Sandgroper Sports

Peter Menaglio is a name that is synonymous with the West Perth Football Club. Multiple fairest and best winner, life member, named in their team of the century and recently inducted in the hall of fame for the club. He was a star player in the 70s and 80s when the WAFL was at its peak. 

Peter shares some fabulous recollections of life growing up in Perth and how he made his way to becoming an elite player.

He also shares stories of the great players he has played with and against as well as what his different coaches were like - and there were many in his time at West Perth!

Peter also discusses why he chose not to go to the VFL, what it was like when the Cardinals became the Falcons and the impact the advent of the West Coast Eagles had on the WAFL.

To top it off he’s all round good bloke and well worth listening to! 

Jye Bolton is a highly decorated and big game football player who has been awarded two Sandover Medals (and a runner up) as the best player in the WA Football League as well as a record four Simpson medals as the best player for WA in State Games and in a Grand Final. But above all Jye is driven to achieve team success, with his greatest memories always involving his teammates. Achieving an elusive premiership with his beloved club Claremont still drives him to be the best he can be.

In this episode he tells us about his football journey to WA via Geelong, Collingwood and Werribee and he reveals how he could have become an East Fremantle player, but ended up at the Tigers. He shares his feelings about not playing an AFL game despite being such an accomplished player in the WAFL. He also shares some great stories about his teammates, opponents and interesting characters in the game.

Jye also talks about how hard he has to train to be an elite player and tackles head on the topic of social media and having to deal with trolls who want to drag great players down.

This is an episode not to miss.

Darren Harris is the reigning WAFL premiership coach of West Perth Football Club – who has a very interesting story to tell about life inside and outside of WAFL and AFL football.

Darren is WAFL royalty having won WAFL premierships with West Perth as a player, captain and coach. He is a fairest and best winner, Simpson Medallist and State Captain.

He is also a very successful coach having worked at various levels including Victorian Country Leagues, TAC Cup, WAFL (West Perth and Claremont) and in the AFL as an assistant coach at both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton.

Darren talks to us about the highs and lows of his life from growing up to adulthood, in his career in football, as a teacher and an executive coach He also discusses how he has overcome some challenges to achieve success.

Darren is humble and personable with some great anecdotes that will make you laugh, surprise and intrigue you.

Matthew Jupp is a leader who has learnt a lot during his football and life journey.

We hear of his fondness of growing up in Port Hedland being surrounded by family, sport and weekly adventures like boating, fishing and diving, as well as playing Friday night football due to the extreme heat.

Matthew made his way to Perth to complete high school, where he was noticed by the East Fremantle Football Club, progressing to colts and representing WA at the state 18's competition. Matthew’s first league game for the Sharks came in a classic ANZAC Day derby, defeating the old foe -South Fremantle. 

A revered clubman, life member, and best and fairest winner, Matthew now captains East Fremantle during what is becoming an exciting time of improvement down at Shark Park.

Matthew delves into the reasons for some poor years at the club and what was required to turn it around, from both a personal and club perspective.

We finish this episode with our usual WA Quiz where Matthew provides some entertaining answers to Sandgroper specific questions. 

Perth Wildcats legend Trevor Torrance gives a unique insight into the world of an elite basketballer who has also had a successful business career, while discussing with raw emotion the lasting impact of being bullied as a young boy and not being able to come out as a gay man in the 80s and 90s when intolerance and prejudice was rife in our community and the world of sport.

Trevor, a 300+ game player in the NBL, talks about how basketball, with the support of a special mentor, became a safer environment for him in an often-brutal world. He describes how he rose above the torment inflicted by others to play at the highest level, then progressing to become a professional coach to some of Australia’s leading business executives.

The word “inspiring” is often used too flippantly, but this truly is the story of an inspiring person.

Do yourself a favour and take the time to listen to the extraordinary story of a remarkable individual

Listen to one of Western Australia’s greatest cricketers who excelled at both state and national levels – Graeme Wood. He shares some very interesting stories of his experiences playing for WA and Australia from a very early age, in numerous tests and one day internationals, including regularly facing the fearsome West Indies bowling attack of the late 70s and 80s.

His Test debut came against in 1978, at the time of great upheaval for cricket with the advent of World Series Cricket. His recollections of that time are insightful, including his recollections of and interesting phone call he received from Kerry Packer.

Graeme also won a hat-trick of Sheffield Shields as captain of WA and later progressed to having a very successful business career, including taking on the role of CEO with the WACA.

He is one of those all-round talented sportsmen who was also a very accomplished footballer, playing league with East Fremantle and we hear about some of the good times he had in the WAFL too.

So do yourself a favour and listen in to one of WA’s greatest sports stars!

Sam Harding is a proud West Australian Paralympian that has put in the hard yards to get to where he is today. Early in life, Sam was diagnosed Choroideremia. A vision impairment that effects his peripheral vision. He explains how that effects his day to day actives as well daily training and events. 

