Three Doting Dads feat. Max Gawn

Good news.

If you're listening to this, it means you were joining us for a bonus episode of Two Doting Dads. These are the episodes where we have a guest that comes on the podcast, another parent out there to talk to us about how they're managing one of the hardest jobs in the world. And we're very excited because today we have MAXI Gone. I don't know if we can call them maxigone. I kind of just I feel like Max Gon maxigone. We call them maxigone because we are obviously

Within the inner circle.

Yeah, yes, some may.

Say if you're in the inner sanctum with Max Gone, you can call him MAXI. For everybody else, please only refer to him as Max. But for those of you who do not know Max. He is a captain of the Melbourne AFL Club. He's also proud dad to George, born in October, four weeks after Melbourne's drought breaking premiership win in twoenty and twenty one.

Max is also an ambassad for Lulu Lemon Matthew which lul Lemon are, as you know, the leaders in technical athletic apparel, but they also have amazing Men's Cash Aware, which you can see us head to toe Maxie as well.

Can I just say thank you so much to you me because you have brought this relationship together.

You went on that Japanese I went to Japan Lemon Stride.

We have built that friendship where it now extends to the podcast and I couldn't be happy because I'm dressed head to toe right now in Lulu Lemon and I've never felt more beautiful.

Well, they are all about meaningful connections, well being in the community, bringing people together, Matthew, so a huge thanks to them for having us. We're actually situated in their office which you'll see on our socials as well, and this episod wouldn't be made possible if it wasn't for them.

Fay, Welcome back, Welcome back.

Sorry, I'm going to muzzle you.

This is the professional production.

Tied under the Table. Welcome back to three doting dads. I am Maddie, Jay.

I'm Ash, I'm Max Gorn and today will.

Be a little bit different because we always say this is a podcast about parenting, the good, the bad, the relatable, and we always try and make sure that people are aware that at no point throughout the podcast. Are we going to give any advice? But today very different. Today is a different story because we have Max here, and I feel like Max you are, You're like the poster child of the AFL and what a dad should look and.

Behave like Absolutely, I mean I think I'll tackle it as a compliment that was intended as a compliment.

Absolutely, we don't know.

I can go harder.

Don't push him, don't push to the water that I love you. I'm not sure how much? What do you guys watch? I think Tom Hawkin's sort of reeks of a good looking dad.

He's not here.

Yes, obviously I'm a father and our playfl so I took both those boxes. Got a little two year old well closer to Georgie boy George Gone, George Gorne Strong Strong.

That's a great name.

We liked the whole gg thing and we also liked a solid name. Any middle names, Oliver. Yeah, as you can see, my wife is a monarchy fan. And if you had seen the short list, we've actually got another boy on the way.

Oh congratulations.

And if you had have seen the shortlist for names, it's very royal with.

Any that you threw out that Jess your wife said no, no, no.

He has not been a king. There is no there's no king Michael what the problem is.

But probably probably be headed a few people.

I've had some names. I go in and out of names. I'm more so Jess finds like fifty names and says yes all, I'm no to every name, and then there's one that pops in. I'm like, yeah, you can do that.

Yeah, there's like with me too, with my eldest is Oscar, and every other name I put forward was like nah, no. I was the one that I was like, what about and I was when she said yeah, I like that.

I was shocked.

I don't like the whole I know someone with that name. I know some George's, but like, I know someone really well with that name.

What was the name that was a hard no?

That was thrown out by Jess Jess's dream. I mean, we didn't have a girl, but jess as dream was the call of first girl, Rosie. Beautiful, beautiful name, but I have negative connotations with that name. What happened, well, just a few people my primary school.

Associated with, like primary school, preschool.

Primary school. I haven't seen the person since, but hopefully not a massive listener. Yeah, that just stems from there. And then straight away if I called my daughter Rosie, I'd be thinking of that person from you don't want that so and it's her dream to have a daughter. Lucky we not having a daughter, but well not sorry, would love a daughter.

Yeah, yeah, changed you.

I guess your son could be a Rosie. It could be. You know these names, there's certain Listender's one that could kind of go both.

