Two Melbourne City teammates, two completely different roads to the top of international football, so what actually holds a team, a career, and a fight for better conditions together?

This week on Benched, we're unpacking leadership, longevity and loyalty in the women's game: what Pride Round means to players at the elite level, the advocacy that reshaped conditions for the players who came after, Bubs' stories from playing international football in North Korea, and the full story behind the Paris Olympics drone-spying scandal; Stotty was the one who first clocked the noise that blew the whistle on Canada's staff spying on New Zealand's training session.

We're joined by Matildas great and Melbourne City goalkeeper Melissa "Bubs" Barbieri, and Football Ferns centre-back and City captain Rebekah "Stotty" Stott, for a conversation about comebacks, captaincy, and the very different paths that brought two of their club's leaders to the international stage.

Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport.

Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch!

Presented by Pride Cup

Production - Humdinger Studios

Design - Nat Gills

Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios

This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is professional wrestling the ultimate form of physical theatre? Where does sports performance end and improv comedy begin? And what happens when a fan’s obsession with the WWE crosses the line into a full-on existential crisis?

This week on Benched, we’re unpacking the fine line between athletic competition and high-drama entertainment: kayfabe, when athleticism turns into performance, the mechanics of selling a hit, and why the sports world could probably learn a thing or two from the world of improv. We’re joined by actor, comedian, and improviser Barney Pollock (Thank God You’re Here, White Fever) to talk about his fascination with pro wrestling.

Then, things take a sharp turn because we’ve secure an exclusive with our second guest of the episode: 'The Mirror'. He’s a hardcore WWE super-fan carrying a massive chip on his shoulder and a chaotic list of personal issues. He completely blows the doors open and spills an unhinged, deeply chaotic stream of personal secrets that leaves the entire desk stunned.

Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport.

Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch!

Presented by Pride Cup

Production - Humdinger Studios

Design - Nat Gills

Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios

This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually take to communicate with your teammates mid-game? What happens when your partner is also your teammate? And what exactly qualifies someone as a WAG?

This week on Benched, we’re getting into the things you probably won’t hear in the post-game press conference: gossiping, dating within your team, reality TV, line dancing, AFLW pay and funding, and the surprisingly complex logistics of yelling at your teammates on the field.

We’re joined by queer creator, actor, presenter and professional oversharer Kath Ebbs to talk about their very close relationship with AFLW, including being a WAG to Tilly Lucas-Rodd, the realities of dating someone in the same sporting world, and why sometimes the most important part of sport is simply knowing where your teammate is.

Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport.

Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review. It helps out a bunch!

Presented by Pride Cup

Production - Humdinger Studios

Design - Nat Gills

Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios

This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports podcasts usually ask the big questions.

Who scored? Who won? Who’s making finals?

We’re more interested in questions like: Why are sporting uniforms so often tragic? Are court moppers the unsung heroes of sport? Could Twilight secretly be a sports movie? And why do we all have a weird emotional attachment to our old team kits?

Welcome to the first episode of Benched, a sports podcast from a queer perspective where we explore the culture, characters and chaos that make sport so much more than a game.

Hosted by Rudy Jean Rigg, Hannah Wilkinson and Mitch Brown, Benched brings together athletes, artists, fans and storytellers to unpack the weird, wonderful and unexpected corners of sport.

Our first episode features AFLW icon, artist and advocate Darcy Vescio, talking queer identity, creativity, activism and finding new ways to challenge the way we think about sport.

Follow us @teambenched everywhere to join the team and make sure you chuck us a 5 star review - it helps out a bunch!

Presented by Pride Cup

Production - Humdinger Studios

Design - Nat Gills

Key Art Photography - Hailey Moroney, Archer Studios

This podcast acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.