Sportscafe

Sportscafe Media
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Sportscafe is Australia’s (and NZ’s) sports entertainment show - covering NRL, AFL, cricket, netball and everything else you can think of - as well as the biggest moments in Aussie sport every week. Hosted by Big Bash legend Chris Lynn, State of Origin star Connor Watson and Tayla Montoya, with former All Black Marc Ellis causing trans-Tasman chaos and on-screen producer Ric Salizzo trying to hold it all together. Follow Sportscafe on Social Media.

  1. Sep 30

    Connor Watson on NRL Grand Final vs. Kalyn Ponga's Knights

    Connor Watson has waited 11 years for his first NRL grand final – and on Sunday he'll (hopefully) line up against the Knights and his old housemate Kalyn Ponga. It's the last Sportscafe of 2026, and Marc Ellis joins the crew for the season finale. Connor talks grand final week and facing Ponga's Knights, while the panel debates the hip-drop that cost Newcastle Phoenix Crossland, and whether the NRL needs an orange card. Lenny relives the Lions' four-minute grand final comeback from the MCG, Wharfie Time and all, along with the Norm Smith debate. Tayla hands out our end-of-season awards, Macca shares his hard-earned advice for a big night out, and two of the year's fan favourites return: the back-fence king and the Talbot Bay Birdwatching Club. Travelling this summer? Get 15% off your first Saily eSIM with code SPORTSCAFE. Download the Saily app and enter code SPORTSCAFE at checkout, or head to saily.com/sportscafe Stay connected in 200+ destinations with no roaming fees and no physical SIM needed.

  2. Sep 23

    Grand finals pressure and the inspiration behind one of NRL's tries of the year.

    It's finals season across both codes, and we've got the perfect guests for it. Brownlow Medallist and three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player Simon Black joins us to gives us insights into AFL Grand Final, where he has the honour of presenting the premiership cup. He talks through what grand final week is really like, what he got wrong in his first one, the Lions' shot at three in a row, and why premierships are built over years, not a single season. Knights great Kurt Gidley breaks down Newcastle's rise from last year's wooden spoon to a preliminary final, the Justin Holbrook effect, and what finals footy means to the town. Plus: Connor on the semi-final win and Sam Walker's return, Chur Ma Bro demands an apology for Warriors fans, Joey's legendary 40-nil road graffiti, and the panel picks their AFL Grand Final winners. 🌎Go to https://saily.com/sportscafe and use the code SPORTSCAFE to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. Here is your code for free access to Saily: promoCBr3HVigz94sSf4CDWX8 (1GB code)

  3. Sep 16

    NRL Semis: Who Wins & Who's Going Home?

    Connor breaks down the Roosters' qualifying final loss to Penrith, what has to change against Cronulla on Saturday night, and where Sam Walker's recovery is at. Plus the crew debates the Sydney Sweeney betting ad, meets a 17-year-old who kicked the winner two weeks running, and our debate about the greatest sports movie of all time goes off the rails. Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Teaser 00:00:59 Connor Watson on the Panthers loss 00:04:54 Do-or-die against the Sharks 00:08:46 That pregame praying video on the NRL account 00:10:28 Joey on the Warriors: "I'm fine" 00:14:38 The Sydney Sweeney betting ad debate 00:20:10 Riley Carter: two clutch kicks, two weeks 00:26:24 Who'd you pick for the grand final pregame? 00:30:18 Greatest sports movie of all time 00:39:11 Chris Lynn on Cricket Australia's privatisation push

  4. Sep 9

    Laurie Daley on NRL Finals & Do The Warriors Get Special Refereeing Treatment?

    Laurie Daley joins us three days out from finals week, with a read on the premiership race, the Blues' Origin decider, and an answer on whether he'd ever take an NRL head coaching job. Then Joey lays out an officiating theory about Mt Smart and The Warriors that's going to cost him a few friends in Auckland. Fair question or sour grapes? Connor Watson on captaining the Roosters for the first time, the hospital pass that flattened his own halfback, and the off-season dinner he now owes him. Sharni Layton on Australian Survivor, the Commonwealth Games campaign she gave up to film it, and what happens to an athlete's identity after retirement. Plus the Aussie squad for South Africa, the NFL landing in Melbourne, and three clips from the depths of the internet.

  5. Sep 7

    Roger Tuivasa-Sheck: The Otara Kid Who Became A Warrior

    Roger Tuivasa-Sheck joins Marc Ellis and Ric Salizzo on Herbie for Sportscafe Legends. He's played for the Roosters, the Warriors, the Kiwis, Toa Samoa, the Blues and the All Blacks. This is his last NRL season before a two-year deal at Wakefield Trinity - and with a knee reconstruction behind him, he's watching the Warriors' run from the sideline rather than the field. Roger talks about growing up in Otara, being coached as a kid by Eric Rush, ringing Rushy to tell him he was leaving rugby for league, and why he picked 12 when he came back to union. Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Cold open 00:00:43 Welcome to Herbie 00:02:11 League fitness vs rugby fitness 00:02:53 Why he chose 12 00:04:31 Learning the game at first receiver 00:05:29 Eric Rush the junior coach 00:07:58 The phone call to Rushy 00:08:44 Why league suited him 00:09:53 Community and 40 memberships 00:10:59 The pathway out of school 00:12:05 A premiership in his second year 00:12:40 When he knew he had a gift 00:14:15 Getting knocked back 00:15:06 Blazers, kit and choosing union 00:17:32 Coming home to the Warriors 00:18:11 Saying no to mum and dad 00:21:39 Heroes: Rushy, Carlos, Benji 00:22:11 Eric Rush and the water slide 00:23:37 Watching this Warriors season injured 00:24:45 Two ACLs and the next surgery 00:25:36 All Black 1204 00:27:11 Wakefield, and letting go of the plan 00:30:41 His brother, LeBron and a PlayStation launch 00:34:15 The Herbie project 00:34:52 Otara was a village 00:36:42 What the travel cost him 00:39:15 What's changed at the Warriors 00:41:23 What it takes to win a premiership