Ways, potentially could have saved it. And then my boy name was Vinnie. Oh that's cool. But then because of massive home having Away man growing up, Yeah, it wasn't Vinnie. Like the main actor the lifeguard you guys having Away was here with Kate Richard.

I mean, I've never seen an episode. Is that an Australian.

You probably did a favorit to homework coming into David Home and Away wouldn't have been nought about.

It was just in case every Australian.

I was like, surely not right as you'll never.

Bring it up.

He'll never bring up Home in Away. We actually had that conversation.

Speaking of primary school, what were you like as a youngster? Were you someone who got into mischief?

I've always battled with I mean, this goes into more of an adulthood type issue. But I've always battled with wanting to be liked type set up. One of my greatest values but also a weakness, is my sense of belonging. I really enjoy that. And then you battle with wanted to be liked, so primary school, I'd lead to primary school. Everything stems from just wanting to be liked, wanting to not miss out, fomo, all that sort of stuff.

So did you try and slot into that role of being liked by being the class clown at all?

Certainly would have gone down that path. I would say it would be a majority of my report.

Cards distracts others easily was.

Etched into my brain.

I feel like that's on everyone's yea, even the class pets would distract of it.

You got to throw it in there. It's just like a standard remark.

You're like ten years old, you know, I don't really know any different. Yeah, when did you really hit your height statue wise?

That yeah?

Because you are closet Yeah just under eleven? Yeah, even six.

Yeah.

I shook my hand when we first met, and I just got lost in your grip.

Okay, I didn't get that sensation from you, but just time.

Just a really big hand.

Matt's one of those guys who's six foot but tells everyone he's six too.

Okay, that's all right, six one, and whole family is six foot flat really, and then I'm six ten. It's weird. See what happened either the milkman or so my mum's six foot, so that's tall.

That's tall.

Yeah, so mum, dad, two brothers, all six foot, big family man, big a lot of food.

Yeah, obviously those grocery bills must have been a bloody night mare.

Yeah. Well, now I've gonna have a second boy, and I already have a boy, and I'm a big eater. So the grocery bills continue in this household. But the height lies year twelve, so not till I was I was tall. Sorry, I was always tall, but when I got to six ten tall yeah, year twelve. So I was actually like a bit of a midfielder type set up when I was playing football as a young kid.

Roughly just ballpark. How tall are we talking at this point? We're going in like graade eleven, grade twelve.

I was always in sort of the year eleven, year ten. I was always in the one nine so low one nineties. I'm not sure what that is. Six foot one eighty seven is it? So? Maybe like six six to one?

And then I know this ash so because you're five ten.

Yeah, I'm the tallest in my family though.

That's just so you guys know.

Disappointing.

So I go home and I feel I know it's going to be tiny.

Yeah, And then year twelve I went to two eight, which I am now so wow.

And so then did that have like a positive or negative effect on your footy?

Had a negati effect on my body. As you can imagine growing that quickly, you're probably gonna something that's going to give my knees. My NAEs gave when I was young. So I'm two nierekos one going into them. Fully, No, it's not a certainly not a footy podcast. It's certainly on physio podcast. But yeah, I had a lot of injuries when I was a young kid, and probably from that put on a lot of weight real quickly as well, which would have put a lot of joints under pressure.

Did your feet grow really big too?

Yeah, they're still growing.

How about now?

So I'm a fourteen get out and I'm so long stories short. The boot I wore stopped making this type of boot, and I got worded up that they were going to stop making it, so I bought twelve pairs. I brought twelve pairs.

Of that's when you're in grade twelve.

No, no, this is now. This is now. So I brought twelve pairs of this boot and stocked up, and I'm still I'm down to my last pair now. So I'm playing out there with my list.

Anybody listening right now, if.

You knocked on their door and said you couldn't give me a size fourteen.

I've stoped making them. The issue is, I'm now like a fourteen point two. So the boots I'm wearing is a bit too small for me, and my feet aren't responding great from it. Oh my god, So my foot has grown since I first brought these twelve two or three years ago.

