The Collingwood Football Club is excited to launch Common Thread, the Club’s brand-new podcast.
Each episode pairs two identities with one powerful connection – Collingwood – uncovering in-depth insights and never-before-heard stories.
With each episode uniquely led by the talent, Common Thread creates a space to authentically explore their journeys and connection to one another.
Episode One drops today on YouTube and all podcast platforms – and in what some may describe as an industry first – Collingwood unites Channel 7 and Fox Footy.
AFLW Captain Ruby Schleicher joins Collingwood great Brian Taylor, diving into their shared experiences – from footy to life in the broadcast world – discovering surprising common ground along the way.
Despite working in broadcast media, the pair have had minimal encounters but quickly hit it off.
“BT, it’s nice to sit down with you. We actually don’t know each other that well, even though we both work in the same circles and have a lot more in common than we first thought,” Schleicher said.
Taylor adds, “I’ve been watching you from afar,” to Schleicher before the AFLW Captain goes on to explain that she too has been keeping an eye on Taylor, crediting him as an inspiration for her early foray into media.
“When I first thought about getting into media, I was copying you and I did a 'Roaming Rubes', and it was the first time people went ‘you’re pretty good at this’,” Schleicher said.
“It was when you’d just started the Roaming BT stuff… the Club just gave me a mic and said walk around and talk to the girls behind the scenes and we’ll see what we can get.
“A third they probably couldn’t use because it was too rogue, but the two-thirds they could use, it was received really well.
“Like anything, once you get a bit of confidence and for me, I’m obviously not an introvert. I’ve always been a bit of a show off.”
As the pair continue to bounce off one another, Taylor explores how he transitioned from a player to a media personality.
“I got into the media through opportunities at football and by not refusing interviews,” Taylor said.
“Leigh Matthews would always say ‘don’t talk to the media, and if you have to talk to the media, certainly don’t tell them the truth’.
“That was the attitude then. I adopted the opposite attitude so I can prove to people that I can talk.”
Common Thread is available now on Collingwood’s YouTube channel or Spotify.
Highlights from Episode One with Brian Taylor and Ruby Schleicher:
- Moving from WA as teenagers to chase AFL and AFLW careers
- Getting their starts in the media — and how Taylor inspired Schleicher
- First games in black and white
- The evolution of AFLW, 10 seasons on from game one
- Taylor’s iconic 100th goal in 1986
- Injuries, resilience, and balancing AFLW with potential motherhood
- The dynamics of footy clubs
- Their futures in the media and what’s next
