Freedom In A Cage: The Official Western Bulldogs Podcast

The boys start off discussing whether we've just seen the best round of the year, and breaking the Geelong hoodoo03:30; what the talk on the ground is like in a close game 05:15; the feedback Bob got from a Geelong fan on the way out on Friday night06:55; how many on the mark is too many? 07:59; Adi's revolutionary idea about how to put opposition players off when shooting for goal 09:18; Brad Lynch's debut 10:26; Ed Richards' rising star 12:17; Adams returning and understanding stats 14:42\. Ed Richards then joins the boys to discuss turning 19 16:53; his view from the bench in final seconds on Friday night 18:57; his season so far 20:24; his goal kicking experience in junior footy, or lack thereof 21:57; how daunting it was when he first got to the Club 23:02; not being recognised in Glen Iris 24:41; the real story about running late for the pre-draft interview with Carlton and what stopped him from abandoning his car25:17; behind the scenes at the Draft Combine 27:22; the levels of annoyance of the Blues recruiters at his lateness 29:01; growing 30cm in two years 30:33; why he wears number 20 and whether his family has switched to the Dogs 32:51 and Ed's Rising Star chances according to Gerard Whateley 35:11\. Then the boys analyse Luke Beveridge's comments suggesting Dan Hartman was a better moonwalker than Michael Jackson 38:28; how Bob used to play a specific song in the gym to get Bevo out of his office40:39; watching 'Rock of Ages' stage show with Channel Seven's Mark Stevens 41:55; Lebron to the Lakers and whether Cleveland ever tried the one-club player angle on him 42:32; Adi breaks down how much Lebron would earn by the time he watches Braveheart in full 44:55; Matt de Boer breaking the 'tackle code' 47:08; the search continues for Ballarat's best pie 50:06; and a preview of Dogs v Hawks.52:05

In this week's episode of Freedom in a Cage Bob welcomes Chris Anstey as a co-host while Adi Brown is on a family holiday. The boys start off by measuring levels of World Cup interest levels 01:16; dissect the Club's close loss to North Melbourne 02:32; Chris' traditional group chat with this brother and Dad during a Bulldogs game04:43; Bob tries out his best Russian 06:18; Chris's list of his Top 5 most interesting players to have played less than 50 games for the Club 08:06; Bob's favourite Nicky Winmar story 13:57; the boys then exchange their best Barry Hall stories, including the time Hall parked Jarrad Grant's car in the WO boxing ring 16:03; Bob adds Daniel Hargraves to the Top 5 list 20:26; NBA wrap; finals, Rookie of the Year and where is Lebron James going? 21:24; and changes to the AFL's Rising Star Award 24:21\. Daniel Giansiracusa joins the podcast fresh from the training to track to discuss the aftermath of Saturday night's game 25:48; what it was like inside the rooms post-match 27:41; Gia's habit of dropping his pen onto his keyboard during the game when he's frustrated 28:43; how an assistant coach must focus on the now rather than looking too far ahead 30:14; the prospects of a win over the Cats on Friday night 31:24; Gia's World Cup fanaticism and why his son was wearing a French shirt during the Socceroos opening game 34:02; best Bulldog soccer players 36:47; Gia explains how growing up in a court influenced Matt Suckling's kicking style 39:36\. The boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pie.

On this week's agenda is Thursday night football 00:49; Hayden Crozier's touching tribute to Port Adelaide's Todd Marshall02:21; Bob's rejected attempt at sportsmanship with former Dog and later Saint Steven Powell 03:42; is white line fever real - and a Me, Myself & Irene reference 05:14; Bob's goal-review superpower 06:04; they boys discuss who you watch when someone has a set shot - player or the cheer squad 07:21; body language and the Tony Liberatore point of '9708:31; morality, ethics, Adam Gilchrist and walking on the cricket field 09:24; World Cup, VAR and how far should goal reviews go back 12:18; Bob's time as a junior umpire and the four rules of football 13:57; the Toby McLean decision from last Thursday night 17:22; Bob discusses his new Fox Footy show 21:00 and then talks about the time his Nat Fyfe moment was interrupted by his wife 28:28\. Young Dogs star Toby 'Feathers' McLean joins the podcast and talks about the hard questions he got at that morning's school visit 29:34; nutrition and the death of the food pyramid 31:09; reflects on the opening contest of the Power game32:56; defends his choice of footwear and why Havaianas are banned at the Club 33:48; the Dale Morris organised footy department World Cup sweep 34:46; how he convinced Moz to let him live in his granny flat35:53; sharing the back of the Ute during the Grand Final parade with Moz and his boys, and young Charlie's bladder struggle 37:30; the days of players urinating on the ground 39:53; and the vibe in the locker room 41:01\. The boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pie.