Sam discusses his early sporting choices in rowing and athletics, before taking a liking tandem cycling to keep fit in the off seasons. However the love of athletics took over and saw him earn a chance at the AIS. 

Sam was selected for the 2012 London Paralympic games, but unfortunately couldn't compete due to illness, but he got his chance at the 2020 Toyko Paralympics. Which shortly after Sam decided to make the change to the Paralympic Triathlon team, which in his first year earned him a Silver Medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 

Sam's story is one of perseverance and makes you want to just give everything a go! 

Michael Veletta is renowned in Western Australian cricket circles as one of the finest opening batsmen our state has produced.

Born to an Italian family, and brought up on soccer, Mike broke the mould at an early age and took like a duck to water to cricket, soon showing talent as a batsman, fielder and wicket keeper.

He made his debut with the WA Sheffield Shield and One Day side at the young age of 19 with some of the great names of WA cricket such as Lillee and Marsh and progressed to representing Australia in both one day and test formats.

Mike tells us about the highs and lows of his career, what it takes to face some of the fastest bowlers in the world and the comraderies he formed with his team mates, that last to today.

He also shares his experiences in life outside of sport and his time on the WACA Board.

This is a great listen and one that you will enjoy right in the heart of cricket season.

Mike Ellis is one of the most recognisable sportsmen in Western Australia, being captain of the Perth Wildcats in the 80s and 90s (formerly the Westate Wildcats) when they were the biggest show in town with their games played in prime time TV across WA. 

As a member of Western Australia’s most famous basketball family, he is a dual championship captain, playing over 300 games for the Wildcats, was named in their 30th anniversary all-star team and was assistant coach and coach of the team along the way. 

Mike mixes some very funny stories with brutal honesty about former players and coaches, as he tells us about the challenges of getting a basketball team from WA into the National Basketball League and helping the sport in Western Australia rise from relative obscurity to popularity and fame.

Regardless of whether you like basketball or not – this is a fascinating story.

Grant Schubert reached the pinnacle of his chosen sport of Hockey, being a two Time Olympian for the Australian Kookaburras Hockey team, an Olympic gold medallist at Athens, a gold Medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2003 he was awarded the world young hockey player of the year – receiving a very unique prize!

Grant shares with us what it took to become an elite Hockey player, including relocating to Perth from South Australia at a young age to give himself the best chance to make it to the top. A couple of decades later – he still gladly calls Perth home. 

You will really enjoy listening to some of his incredible experiences in playing sport around the world, as well as amusing anecdotes of his time in the Olympics including escapes with Laurie Lawrence and the late Peter Brock, Grant reminds us how Athens looked twelve months out from hosting an Olympic games &  his excitement at meeting world famous basketballer – the late Kobe Bryant.

Grant is an engaging guest with a story that shouldn’t be missed.

Our guest is a national treasure who is Australia’s most renowned gymnast. A proud West Australian, she shares her amazing and challenging experiences in starting in elite sport from a very early age.

We hear about the incredible dedication it took to be a world class gymnast including the amount training, managing serious injuries and the pressure of performing on the world stage.

Lauren also shares some of the amazing highlights of her career including setting the record for the most gold medals won by a female gymnast at a single Commonwealth Games, becoming Australia's first female World champion in gymnastics and becoming one of the youngest ever recipients of Australia’s greatest honour – an Order of Australia Medal.

We also hear how elite sport has influenced Lauren’s career choice since retiring from gymnastics in her mid twenties.

To top it off she is a humble and delightful person. 

Our guest is one of a select group of WAFL players who have reached the pinnacle of the league by leading their team to a WAFL premiership.

He describes his career journey from early life in football to the ups and downs he has experienced along his football journey.

Dylan shares the elation of being drafted by West Coast Eagles and then the disappointment of being released by the club before playing an AFL game and how he picked himself back up off the canvas to pursue a highly successful WAFL career that continues to flourish today.

He gives us an insight into what it takes for a team to reach the ultimate success, while also talking about the great opponents he has played against.

Dylan also describes how he manages to balance the expectations and commitments of being a WAFL captain with the requirements of a full-time job as an accountant.

Subiaco’s league coach Beau Wardman has had a different pathway to the norm to get where he is today. 

 We have all heard of some WAFL/AFL players becoming umpires, but Beau is unique in being an elite umpire that became a successful WAFL league coach, despite only playing football at a junior level.

We got a great insight into Beau’s early interest in sports as a participant before being guided into the pathway of football umpiring – progressing through the WAFL system to umpire over 100 league games.

We then hear about his big switch to coaching, where Beau progressed from a colts assistant coach to as succesful a colts coach, then being appointed as a league coach and taking his team to two premierships.

Beau explains the life of WAFL league coach and what is involved, - which is a lot more involved than what the average punter might think. 

 This is a fascinating story.

Richard - A.K.A Bulldog shares some fabulous anecdotes of growing up in rural Tasmania, and progressing to representing his state in cricket and football at junior level – then out of the blue he is approached to come to WA to play for South Fremantle, and his world completely changed.

