as more footage emerged of the contact with Stevic. 

To get an umpire’s perspective of the incident, ESPN’s Matt Walsh -- a member of the ESPN Footy Podcast -- sat down with former AFL umpire Matthew Head, who officiated 144 games of AFL footy, to talk about the incident, as well as how umpires and players interact, local footy umpiring, improving officiating standards.

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To win three in a row? That’s truly remarkable. 

But then again, there probably exists no better word to describe Chris Bond OAM and his Australian Wheelchair Rugby team than remarkable. 

When the 'Steelers’ roll out onto the floor of the Yoyogi National Stadium to take on Denmark in the first of their pool games on Wednesday, August 25, they will do so in pursuit of back-to-back-to-back Paralympic Gold Medals.

Narrow runners-up to Japan at the 2018 World Championships, Australia’s Wheelchair Rugby side has featured on the podium of every major world and regional competition they have competed in since 2006 -- a streak they are in no mood heading into the delayed Paralympic Games. 

One of the best 3.5 players in the world -- forming a fearsome Green and Gold combination with Ryley Batt -- the Tokyo Games will be Bond’s third and, at 35-years-of-age, perhaps his last. But after having been forced to sit back and wait for a year to compete, and having made so many personal and financial sacrifices to represent his country, the teenage cancer survivor is as keen as ever to get back out there and bring another Gold Medal back home. 

For BEYOND THE LEAD, he sat down with ESPN’s Joey Lynch to talk the origins and intricacies of Wheelchair Rugby, looking for a three-peat in Tokyo, how he came to the sport, his Canberra Raiders, and how special it will be to compete at the Olympics after becoming a father for the first time.

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The pair’s strong showings were one of a number of surprise stories to come out of Tokyo 2020 for Australian track; Stewart McSweyn and Ollie Hoare reaching the final in the men’s 1500m, Peter Bol captivating the nation in the 800m, Rohan Browning winning a heat and making the semis in the 100m, and Ash Moloney -- with a healthy assist from mate Cedric Dubler -- securing Australia a first-ever medal in the decathlon.  

At just 24-years-old and now entering her running prime, Hull had hoped to use Tokyo 2020 as a springboard and now has her sights on the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

But before all of that, the Illawara native is set to compete in the prestigious Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon against the likes of Kipyegon, Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Laura Muir and Hall. 

Joining Beyond the Lead from Portland, Oregon, she sat down with ESPN’s Joey Lynch to talk about the Prefontaine Classic, he memories of Tokyo, the conditions and life in the Village, the superhuman efforts of 1500m bronze medalist and 5000 and 1000m champion, if she’ll be able to get back to Australia this year, and much more. 

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One of the W-League’s most fearsome and respected defenders, New Zealand international Stott was riding high at his time last year: joining the waves of Antipodean players making their wave to Europe when she signed with Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2020-21 FA Women’s Super League season.

However, she was forced to cut her adventure short in early 2021, revealing to the world in March that she had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma and that she was set to undergo six cycles of an aggressive chemotherapy regime in Melbourne. 

Receiving an outpouring of support as she underwent her treatment, Stott subsequently displayed equal parts determination and positivity throughout her cancer journey; resolving to inspire others through her own experiences and helping to raise funds and awareness through the World’s Greatest Shave and under her own Beat it By Stotty brand. 

Returning to the football field with FC Bulleen Lions in the local Victorian leagues in July, Stott has re-signed with Melbourne City for the coming W-League season and now, in full remission has her sights firmly set on the 2023 Women’s World Cup and Paris 2024. 

Joining Beyond the Lead, she spoke with ESPN’s Joey Lynch -- a fellow Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patient -- to discuss her reflections and lessons from her cancer experience, her return to the pitch and for plans on and off the field.

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A significant beneficiary of the 12-month delay to the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, the 23-year-old was forced to battle a list of injuries that realistically retired several athletes in the years leading up to the games, as well as a series of personal battles that gave him significant pause. 

At one point, he was even courted by AFL teams Port Adelaide and Geelong about making a potential shock switch in codes before ultimately opting to stay in the pool and target Tokyo -- where he took his career Olympic medal tally to six.

But now, the 100-meter men’s freestyle champion at the 2016 Rio Olympics is eagerly anticipating the next three years as he targets a re-match with American rival -- and good mate -- Caeleb Dressel at Paris 2024. 

A fierce advocate for Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Chalmers has also committed to confronting and challenging the racism and system barriers they face in their everyday lives -- and challenging Australia to do better. 

Chalmers joins ESPN’s Joey Lynch to talk Tokyo, the years ahead and the years just gone, how close he came to going to the AFL, country football, his impressive reptile collection, NBA fantasy leagues, Josh Giddey and much, much more. 

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A former boss of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the W-League -- leading the latter to an invincible premiership and championship-winning double in their first year of existence -- he took over the women’s side of football giants Arsenal in 2017 for a celebrated four-year reign. 

Winning an FA Women's Super League and FA Women's League Cup, the Melbourne-born coach was also responsible for the recruitment of Matildas Lydia Williams, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley to the Gunners -- the three part of a wave of Australian women making their way to Europe to play their football. 

In early 2021, ‘Pep’, as he is also known, left Arsenal and took a couple of months off before resurfacing as the head coach of Italian giants Juventus’ women’s side -- a dream job for a man that supported the Bianconere growing up and who actually played for Juventus (Brunswick Juventus) in the Victorian state leagues during the 1980s. 

Montemurro sat down with ESPN’s Stephanie Brantz to talk his time with Arsenal, why he ultimately decided to depart London, the growth of Williams, Foord, and Catley, why so many Matildas are heading to Europe, and much more.

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Australia's winless run at the venue now stands at an astounding 35 years -- the Soviet Union was still a thing the last time the Wallabies won there -- after coach Dave Rennie’s side were defeated 33-25 in the opening game of their series, before going down to the All Blacks by a record-setting 57-22 scoreline on Saturday. 

But what makes Eden Park such an intimidating place to play? Sekope Kepu has some unique insights.

Capped 110 times for the Wallabies, the prop had his fair share of disappointments at the stadium as a player, but also some good times. 

Born in Sydney to Tongan parents, Kepu’s family relocated to Auckland when he was very young; meaning his rugby education took place in the North Island’s largest city. He went on to represent New Zealand at under-17, 19 and 21 levels before making the switch to Green and Gold as a senior. 

The 35-year-old sat down with ESPN’s Sam Bruce to discuss the challenge that Eden Park presents, the emotions of returning to the place you grew up wearing the enemies shirt, what Dave Rennie is doing to overhaul the Wallabies, and the current state of Rugby.

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