In this episode of the Freedom in a Cage podcast the boys do a deep dive on the making of the Adrian Brown's award-winning documentary 'Outsiders', the story of the Western Bulldogs ground-breaking premiership win. Among the things discussed are what Adi hopes the legacy might be (02:37); where it all began, from boundary riding with Dipper, to Hamish & Andy to Dancing with the Stars to 'The Ride' (04:22); the influence of Steve Nash documentary 'The Finish Line' (06:46); reaching out to Bob and being stood up by the new captain of the Bulldogs (08:37); the pitch and the first interview (12:04); Family Day and the 2015 NAB Cup (13:57); the moment it became something bigger (15:26); Bevo's wink (16:33); the importance of building trust (18:40); riding the train with John Schultz on Grand Final morning (21:56); the close connection between the supporters of the team and what the game is really all about (24:08); getting lost at Spotless and almost missing the then biggest moment of the season (26:37); becoming part of the Club and being surprised by the emotion of the games (28:13); dinner at the Liberatores (29:33); the 'Outsiders' vault (32:39); the coming 'Year of the Dogs' deep dive (34:01); why the Western Bulldogs Football Club is such a special place (35:27); the 'panic' of Grand Final day (38:09); straining to hear Bevo's 3QT speech (40:57); looking for the finish line (42:35); the Sun Theatre premiere in Yarraville (43:40); favourite memories and winning an award (45:17).

In this episode of the Freedom in a Cage podcast the boys mark bye-week by sitting down with a legend of Australian basketball and passionate Bulldogs fan, Chris Anstey. Anstey discusses his Bulldogs origins and growing up in the shadows of VU Whitten Oval04:11; being in the stands for the Simon Beasley mark back in the day06:17; the loss of footy in the suburbs 07:56; switching tennis for basketball at 17 and having Dustin Fletcher as a doubles partner 09:14; how one particular junior coach changed his life12:32; the 'guilt' of making the NBA and his arrival in Dallas 14:30; playing against Shaquille O'Neal in his prime16:06; sharing a beer with Shaq16:39; when the NBA came knocking17:19; being traded from Dallas to Chicago19:28; why his heart is still in Dallas 21:58; moving to Russia and discovering Vodka 23:15; playing Masters basketball tournaments with former South East Melbourne Magic teammates 26:34; heading up the basketball program at Caulfield Grammar and the difference between coaching boys and girls 28:32; Bob's return to the basketball court after 18 years 30:20, and then Anstey breaks down the NBA Finals 31:32; the moment he knew Lebron was leaving Cleveland at the end of the season 34:01; the brilliance of Steph Curry 34:28; Bob's search for someone to watch basketball with36:24; Lebron James' position among the greats and how JR Smith's Game 1 mistake could shape it 37:42; where Lebron plays next year 38:44; spotting Ben Simmons playing B-Grade at Diamond Valley recently 40:54; on Twitter 'burner accounts' 42:37, and then the boys continue their search for Ballarat's best pie.

In the tenth episode of Freedom in a Cage, the boys talk Sir Douglas Nicholls Round before doing the first deep dive on the final game at Whitten Oval back in 1997\. But first, Bob and Adi discuss the Don Pyke stare (00:56); Terry Wallace's bizarre, but funny, post-match spray (02:30); Ed Richards winning the NAB Rising Star award (07:23); the day a Mario Kart playing Bob left Hawthorn recruiters hanging (09:07); the significance of Sir Douglas Nicholls Round (12:06); Charlie Stewart (13:59); Bob talks about his most admired Indigenous players, with a special mention of Zephy Skinner (14:45); Nicky Winmar (16:31); Brett Goodes (17:40); and Bob's decision to wear Adam Goodes' number 37 for the coin toss in August, 2015 (18:30). The boys then do the first deep dive on a significant moment in the Club's history: the last game at Whitten Oval in 1997, including (20:41); long sleeve jumper wearers (22:26); Don Scott's not-so-kind words about playing in Footscray (23:37); how good Brad Johnson was early (25:00); classic Dennis Cometti-Peter McKenna commentary (27:00); the bloody opening bounce and the targeting of Michael Gardner (28:18); some Whitten Oval mythology (30:24); the chaos after the siren and Cometti's concern for Eagles players (31:58); pre-match with Plough (35:05); how much the current players loved playing at Whitten Oval in 2015 and why it's different (36:13); 'Footscray Woodstock' and the voices of the outer (37:00); return to Whitten Oval in the future? (38:51); send in your memories of the game (41:10); the only sports memorabilia Bob will allow in his house (42:17); the day Adi saved a Martin Pike beer can from 1999 Grand Final (43:36); the benefits of 'doing time' (44:37); the boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pie (46:08).