Richard shares some great anecdotes of playing WAFL in the glory days prior to the Eagles and Dockers entering the AFL, including the great opponents and team mates as well as unique approaches of his coaches Mal Brown, Don Haddow and Stan Magro. 

He also has great cricketing stories of playing first grade cricket for South Perth and winning the flag in his first year, playing against the might of many renowned international cricketers in the WACA’s peak years.

Craig has some hilarious stories about his time in football and the antics of his team-mates.

A country boy from Williams, Craig outlines the pathway he took to becoming a multiple premiership player with South Fremantle, captain of the club and proud life member of the Bulldogs.

Hugely respected by his team-mates and opponents alike, Craig shares his views of how football should be trained & played – including how it important it is to play with your socks up! 

He also describes his coaching journey from Sydney to the WAFL and then to A Grade Amateurs where he was named the 2022 Coach of the year.

If you enjoy a great story and some very funny anecdotes, then you will love this episode.

This episode is a must for any AFL and WAFL followers and particularly fans of the Fremantle Dockers and Claremont supporters - where our guest holds legendary status.
 
 We hear about Dale’s football journey growing up in his beloved WA Wheatbelt town of Tammin to the dislocation of coming to Perth and then rising above the challenges to progressing to being a premiership player and multiple Simpson Medals in Grand Finals in the WAFL.

We also hear about Dale’s experience in playing for five AFL clubs, the difficulty in adapting to life in Melbourne and his stunning time with the Dockers, where he finally felt he belonged in the AFL. He shares his pride in being a life member at Fremantle where he was runner up fairest and best in the first two years of the club’s existence, then winning the award in his third year – all during the difficult early years the club experienced. 

Dale also addresses the issue of racism in sport and tells us something he has never shared before about the much talked about Demolition Derby. 

This is one not to miss.

Jonathan Marsh is a proud Sandgroper who plays football with vigour and aggression. Off the field he is focused on supporting young people on life’s journey. Even if you are not into footy - this is a great human story and an episode not to miss.
 
 In this episode Jonathan shares his unique and challenging experience of playing with two AFL clubs, his battle to maintain his mental health, as well as his love for East Fremantle – the club where he rediscovered his love of football.

We first find out about Jonathan’s early years in Margaret River, his sport-mad upbringing and his backyard sporting wars with his older brother Harrison, who also ended up playing AFL for the Sydney Swans and WAFL with Subiaco.

Jonathan was an accomplished junior basketballer who chose football as his sporting love, despite his lack of confidence in his own ability and the long treks to Perth to pursue a career.
 
 We delve into the AFL drafting process and what Jonathon's experience was like for the 2013 Draft. 

Jonathan is brutally honest as he shares his AFL and WAFL experiences, as well as some revealing memories, including a worrisome approach Collingwood took when he was experiencing some challenges. 
 
 We finish with our WA quiz and get some unique answers including his regular coffee order that he used to cop flack for being very different - but is now all the rage. 

In this episode we sit down with Claremont Football Club legend and born and bred Sandgroper Mark Hann. Mark played in 6 WAFL Grand Finals, winner of a reserves premiership, winner of four league premierships, captained the club to a premiership in 1991. captained his state and is now on the WA Football Commission.  All this despite nearly walking away from football five years into his career.

 What a story he has to tell us!

We start off with Mark’s journey growing up in City Beach, Junior footy and Surfing before progressing into early colts and reserves days at Claremont.
 
 Mark gives us an insight into what was it was like to be coached by Graham Moss and where he almost walked out in 1987 before new coach Gerard Neesham took over and took the club to a series of grand finals and spurred Mark to greater heights.

We get to hear some great stories, such as Mark’s suspensions, Mick Malthouse forcing a controversial change for the 1993 WAFL Grand Final and what it was like playing for Claremont during a very successful period in the WAFL. 

We had the privilege of sitting down with one of the loyalist East Perth Football Club players in 2x time F.D book Medallist - George Giannakis

George gives us an insight into what life was like growing up down south in Manjimup . His desire to play for the Royals from an early age. 

Playing in a great Teal Cup side in 1984. 

Being apart of the  initial West Coast Eagles training squad only to get a phone call just two weeks prior to get dropped.  Missing out on the AFL Draft with St Kilda due to the WA draft Quota  

Playing in a bizarre state game against the SANFL in Vancouver 1987.

George also lets us know about unfortunate incident with a goal umpire to add to his collection scars leading to his nickname in Zipper. 

CONTACT - sandgropersports@gmail.com

Welcome to the Sandgroper Sport Podcast, 
 
Where we, Watty & Scotty talk to West Australian sports stars.
 
We never made to elite level sports - but we speak to those who did and hear about their journeys towards their elite careers, while hearing about what it means to them to be a Sandgroper. 

By listening in you will get an insight at what it takes to make it at an elite level, whilst hearing about the unique opportunities and challenges at pursing their dreams here in WA. 
 
So tune in and enjoy listening to some remarkable stories and celebrate what it takes to achieve in and out of sport in WA