As we reach the 20th anniversary of the 3rd test in Chennai of that famous 2001 series, its time to wrap up our Final Frontier series.  Our thoughts on the factors behind the slow-build of the Australia v India rivalry, the way that 2001 series entered the public consciousness, and the legacy of the series that continues today.  The Greatest Season That Was Presents is produced by Jay Mueller and edited by Dave Collins. It is part of The Bad Producer Podcast Network. Support the show:...

For many years, the rare Australian cricket tours to India went barely noticed by Australian cricket fans.  Scoreboards and match reports were the most that could be consumed. This mixed with the supposed horror stories that filtered back after the fact from players about  accommodation, food and illness resulted in the perception of an outpost - something that was not as worthy as the iconic and growing rivalries elsewhere. However, legendary cricket writer Mike Coward begged to differ. He...

The amazing turnaround at Kolkata not only had a nation rejoicing, it cemented the India and Australia rivalry forever. This series was now set for a grand finale in Chennai, a test that truly proved to be the icing on the cake of this magnificent series. The man nicknamed after Tone Loc’s hit Funky Cold Medina,  Colin “Funky” Miller was a maverick journeyman in domestic cricket.  But his mid-30s experiment with bowling off spin as a side hustle to his medium pace, resulted in an...

With 16 straight wins in the bank, Australia had the chance to conquer Steve Waugh Final Frontier when they arrived in Kolkata for the 2nd test of 2001. India had been stung by the first test result but by midpoint Australia looked to be realising that dream. Michael Kasprowicz’s performances on the 1998 tour had seen him labelled the India specialist, and he came into that winning side that was aiming to make history. History, however, turned sharply in Kolkata. Michael Kasprowicz...

The 1999-2000 season had seen a more ruthless Australia sweep India 3-0,  a group of fresh stars were added to Steve Waugh’s veterans and the team  had seamlessly gone from arguably the best in the world to a whole new, higher plane. Adam Gilchrist was symbolic of this shift, His impact was immediate and within 12 months he was the national vice captain.  As they flew to India in 2001, the tour was personally and collectively termed the ‘final frontier’ by Steve Waugh – the first test tour...

1998 had been a rude shock for Australia, but when India returned to Australian in 1999-2000 for the first time in 8 years, there was a similar shock to their system. That new captain Steve Waugh and the new coach John Buchanan had a vision for excellence to motivate the next era Taylor and Healy had just retired, but  the team was about to welcome Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee into the fold, while others like Justin Langer could finally lock in a long-term spot.  The challenge was set by...

A 3 test series  in early 1998, was the first full Test series between the India and Australia for 6 years, and the first Australian test series in India since 1986. Shane Warne was fit and touring so the series had the secondary makings of a heavyweight title fight- Sachin v Warne. However there was another great story that didn’t steal any headlines from the main event. Gavin Robertson was a journeyman off spinner who’s played some one day internationals 4 years prior, plucked from the...

As 2020 ticks over to 2021, we sit in the middle of another engrossing Test series between two heavyweights of international cricket – India and Australia. Today, an Australia v India Test series can only be rivalled by the Ashes for prestige, quality of competition, and the level of interest from fans around the world. And that’s without talking about the economics any time the two countries meet. But it wasn’t always like that.   2021 marks twenty years since the famed 2001 Test series...

At the start of 1991, the family club were coming off a season where they had failed to continue in the family tradition, eliminated by Melbourne the previous September to miss their first Grand Final since 1982 - unable to complete a three-peat. As odd as it sounds, their failure to make it to the big one in 1990 sent the club into a tailspin. They had been called too old and too slow in the past – maybe, just maybe, it was now true? When the West Coast Eagles, the new kids on the block,...

If 1991 was the year the national game came of age, it was the West Coast Eagles that drove the success. . During 1991 as the Eagles dominated the competition Victorian fans' worst fears were realised, the monster form Perth had taken over. But the view from Victoria was a distorted one, and didn’t take into account the challenge the club faced starting from a tribal and traditional league, nor the travel factor that would take its toll. Broadcasting doyen and Perth native  Dennis Cometti...

The Greatest Season That Was Presents - Bound For Glory, the story of VFL Park, the Batmobile and the 1991 Grand Final. 2020 will see the AFL Grand Final played away from the MCG for only the second time since World War II. To mark the last time that happened, The Greatest Season That Was Presents…. Bound For Glory Ross Oakley was Ross the Boss in 1991, running the AFL. We chat to him about the 30 year saga of the league’s own ground that ended with a VFL Park Grand Final, the first truly...

Through this series we’ve looked at how Australian Rules has found its way into the lives of Americans in the most unlikely circumstances. But for the final episode we’re going to look at things in reverse. A time when US sport found something they liked about Australian Rules and turned it into an asset. Darren Bennett was a high quality full forward in the VFL/AFL whose trademark  was his booming right foot kick for goal. But when injuries curtailed his career at Melbourne Football Club,...

US Revolution features Mason Cox, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The 8-part series features additional interviews with Paul Roos, Mason Cox, Jason Holmes, ESPN's Bob Ley and former VFL / AFL star John Ironmonger.   Since the resumption of the AFL season the interest in Australian football from the US has continued , with now Fox Sports and ESPN both carrying matches in the USA. But  the idea of how to make the...

Mason Cox and Jason Holmes are unbelievable recent stories in AFL history, elite athletes from one part of the world being hand-picked without any knowledge of the game and transformed into senior AFL players over a period of time within a full-time professional set-up. But Danielle Marshall is a story perhaps even more unlikely, an American athlete who stumbled across the sport on TV, became a fan and then longed for a chance to play it.   Then when she finally found a way to play the...

US Revolution features Mason Cox, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The 8-part series features additional interviews with Paul Roos, Mason Cox, Jason Holmes and Dani Marshall.  The Greatest Season That Was is produced by Jay Mueller and is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network.  Support the show.

Shannon Gill, Ed Wyatt and Mason Cox talk to Jason Holmes about his time in the AFL.

An in-depth oral history of the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa.

The Greatest Season That Was Presents...US Revolution...exploring the links between AFL and the US

Exploring the links between AFL and the USA

A new series from the team at The Greatest Season That Was Presents.. The Greatest Season That Was Presents... US Revolution. Episode one features Collingwood FC's Mason Cox. US Revolution features Mason, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The 8-part series will feature interviews with Paul Roos, Jason Holmes and former ESPN broadcaster Bob Ley.  The Greatest Season That Was is produced by Jay Mueller and is part...

Dan Brettig talks to broadcaster Tim Lane about the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

Welcome to a special one-off episode of The Greatest Season That Was.  When this podcast began, it was based on a very simple premise: that footy was never better than in season 1993. Needless to say, it’s a belief that remains strongly-held by all of us. But that doesn’t mean it was the greatest Grand Final ever played. For that, we go back four years. It’s widely accepted by the best judges that the 1989 decider was truly something else.  To mark the 30th anniversary of the match that had...

Wrapping up the Australia A experience...what did it mean then and what does it mean now?

An in-depth exploration of the Australia A cricket side and Greg Blewett's place in the story.