You're thirty two, thirty two this year.

So you're ninety one and thirty two is still growing.

Doctors said, hey, Maxie, we don't know when this is going.

To We're looking at the projection.

Ralph is telling us that if you.

Lived in ninety my god, your foot's going to be about that big.

Imagine that, imagine my foot, because fourteen is where it stops in terms of shops.

Yep, you got to special shops.

Don't stop fifteens for some reason. They stop fourteens. So I can go in casually to a Chats and expect a fourteen to be there. Yeah, but fifteen I'm going to America.

Yeah, totally.

I suppose like they're probably like, no, look, we wouldn't sell enough of those shoes to actually warrant.

Making them in putting him in shops.

I do just want to sit on foot content for a bit longer.

Okay, we'll keep it forward. People right now are like, this is am the right podcast. Well, George is a six, if that helps George, George is six or yeah, six or seven? Oh my god, he's gone through a couple of pairs of shoes already. Oh my godness, must.

Be just churning three two wears and they're out.

There's a popular thing in football at the moment. I'm sharing the rockload with a guy named Brodie Grundy, and we're both sort of good rucks in our own right that have joined the same team. And I was sitting there going my son's two, it's about six foot six already. It's a good chance we're just going me and my son rather than going all that effort to get Brodie into Melbourne.

Yeah, has there been a father son matchup on a team, and like it's been close modern day era close, but the Sun didn't end up being talented enough to make it.

No pressure, George.

Yeah, they later just owned him.

So you're grade twelve, You've got this huge gross but you've got a few injuries at this point. Are you thinking that, hey, a real career for me is going to be afl or is it more just a sport that you're enjoying at the time.

Certainly enjoying. All My maides played footy. My parents are kiwe So I didn't have much footy, didn't play like the real junior stuff. Actually played rugby union as a junior. Found out I didn't like tackling, so it probably wasn't the sport for me. And then yeah, footy came into it, and then I worked out I was relatively talented at it, and then injuries hit in the around gear twelve exams and schoolies and all sorts of stuff. I love how schoolies is on par with your twelve exams. Now I

So you can't.

There's no time to like celebrate.

Training the next day. Oh my god, drafted. Didn't know where your club?

They probably do that so that you don't go.

All that simple reason why yourself up? Were a Barron crew that I was Barron. How did the boys react to Well, they all came over draft night, so I was relatively confident Draft knight. I had a few people there would have been miserable night if that didn't.

Would have been as up then.

And then they took off to schools and I took off to training.

Wow.

But yeah, I always had a sneaky feeling in the round that year twelve year that football was going to be go for me. I was still relatively good at school. I'm a mathematician almost like I was really good at Mass. Don't test me right now, I haven't.

It's just about to whip.

Name. So I always had that to fall back on.

And who opened you up to the world of.

AFL certainly friends. My dad, even though now he thinks he is responsible, knows his way around a football field, but he does it was friends. It was around fourteen fifteen, I dare say so I was a sort of a late blooey in that sense. I always loved it. Though my whole family didn't really watch football, but I was watching it at home. I'm the Australian born in the family, the rest of all Kiwi born.

Are you the youngest?

Yeah? Youngest of how many three?

Three?

So yeah, around fifteen, getting serious around seventeen. And I've been at the same football club since i was seven een. Wow, I've been in Melbourne that whole oil.

So when you got drafted in your first year, how did you find that change of lifestyle?

It's a lot. So the best way to put this is private school kids tend to get a better chance of getting drafted. And if you look through the AFL, ninety percent of private school.

Just because they get more attention, there's more funding.

And the talented kids tend to get if they're talented at fifteen, they get a scholarship. So they're usually private school. So I'm from a public school with a family that don't know football, and I get drafted to a place that I had no idea how to act, and I've got a famous story that you two probably haven't come across. In my feik. I caught having a cigarette on the way to train.

No, yeah, what were you just walking in the car so winning?