  6. Sep 2

    Connor Watson Playing In Jai Arrow's Last Game & Craig Wing On Roosters-Rabbitohs Rivalry

    On Friday night at Allianz, Connor Watson runs out against South Sydney in Jai Arrow's 100th and final game for the club - an appearance the NRL changed its interchange rules to allow after Arrow's MND diagnosis forced him to retire in May. Connor, Tayla and Lynny break down the scenes on the Gold Coast last weekend and what Friday is going to feel like from the other side of the field. Then Craig Wing joins us. He came through as a South Sydney junior, debuted for the Bunnies in '97, and ended up building most of his career at the Roosters after Souths were thrown out of the competition. Nobody is better placed to explain this rivalry - and we asked him which one he'd actually pick. Plus: Neil Townley is 69 years old and still playing local footy every weekend. He gives the Sportscafe team a rev-up they will not forget.

  7. Aug 31

    Lucy Lawless: The Mount Albert Girl Who Became A Warrior Princess

    In episode three of Sportscafe Legends, Marc Ellis and Ric Salizzo sit down on Herbie the housebus with Lucy Lawless - Xena: Warrior Princess herself. She grew up in Mount Albert with no fences and no curfew, was nicknamed "uncoordinated" at school, and then spent six years and 24-episode seasons swinging a sword nine months a year. Xena big in New Zealand, but it was enormous in Italy, Turkey, the Philippines and Iran - and somewhere around episode eight, Lucy found out her character had become a global gay icon, via a stack of faxes from New York while she was standing on the side of set. These days she'd rather direct than act, and keeps turning down offers from America to do it. She also has a hobby that comes up about twenty-five minutes in, and it's not what you'd expect. Marc and Ric get into what Xena did for the New Zealand screen industry, knowing Russell Crowe when he was running an underage nightclub, the first time in her life she felt proud of herself, and what Herbie is actually being used for. CHAPTERS Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Herbie 00:01:27 A slow start to the day 00:02:20 Growing up in Mount Albert 00:04:34 Slightly delinquent 00:05:49 How the acting started 00:08:28 Becoming a gay icon by accident 00:09:19 Marc was an extra on Xena 00:10:16 Russell Crowe before Russell Crowe 00:11:35 "My nickname at school was uncoordinated" 00:12:31 Nine months a year, 14-hour days 00:13:13 What Xena did for the NZ industry 00:14:55 Watching a film a day 00:18:50 Why she's directing now 00:21:43 New Zealand needs to feed itself 00:24:01 When kids were allowed to disappear 00:24:42 The murder trials 00:25:33 The hearing 00:26:10 Why she goes 00:28:30 Pizza etiquette 00:29:30 Star Wars, Tom Selleck and the Ewok problem 00:32:29 The proudest she's ever been 00:34:48 Never Look Away 00:35:31 Working with Marc Ellis 00:38:44 What Herbie is actually for Sportscafe Legends is presented by Sal's Authentic New York Pizza and Southern Alps Lager. Herbie is fuelled by Gull.

  8. Aug 24

    Sir Michael Jones: The West Auckland Kid Who Became an All Blacks Legend

    In episode two of Sportscafe Legends, Marc Ellis and Ric Salizzo sit down on Herbie the housebus with La'auli Sir Michael Jones: 1987 World Cup winner, 55 tests, and the man John Hart once called almost the perfect rugby player. He takes us back to West Auckland, where he grew up with 15 people under one roof after losing his father at four. He tells the full story of the 1989 knee injury that doctors compared to being hit by a car - and the eighteen-month road back that nobody thought was possible. And he explains why, twenty-six years after he retired, his food bank matters more to him than the rugby ever did. Plus: where "Iceman" actually came from, cheating at Pictionary with Zinzan Brooke, and the gift that started a two-hour argument at a marae up north. Legends is brought to you by Sal's Authentic New York Pizza and Southern Alps Brewing Co.

See All (95)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Sportscafe is Australia’s (and NZ’s) sports entertainment show - covering NRL, AFL, cricket, netball and everything else you can think of - as well as the biggest moments in Aussie sport every week. Hosted by Big Bash legend Chris Lynn, State of Origin star Connor Watson and Tayla Montoya, with former All Black Marc Ellis causing trans-Tasman chaos and on-screen producer Ric Salizzo trying to hold it all together. Follow Sportscafe on Social Media.

Information

  • Creator
    Sportscafe Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sportscafe Media

You Might Also Like