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Giants’ Ash embracing Gather Round hype | 01:04
As Thursday night dawns this Gather Round, most AFL fans will be kicking back, preparing to either indulge in a footy-mad weekend in Adelaide, or admire the spectacle from afar.
But for one much-loved voice behind the microphone, this weekend will be the furthest thing from relaxed.
Fox Footy’s Matt Hill will be running on jet fuel, Coca Cola and water amid an incredible five-day run of travel that includes four flights and several hours of driving.
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It’s the very real life of a commentator who excels in calling not one, but two of Australia’s great sporting obsessions — AFL and racing. A logistics and preparation masterclass is what makes the wheels turn for the ultra-professional and his genuine love for sport.
A product of Melbourne’s western suburbs, Hill’s weekends as a child revolved entirely around watching Footscray play with his grandma, or tagging along to the races with his grandpa. By his own admission, he was never a “homework” student in school, instead very much a “crammer”. Nowadays though, it couldn’t be any further from the truth as an industry leader.
Nowadays, Hill’s preparation for any event begins 72 hours before either the first bounce or gates open. In his words, it’s the only way he can keep ahead of an ever-busy schedule.
“Everything’s three days in advance for me. Today’s Thursday, so tomorrow I’ll be looking at Sunday’s footy (St Kilda vs. GWS) before the Bendigo races on Saturday,” he told foxfooy.com.au in the lobby of an Adelaide hotel, six hours out from the start of Gather Round.
“Every commentator has a completely different way of doing it, there’s no right or wrong answers really. Some really love stats, some don’t even look at them. What I do before each game, is try and get something for every player, and then as the year goes on I’ll continually update their profile.
“I’m very old school, I have a manila folder for every team. It’s all very labour intensive, but that helps me learn along with a few stat sheets.”
MATT HILL’S GATHER ROUND SCHEDULE
Wednesday: Call eight races at Sandown in Springvale, Melbourne
Thursday: Fly to Adelaide, call Gather Round opener between Adelaide and Geelong
Friday: Fly back to Melbourne to prepare for Saturday races
Saturday: Drive two hours to Bendigo, call 10 races, drive two hours back down to Melbourne
Sunday: Fly to Adelaide, call Gather Round clash between St Kilda and GWS, fly back to Melbourne that night
Fresh off his stint at Sandown on Wednesday afternoon at the races, Hill caught the first of his four flights this week on Thursday morning to call the Adelaide-Geelong blockbuster from Adelaide Oval.
The trek to South Australia is what will break up his next racing stint on Saturday in Bendigo for the 10-race Golden Mile meet; a two-hour drive from Melbourne’s CBD to the town’s racecourse. It means that Friday will be the closest thing to a ‘rest day’ for Hill, but he thrives off the chance to switch between sports and keep his mind fresh.
“I love it. Jumping from one thing to another, from one bubble to another freshens me up a bit. I‘ll get the job done tonight (Thursday), and then the next day I’m flying off to another assignment — I love that part of it,” Hill continued.
“It’s good for me and my brain. If I was doing the same thing over and over again, it becomes too monotonous. They’re the two loves of my life, footy and racing. I obsess about them really, so I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
“I was brought up to go to the TAB with my granddad, I was brought up to go to the football with my family. I feel like in a way, I’m living the childhood dream.”
Hill’s two best friends when calling both racing and the AFL are his binoculars, and voice. He owns two sets of binoculars; one set specific for calling the races at a distance, and another that are better suited to call the 46 players running around each AFL match.
They’re literally the right-hand man for someone in Hill’s role, and he couldn’t take better care of them if he tried.
“Every single time I’m at (travelling for) the footy, in fact, every hour, I’m double checking for the binoculars; can’t do without them. It would be a bloody nightmare if I rocked up to the football tonight and they weren’t there, it’d send me crazy,” Hill revealed.
As for his voice; water, a hit of energy and boiling hot liquid do the trick every time on game day.
“I just drink water and Coke during matches; one for energy, and one for your voice,” said Hill to foxfooty.com.au.
“At half time at the footy and halfway through a race meeting, I’ll also have hot tea. No milk, just boiling hot; it’s the best thing for your throat (and) is a must.
“There’s a lot of other things too for preparation, like never been loud places the night before doing anything, because your voice will go… that’s probably another important thing.”
His commitment to the commentary role is second to done, and is undoubtedly plays a big part in why he is considered an expert across two of the country’s most loved sports.
