With an increase of downtime due to the pandemic and more time spent working at home, devouring podcasts has become a common trend. In the current state of the pandemic, the opportunity to banter with mates and to catch up is scarce, particularly in locked-down areas such a metropolitan Melbourne. Thankfully there is the Dyl & Friends podcast. It’s like a hug from an old mate, it’s incredibly warm, positive, and comforting.
Host Dylan Buckley is an ex Australian Rules Footballer player who has an infectious laugh, genuine care for his guests, and very friendly nature which makes the listener feel truly like a friend of the show. The podcast involves Dyl interviewing a guest, usually an Australian sporting identity, past examples include Aaron Finch, Game Changers’ Morgan Mitchell and Jeremy Cameron. Other guests have included RIXX Eyewear founder Tom Sheridan or Dyl’s ex-teammate Mitch Robinson. It’s a laid-back chat with mates, with a lot of jokes and funny stories told. Teammate pranks, nude handstands and coaching sprays (Australian colloquialism for being yelled at) are all touched on in a very humorous light way. It’s a reminder of those times you could sit back with your mates and have a few beers and a few laughs. Still, while Dylan does not take himself too seriously and prefers to keep things light, he does touch on serious matters including career lows and tapping into the athlete’s psyche and ultimately what made them so successful.
His shows do focus heavily on Australian footballers and cricketers. However, this podcast can be recommended to all. The best episodes of the podcast aren’t necessarily the ones with sporting superstars as guests. It’s episodes such as the one he has with childhood best mate Hal Hunter, in which they reminisce and discuss their childhoods and later becoming professional athletes. Other highlights include Daniel Gorringe as they discuss kicking the dew off in the morning in thirds AFL as well as the podcasts where he goes into detail on mental health with Ben Crowe and Hugh Van Cyclenburg. You don’t need to know the guests before listening, Dyl will have you thinking they’re your best mates when the 60 or so minutes is up. What makes it so special is Dyl’s honesty, incredible self-awareness, and commitment to being himself. The Hugh Van Cyclenberg episode cannot be recommended enough, there are so many beneficial mental tips in that episode. Another recommendation is the incredibly raw Tony Armstrong episode which touches on his experiences with racism as an Indigenous Australian and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
If you’re to try out a new podcast this week, this is it.