Did you know the monast Freeway? No, so there's a freeway that goes we training Cramban, which is forty minutes away. And I live in the city. Most people do. And so I was driving down to Crambern and I just this is me at seventeen. This is how professional I thought I was. I just lit up a dart on the way down to training, thinking no one else would be on the freeway at the same time. Were you craving a hitting nicotine? Or I had a deck left in the car from the night before. I drove some

Down.

At least you went drinking at the same time.

Yeah, well I didn't get to that. I wasn't drinking at the same time.

Was he like a senior play or no?

But his best mate was the captain And then the captain found out And then I remember having this is in my fourth week or something. At least your group was nine people semi circle me in the middle and they start and they set me up. It's Brett Maloney was sharp, right, goes, have you been doing whatever it takes to because whatever it takes was our motto. You've been doing whatever it takes. He's got to remember I've had the dart thinking of just me only I knew I had to dart.

What was your first answer?

I said yes, I said yep, with a confident ye confident. Yet it was then and then another team I went straight away and said, so you weren't having a dart on the way to training. I said, Jesus yes, And then I blamed it on my family. I just was in a rabbit hole and I'm like, how do I get out of? And I said mom and dad addicted like they've never had a dart in my life. My mom and dad are addicted to smoking. I was late

Is that because you just were bad with time or you weren't taking it?

Probably a bit of both. Probably a bit bad with time, Like I haven't been late since my first year, So like whatever got installed in me in that first year, I've then gone completely the other way and rocking up. You guys saw me today, I was here literally two hours earlier.

I can imagine that you probably wouldn't be captain. Yeah, I was still smoking darts.

On the way.

So the transformation I had to grow. I had to become an adult quicker than all my mates. I dare say some of them are thirty one and still not quite there. And I had to do it sort of in a year. It was hard. I was seventeen when I first got there, had really bad professional standards. I was injured, so it wasn't football.

Because your first acl and we won't talk too much about your injuries, but just really quickly, when was that?

How old? When I was seventeen?

And so in those moments where you know an ACL that's pretty serious as bad as it gets. Really mentally, where are you at with that injury? Is it just a case of well, I'll just recover as quick as I can and get back on the field.

The first time you get drafted as a childhood dream. So I was halfway through my retail when I got drafted, and yeah, I'm like, how good life? Ime drafted? I don't know, have to train and I get to play for Melbourn Football Club. Get the salary I'm getting, And that was pretty cool. The second one I struggled a lot. That was when I was twenty and I'd been in

You think it helped having an injury so.

Young, certainly it made me grow up quicker. The biggest issue I had when I first got to the club was how to be myself. Like I really struggled with that. Like I had this picture of the person they wanted me to be, and I felt like the way I was acting, I was going the other way. And all the conversations that I had about me as a person was all about changing that person and becoming this person. I feel like what I've eventually done is just clean

What do you think was the turning point that allowed you to be more comfortable in your own skin.

It's mentors and leaders and it's just getting yourself around the right ones. I'm not sure if you guys had heard, you probably would have. He's a living legend. We're not living anymore, but he's a legend. Is Jim Stein's. Yes, And he started the Reach Foundation, which is actually just around the corner from where we're recording today, and he was our club president, and that's extremely lucky to have

You know, going to a footag club with those sort of thoughts about yourself, do they provide anywhere for you to go to seek support, like other than just picking out the mentors that you want to be around.

Do they physically or do they have you.

Know, people there that can support you through that sort of stuff?

Certainly not old school football. So when I got drafted, men's mental health wasn't a thing. I was sort of two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine where it was almost just starting, but we had no one in that role and it was still the football club was a place for banter, which is a shocking word, And I mean there still is a bit of laughter around FOOTB club and that would be a bad place to

Wow, okay, so there was no like, you'll be this guy.

But if you're not that guy, we can help you become that guy unless you, like you said, you picked your mentors, because there would be so many young guys, you know, vulnerable young guys as well, going through the system that have been drafted and put into your position and then falling short.

Because they don't have the mentor all the support.

So it's good to know like now of football clubs like well, we recognize that men's mental health is super important, and you know, they've got a place for you to go and sometimes rediscover yourself.