In episode nine of the Freedom in a Cage podcast, Bob and Adi are joined by cricket royalty and loyal Western Bulldogs fan, Merv Hughes. In this week's episode, Bob reveals why he is 'playing hurt' (00:46); why he'll never give up coffee (01:19); provides some free advice to men with a pregnant wife (02:46); wet weather football (04:22); debate whether a game should be called off if it's too windy (05:41); the Royal Wedding (08:11); Bob enlightens Adi about the meaning behind the phrase 'caught red-handed (11:00); Adi does more research on Whiskas Hocking and whether The Bont could change his name to Marcus BontemPALlli for money (14:02); and the boys answer a fan question about who holds the record for most hospital handballs (15:43). Them Merv Hughes joins the podcast to discuss his recent fishing trip to Darwin, and where to find the best steak in town (16:50); how closely he's following the Dogs in 2018 (18:34); his comeback to yappy Essendon fans (20:01); growing up in Werribee (20:39); his favourite Bulldogs player growing up and playing in the backline for Werribee (21:47); who he'd rather stand as a backman, Barry Hall or Tony Lockett (23:51); doing 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' with Barry Hall (24:19); what the mood is like in the change rooms before Test Match (25:24); why former Australian captain Alan Border named him 'Fruit Fly' (27:36); his favourite Shane Warne stories (28:34); why he didn't train much and his first impressions (29:38); and Warne the tennis player (32:52). Hughes then talks about what he misses most about playing cricket (33:33); his memories of the 1989 Ashes series (34:53); sledging in cricket (36:56); facing Malcolm Marshall and the West Indies fast bowlers (38:10); the best bowlers he's ever seen (40:23); Hansie Cronje and his ever greatest sledge (41:29); rumours his moustache was insured and why he remembers the exact date in 1985 he decided to grow it (44:08). The boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pie (49:59); preview Friday night's clash with Collingwood and Terry Walllace's famous "I'll spew up" line (54:43).

In episode eight of the Freedom in a Cage podcast, Bob and Adi are joined by Western Bulldogs General Manager of List and Recruiting Sam Power. This week the boys discuss Melbourne winters and how aging footballers would benefit playing in the warmer climates (00:45); 'the cage’s’ mention in Herald Sun and Jack Macrae's 47 touches (02:53); Adi finds a list of obscure AFL records including the most ‘crumbs’ and ‘balks’ (04:42); do kids still practice the footy card balk?(05:31); the day Bob broke Gary Ablett Snr's record for high jump (07:34); Luke Dahlhaus's record for 'behind assists' and other obscure Bulldogs records (09:30); Bob's debut as a Fox Footy boundary rider (10:31); Adi's previous life as boundary rider assistant to Robert DiPierdomenico (13:00); the boys talk about Gary 'Whiskas' Hocking and whether Bob would have considered a name change (13:20). Then, Sam Power joins the podcast and Adi once again tests his theory that list managers are high end footy card traders (16:36); Sam’s trajectory from Bob's teammate, to law, to list manager (17:48); the best part of the job (20:02); Bob discusses the 'halo effect' and the theory that recruiters subconsciously recruit versions of themselves (20:54); the future of mid-season trades and live draft pick swaps (22:15); Bob offers his services after having watched Kevin Costner's 'Draft Day' and how 'Moneyball' has impacted AFL (26:29); the 'JFK' moment that was the coming of behind the goals footage for the modern player (30:06); the pathways for list managers and planning for life after football (31:35); his return to the Bulldogs and Bob asks Sam to explain his two nicknames (33:33); The boys then discuss Adi's many work experience gigs, including Channel 7 and the Ringwood Pools (37:28); Bob's work experience at Richmond and being tapped on the shoulder by Matthew Richardson (41:49); Adi tells a similar story about working at North Melbourne and crossing paths with Wayne Carey (43:15); and Bob recalls stealing an old training football from Tigerland (45:47); and then the boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pies (47:45).

