It was ten years in the making, and the world title that Australia's Matt Hauser and his coach Dan Atkins were able to conjure up in 2025 was won in the perfect fashion: taking the tape, in Australia, in front of thousands, to give the home fans their first men's champion in 20 years.

But the path to the top never runs smoothly. The two close friends reminisce on the long, late conversations they had while locked down together during the pandemic that forged their future, the fuelling of Hauser's desire to become the best of the best, and curating a 2025 season which would unavoidably conclude with either the very highest of highs or the lowest low, at the end of a huge home Finals in Wollongong.