Yeah, it's very it's very strong now. If you were a football got drafted and you were struggling talent wise, you'd be at the bottom of the pile. The amounts of bad news, bad press, the coaches, the stuff you'd begin every day. Now it's look, there's some stuff you'd work on. We're going to work as you as a person, and it's a much better place to be society wise.

Yeah, because a lot of the time, like when people are having slumps in their form, it can be mentally unless they're coming back from a really big injury.

I mean, there's so much correlation between being and a happy place and playing good.

Absolutely, Maxie, this might be a stupid question, Okay, trap yourself in. I do not ask it anyway. I'm assuming that the club must know a lot of your movements. There must be just, you know, total conversation and clarity between what you're doing in life and the club's aware of that. Do you have to go to them and say I'm thinking about trying to start a family or can you just say like, hey.

Good news, guys, well haven't you had one soon turn around? Can we watch? That would be weird.

I don't know, No, I didn't tell them. I do wonder that question myself because with the growing of women's sports, especially AFL debut, I feel like that might be a conversation that sometimes would have to happen in that landscape. Obviously, with the paternity leave, you don't.

Have to say, hey, guys, can I have a kid and a concentration?

I just thought no questions, but that one.

No one is knowing what impact it could have. It's such a disruption to routine.

Especially then paying you like an X amount of money to complete a contract and then you just don't know what's going to happen during that time anyway.

So there's a lot of support they go straight to rather than what you can't do, it's you do whatever you want to do and then we'll support you either way.

Yeah, that's amazing.

So then in terms of announcing your pregnancy, what was the hierarchy the list of people that you went through.

Well, we've just done it all again. So it's here we go. It's quite an exciting little We haven't done the socials yet.

We're getting there before the societ.

I'll try and beat this podcast.

Maybe too late, get me out on the phone, will you do like a little a little shoot.

Perhaps I don't I'm not big on the socials, and I'm certainly not big on the same socials that a lot of other people do. I might do like a little subtle one, but everyone who needs to know knows. So what you guys, you're in the need to.

Know, Yes, all I've on the inner circle.

Yeah, but certainly the first time, as you guys can probably remember it, it's an amazing moment when you finally find out you're pregnant. There's obviously, I can't believe how many different hoops there are to work out you can finally tell someone, Like there's the first pregnancy tests where only you and your wife really know. Then there's the first scan where only you and your wife and maybe

Even twelve weeks.

Now twelve weeks is like tell your family and then twenty years tell the world, because that's kind of not in the clear.

But it's a good place to be if you're all good at eighteen weeks.

And as a bloke, you don't want to tell people that your wife hasn't already told. Yep, I remember doing that, pissed one.

Night when you have a few times.

Jimmy, I'm having a kid.

But in terms of football, club. We have this it's called a weekly Wrap. Every Friday afternoon, we all freestyle battle. We have the whole, the whole football club get in the room and we do like a presentation about how good the week was. Compliment this guy, Compliment this guy, I got really good, Fiel good to go on a Friday.

That's pretty clever, right.

So the whole that's an easier way to tell.

You more than one person having a baby.

That then the next page, maybe.

That's good.

When you had George, he's in Jess's tummy at this point, did you do the math and think, oh, that's pretty close to the Grand Final?

Yeah, so we were awfully close. Oh sorry, awful the bad way to describe that. No, so there was sort of our second or third time of trying, so the dates don't really matter at that point, although the first two times of try, and we weren't really sure on how to try, so it really was our first time of trying properly. We nailed it using bad words and nailed it's bad.

Get the inside scoop on your Sex Live.

But then obviously you do the mass and you go well. We weren't expected to make a Grand final in twenty twenty one as well, but you do the mass and go okay. Sort of are in around those first weeks of October. If COVID comes around, I could push it back a tiny bit as well, and then it works out that we actually in Perth for the Grand Final, so we're away for five weeks.

And suggests at this point not with you, Shah.

As you can imagine, the WA government was pretty strong on who can get over the border.

And in your third try, Mester you can't travel anyway.