In this week’s episode of Freedom in a Cage, are joined by Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains. Before then they discuss Bob’s experience piloting the ‘Fan Van’ to Ballarat (00:12); the boys review the Dogs’ second win in a row (02:47); Bobs reveals the ‘real’ Jack Macrae (03:17) Nic Natainui and the ‘blimey’ list of the game’s biggest players (08:14); and footy clinics with Jason Daniels, Craig Starcevich & Shane Brewer (09:33). Then, Ameet Bains enters ‘the cage’ to talk about what a win does for a footy club each week (12:33); how Allen Jackovich could be the answer to the 'state of the game' debate (13:38); growing up a footy ‘nuffie’ (14:21); was football better in the 90s? (14:55); Brett Ratten fandom and growing up a Carlton fan in a Hawthorn house (15:35); his journey from Toyota to clubland (17:20); the difference between list management and collecting footy cards (18:53); Mars Stadium and the joy of watching football in Ballarat (20:03); why the VU Whitten Oval redevelopment is such a big deal (22:19); and what it could look like in the future (24:35); answers the question: is AFL football returning to VU Whitten Oval? (27:23) and talks idolising Viv Richards, and how underwhelming it was when he met him (28:21). Then, Bob enlightens Adi on the real meaning of ‘cold shoulder’ (31:46); the boys then continue their search for Ballarat's best pies (31:16) Bob talks about his lifelong battle with bees and recounts a recent traumatic experience (37:10); getting Tom Liberatore back on (42:33); Adi is coy on North Melbourne's prospects.

In this week's episode the boys are joined by Tom Liberatore, but before then they discuss the health of Caleb Daniel's helmet 00:35; the Club's best Instagram performers 01:40; whether Patty Lipinski is too handsome for football and the growth in Bailey Dale's game 02:35; the game in 'crisis' 03:36; the height of the current midfield crop 05:50; Ed Richards fandom and the return of football badges 09:48; why don't people where duffle coats anymore 11:57; Bob introduces a new segment he's named 'enlighten me' 12:52; the boys go on the hunt for Ballarat's best pie thanks to Plate up Ballarat & Visit Victoria 15:46; Tom Liberatore enters the cage to discuss how his knee rehab is going 19:45; how it's changed since 2015 21:38; whether the six week mark is the most challenging 22:11; what podcasts he's listening to 23:42; how he goes as a spectator 26:02; football clubs as a 'prison' and who's in what gang 27:47; his odd sock theory 28:55; Tom's t-shirts and overpriced Op Shops 31:13; his now famous interview about making 100 on Grand Final day 33:41; the mundane questions footballers get 35:50; running out with his Dad for his last game 37:33; which era he would have preferred to play in 39:20; Tony Locket's distaste for books and love for 80s TV favourite ALF 40:52; how much Tom would enjoy pestering Wayne Carey if he played in the 90s 41:46; what he said to Matt Priddis before the 2016 Elimination Final 42:44; how being an agitator motivates him on field.44:29; and Bob talks about the beauty of running out with a Liberatore 45:00.

Freedom in a Cage co-hosts Bob Murphy and award winning filmmaker Adi Brown are joined by former Age journalist and author of A Wink from the Universe, the story of the Western Bulldogs 2016 premiership. The boys discuss the Bulldogs nail-biting loss to the Swans (1:55) before Flanagan discusses the day Tim English called him ‘Mike’ (3:20); his relationship with the 2018 Bulldogs (4:55); the role of Luke Beveridge in convincing him to how he came to write the book (7:14); his 1993 book on the Bulldogs Southern Sky, Western Oval (10:20); his favourite Bulldogs characters (12:15); telling the story through the eyes of fans and how the book got its title (20:42) Grand Final day, 2016 (26:31); Martin presents Bob with a gift (28:20); who should get the next bronze statue out the front of the MCG (30:15); the best place to watch football from and the return of coaches to the boundary (36:52); is sport over-coached? (39:10); Bob’s talks about siting in the coaches box with Luke Beveridge during the 2016 finals (41:41); A man named Dummy Harris and the Martin Flanagan the footballer (44:00)

