Brendan Cannon - A Candid Conversation with Canno

Australian rugby is in quite a state and today we have Brendan Cannon on the show to speak about the need for us to remedy this by reigniting a lost sense of community around our beloved game. For those who don’t know, Brendan was an Australian Wallaby from 2001 to 2006 and has a large number of games under his belt for the Queensland Reds, the Waratahs, and the Western Force too. In today’s show, we chat with Brendan about his personal journey, the obstacles he overcame to achieve what he has, and his views on the current and future state of Australian rugby. Brendan takes us through his formative years and his time with the Souths before getting into a topic that penetrates most of today’s conversation, the growing disconnect between professional and club rugby, causes for this, and the tremendous losses the game has experienced as a result. Our guest weighs in on changes in gameplay, the commercialisation of professional rugby, the effects of COVID on the industry, and what could be done to bring back our glory days. We also hear about some of Brendan’s personal experiences as a professional player such as his swift return to the game after a severe car accident, his transition from number eight to hooker, and his scrum injury that marked his final exit as a professional player. Don’t miss this amazing conversation with a man who brings a lifetime of perspectives from inside and out!

Key Points From This Episode:

 • Brendan’s rugby family legacy, love of the game, and childhood memories playing at Souths.

• The way famous players used to still play for their clubs, inspiring young players.

• Commercialization of pro rugby and reasons for its growing disconnect with amateur rugby.

• Why pro players should invest in their clubs and not forget about paying tribute to these roots.

• Prohibitive costs, sanitized product, less free gameplay, and other reasons rugby isn’t what it used to be.

• Brendan’s near-fatal car accident and what allowed him to return to rugby soon after.

• Why Brendan decided to transition from number eight to hooker and his experiences after.

• Brendan’s career-ending scrum injury and his perspectives on scrum adjudication.

• Contributors to Australian rugby’s bad state: dismissals, COVID, commercialization.

• The potential that bringing back a sense of community has to reignite Australian rugby’s spirit.

• Examples of brand ambassadorship shown by Andrew Demetriou and David Gallop.

• Cues to be taken from other sports about broadcasters being more critical of administrators.

Links from this weeks show:

Queensland Reds - Queensland Reds

NSW Waratahs - Waratahs

Western Force - Western Force

St Laurence's College - St. Laurence’s College

Souths Rugby - Souths Rugby Union Club

White Ribbon Day - White Ribbon Day