And she was at thirty to thirty five. I think I missed out on so wow.

Was there a conversation of let's say if it happened the day before the Grand Final, like what do you do?

There was we chatted. I had a pretty good reply.

I think, go on, he'll be the judge of that.

I never played in a Grand Final and I've been and I've been upset. I've been played forty since I was fourteen.

I've never been to that part one time.

I've been playing forty since I was fourteen. That's what seventeen years of trying to get to a Grand Final. Jess and I made Georgie in five minutes, So like if you're way up five minutes versus seventeen genuine.

Good length of time.

I'll more reference into this, But no, look, if it honestly was about we did have someone so Nathan Nathan Jones is our club legend, three hundred games, multiple Best and Fairs. He was just on the fringe unfortunately of the Grand Final. So he was the first emergency and he was having his third and fourth child, he was having twins, and once he worked out he wasn't in the Grand Final team, he had a big discussion and they said, look, which is massive football world, we weren't

Legend grand final was played was one. You then come back to Melbourne.

I managed to get three or four days in Perth which was nice. Yes, let me have the mad Monday and whatnot over in Perth celebration. So I got home on a Thursday and the game was a Saturday.

Hang on, how many days is that?

It was good?

He said, Monday? Your Monday is.

It was a good campaign. And then we had sort of two or three weeks. So she went to the full forty. But there was obviously the chance you could come in that earlier period, but we went to the full forty.

Matthew, I've got a new dad goal.

Okay, okay, what is it?

I want to get better at golf.

Okay, So I'm going to stop you right there because there's one small problem. I know for a fact that you can't play golf very well.

Well, I want to at least look good, okay whilst doing it. And if your dad wants to look good on the golf course even if he can't play golf.

I feel like all dads want to look good.

Let's be yes.

But if he wants to know if he's not good at it, but he's still looking good, then he could potentially still be at his optimum performance.

I sometimes go to golf courses and I don't actually have a hit.

A ball, it walk around.

I just walk around looking good.

Absolutely, And that's what this is about.

So if you want your dad to look good, we are running an awesome competition. Head over to our socials two doting dads, drop us a follow and tag your dad for the chance to win a five hundred dollars Lulu Lemon give voucher on us.

So we are making father's day dreams come true. Imagine on Father's Day handing over that gift card to your father. Oh, it'd go down well, wouldn't it.

And imagine being the child that actually allowed your dad to achieve his dad goal level up his game.

Can I just say one thing before we get back into the episode with Maxie.

Yes, Ash, when you feel.

Your best, you'll perform.

At your best.

Write that down right, That is great?

That is that is quote I've quote some advice for you.

You go, okay, if you believe it, then it's not a lie.

Drop in the bombs of wisdom.

But hey, if you don't win the Father's Day gift out chat and maybe you are looking for the perfect present. Lulu Lemon has gifts that helps Dad look and perform at his absolute best. This is no surprise, but Ash and I we are huge fans of the brand, both on and off the golf course. Now let's get back into the episode for the birth. Did you have any set role going into that that you had to play side?

Music?

Music man was mine?

Was there a specific song that was to be It wasn't a double song.

I don't know the actually and their cats and.

It was the Melbourne theme. So I was as most of us probably, I was the hype man. I was the support guy. Wasn't doing a great job, Bili, Well, Jess got the best of both worlds. She had an eleven hour labor and then they realized the head was never coming out, so then the emergency C section.

Guilty.

Yeah, So the first four or five hours, as you can both imagine, there's not much going on an eleven hour labor.

It's a lot of like in between contractions and then.

Yeah, you do feel useless. Yeah, but look, it's not about us, is it.

Also, there's a lot of people who listen to the podcast who don't have kids, And before I had kids, I thought it was like a really quick process, like the water breaks are in there, like fifteen minutes later. Hey, the kids arrived, it's a bit slower.

I told his wife to push harder.

Okay, don't believe him. I'm not that stupid. That is mistakes, but not that one. Yeah, well I couldn't say that because pushing harder was damaging the process with the So I was actually hold on, which is what you wanted to hear, did you?