In the fourth episode of Freedom in a Cage, co-hosts Bob Murphy and Adrian Brown discuss (00:55) the 'shame' of losing and how life is different the week after a win (04:56); Tory Dickson's chase and tackle (6:24); the Peter Filandia incident (8:17); the football stories that have made it to ESPN (09:24); Easton Wood joins the panel (11:21); Easton talks about the lead up to the Bombers game (11:36); the last time the song was sung twice (12:40); whether he changed his pre-match speech (13:09); Bob talks about Scott Wynd and the great pre-match talks (14:53); the boys talk Easton through their search for the greatest Bulldog grab of all time, and the skipper chooses his own favourite mark (16:59); the official announcement of the eight finalists and the bracket (20:37); how to vote (24:45); Adi gets to bottom of why Easton and Bob share the same nickname for each other (25:59); this week's Kev's Corner question (28:28); Malcolm Blight's torp rule and Ron Barassi tales (31:57); First hand recollections of Merv Hobbs' 1961 mark and the case for Liam Picken (34:15); fan questions - Port Adelaide have 'Never Tear Us Apart', Collingwood have 'Nothing Else Matters', what should be the Bulldogs song? (38:00).

Co-hosts Bob Murphy and Adrian Brown cover a range of topics in episode three of Freedom in a Cage including three sporting quotes to sum up the Dogs’ season so far (1:15); the all-consuming nature of sport after a bad week (3:11); why riding high or when your backs are to the wall are the best times to be at a footy club (5:08); the rhythm of football clubs (7:17); post-loss café fails (8:45); Bob’s Bulls v Bonti’s Wizards poll results (9:55); the best ping-pong players at the Club (12:23); who took the greatest grab in Bulldogs history – the boys go searching for the ‘great eight’ (14:15); why Easton Wood’s Rd1, 2016 mark is under-appreciated (22:37); Bob’s Ashley Sampi moment (23:20); do players look at replays during the game (24:20); a new segment - Kev’s corner – where Adi’s Dad asks the question, ‘why do they do that’? (27:27); doing a ‘Dorotich’ and the pressure of kicking out (34:10) watching football live vs on TV (37:29); preview the ‘Mark Alvey Cup’ (40:00); talk about Bob’s third game – the ‘Chris Grant goal’ v Essendon and the invention of the superflood (40:30); the time Brad Johnson frowned (42:31); Merv Hughes & Jose Romero and upcoming guests (43:58)

Hosts Bob Murphy and Adrian Brown review Round 1, (0:20) ‘The Cage’ goes mainstream (2:00), AFLW premiership star Monique Conti joins the podcast (3:20), Mon admits to North Melbourne leanings (6:10), and explains her choice of wearing different coloured boots during the GF (8:00), Adi suggests a revolutionary new approach to football tactics (9:47), Mon continues her shameless pursuit of a fake tan sponsorship (11:30), Marcus Bontempelli enters The Cage (13:00), Bob explains why he loves Etihad Stadium (15:50), and talks the joys of showering under the oversized showerheads of Waverly (16:51), the boys attempt to discover if there’s anything Bonti isn’t good at (17:28), Bonti & Bob draft their ultimate Bulldogs basketball teams and ask fans to vote on the winning team (20:30), Bonti talks playing against Dante Exum and Ben Simmons (27:30), the day Bob met Olympian Phil ‘the general’ Smythe, (29:23), former Richmond fans, Bob and Bont discuss their favourite old Tigers (30:36), the boys give their take on the Australian cricket team story (32:23), fan questions (39:53)

Co-hosts Bob Murphy and Adrian Brown are joined Luke Beveridge and AFLW star Libby Birch on the debut episode of ‘Freedom in a Cage’, the first official Western Bulldogs podcast. The boys establish Adi’s Bulldogs bona fides (0:59), what the podcast is about and how it got its title (2:13), a tribute to Allen Jackovich (3:52), Libby Birch joins the show winning the ‘prelim’ (5:12), the scar above Libby’s eye and its Tarantino-like origins (8:00), her bad language post injury (9:20), Brisbane Lions and the girls who’ll miss the GF (10:00). Luke Beveridge joins the podcast to discuss the AFLW competition (13:15), the anticipation of Round 1 (15:00), the Wizard Cup, Lenny Hayes and the value of pre-season competition (17:00), the rivalry with GWS (18:50), the Greek Team of the Century (20:45), his playing career at the Demons and a tribute to Allen Jackovich (24:35), send in your questions/guest suggestions (30:40), favourite suburban ground (32:00) marking guests and hosts down for too much footy talk (37:00).