Guys? Obviously, like an emergency c section is not part of the birth plan.

But I'm so glad I got to live that out. That's a cool experience as well, not for Jess. Horrible experience for Jess. But this is arian Yeah, just a great taling story from a dad's point of view as well. So, yeah, labors happened. I'm not sure if Jess is give me the green light to give all these sorts of details, but hey, the blue bibs come out. That's when you know it's done, be a bit serious. Obviously, the first

Obviously, not he was too long.

Did I say that apologies.

Should be I actually were friends who are obtrition, So he's very I'll clear that up. And then it all started happening, like we're ten hours of not much into like now ten minutes of everyone running around the room. I just said, I'll put these on, so I'll put them on. The scrubs didn't have shoes.

That fit.

On.

Remember if you were you're blue blue.

And everyone's running into it. And then I'm not allowed in the theater obviously while it's all happening because of COVID or, I don't know, you're assuming.

You're in it. So there's the theater, you're in that separate room.

And I was even in like a little waiting room outside of that, I was in the corridor. So I'm just sitting in a waiting room knowing something BIG's happening in there, which is an interesting experience. And no one's in the wait No one's in the corridor, everyone's in the room.

It's a nighttime.

It was nighttime by then. We checked in at am and nighttime by then.

So then how do they how do they announce to you?

Eventually? Just the door opens? Would you like to come in? Max? I'm sure, like I come in.

They called you in afterwards.

Afterwards, so the baby was the actually no, yeah, you're right. Yeah, the baby was on its way out.

Yeah, And they call you in. You're up and then they drop the curtain.

Yeah, and put them back up. The midwife goes, what song would you like? And I'm like, well, this is my moment, and I still asked Jess, I said, just which one we are? But I knew which one, so that was bad by me. I should have just gone straight to thed. So the song was on and then the midwife was great, she's I give us your phones so I can take photos. So the photos are gruesome.

I'm not sure if you got photos. Yeah, both of mine were the sections got photos from.

But yeah, they're great to look back on. Do you go back and have us, Well, they're a great party trick for those that want to. You can really like you're like.

I got photos like oh yeah.

And then yeah, so then that all happened, and then I find the best bit is from now so the baby's out. We didn't know what sex. And it took a while, like the way the obstrations was holding the baby.

It's like covering everything, covering.

The good parts for a bit there, and then it was just like open. It's okay, yeah, yeah, there's no confusing that that is. That's definitely And then the cutting of the cord, which is one of the great myths.

I didn't do it.

Please tell me how yours.

The cord has been cut, and I go over to a part fifteen meters away from Jess, so obviously not still attached, and cut another bit of an already cut cord. But I get there's the novelty. But I'm bigger than that. I don't know. I don't need to do it.

Let's trick this guy to do they offer it to you.

Yeah, they said we do have to cut the cord. I'm like, oh, yeah, cool, how call is this? And then we go obviously way too far away from my wife. Yeah, I'm not sure how long they said, not anyone's so it's already been cut. And then I cut an extra bit of a cut bit.

Yeah, they probably don't want to give the non professional a really important.

Job to cut.

Imagine how many have got botched you to me, was in a c section for looks at my wife with Marley, who's my first and the obstetrician said a bit of chaos because there's everything going on. And I got handed the scissors and they said would you like to cut? And I didn't really want to go down that and I prefer to stat with Laura holding her hand. And I first I said no, thank you, and then he was like, no, come on, and I said no, thank you.

For peer pressure, a little bit of pressure. Laura was like, just do it.

And so then I'm cutting this umbilical cord, which kind of is similar to Calamari.

I guess, quite well done. Calamario didn't enjoy it.

I guess I'm glad I had a taste of cutting, not the Klamari.

A surgeon.

Like, I'm looking back at the experience of me over there in the corner by myself cutting the cord again the photo, Oh did that really need to be done. What happens from then is like there's a little bit of family time, which is great, but then Jess is extremely unwell. So I've taken the baby and I'm in a room by myself. A nurse initially comes in with me and says, here's the baby, put him on the skin. The nurse then leaves the room the midwife because she

I hadn't seen her.

Yeah, yeah, So I text my mum and said born so and so, don't tell anyone because Jess is still in theaters. I told my parents I couldn't tell Jess.

Were you worried about Jess or were they were? They kind of saying she's going to be okay.

Was there reassurance it's going to be okay, but yeah, it's still slightly worried, Like, yeah, it's a pretty big I don't imagine that moment. I've had a keyhole a c L. I don't think that compares to.

Maybe come out of it, and probably not like I

Just and I know when I tell that story in front of Jess, jeez, sorry to hear you had to spend half. But I feel like on a dad podcast, I feel like a lot of people would agree that that is a very And then the whole first night because Jess is obviously out of it for the whole first night in and out of sleep. You're almost hands on for the first night. I feel like the first night is the most daunty night for both parents absolute, so to be the one that's hands on the most.

Foot gurglings going to twelve foot close and then it's still very tall.

Six year tennis, six for tennis. Yeah, nine and a half. Yeah, not ideal, not ideal of the hospital, but especially fouled out, So that that whole first experience was pretty cool.

In that first half hour, you like, get holding it right.

You forget everything that you have sort of red or prepped yourself on or and you go, okay, I didn't know how to swaddle, but all of a sudden, now there's an actual human life baby and me, and it's moving. I don't know how to swaddle. And then nappies and that first poo is interesting.

Yeah, it's like sharco.

You don't think that's healthy.

It's a good sign though, it is a good sign. Yeah, good come out scream. It's one of the checklists clears out.

All of the I'm not a doctor, you know more than me, I seem to know.

It's one of the big checklists to move on to the next day.

Yeah, the the recovery for Jess after that, obviously they can't drive for so long.

Was it off seat, It was just was just after.

It was really lucky that you weren't you probably we weren't off at training over that time.

She actually did really well. She recovered really well. She's actually physio who specializes in maternity, so she knew everything that was happening to her body at all points.

It's always handy always.

How did you guys find those first few months. What were some of the things that you found really easy and what were the things that you struggled with.

We were in COVID, so the family was certainly something we struggled with. No family in the hospital, were there for three days and then two days at a hotel for two days and no family there, and then no family went once we got back home. Still the harder COVID for us, well, very luckily we're located in the morning to Peninsula, which is an hour south from here coast Slime a beautiful part of the world, and that's

Yeah, sleeping, sleeping, how was that initially shocked to the system?

You two might hate me post this, but we've almost had a seven or seven sleeper from the day Dot get out, Max, no one to hear it.

If I could overpower you, I.

Would obviously early on he's waking up for feeds. But we haven't had a bad sleep.

That's so great. Well, look forward to the next one.

We just tell you there's always there's always a good one and a tricky one.

Okay, we're not going to say bad.

Yeah, I was like, choose my words very carefully because Marley was good. Lola, my gosh, one of the hardest moments of my entire life. She just slept no more than thirty minutes, So, ok, just prepare yourself for that lower your expectations of what sleep is going to be like for.

Number two, Well, we were, yeah, like the other day, he's almost two and we still did the baby monitor at the moment just because he's too far away from our room. Must be nice. Sorry, he's down for levels No one, you're gonna hear him. And he made a noise the other night. We're like, what is that like? It was so foreign to us. Came out he must be dying. But he's made a noise in the middle of the night. Yeah, so we're very lucky in that space.

Are there any similarities in how you captain the forty side versus how you dad?

George a little bit go on the interesting bit, and I'm interested you've probably interviewed a lot of people that have older kids. Yes, So we're trying to shape our young kids as much as we can, and then at some point they're allowed to shape themselves. And I'd love to know that transformation because at the moment, I'm just trying to teach all the values in every shape and I know if I do one thing wrong, now, this kid could end up being something at eighteen that two one one too.

I don't know, maybe not a two.

But that's the mindset.

Very early years is that, yeah, we've got four year old. So when George gets to sort of three and four, that's when you'll be like instill those values you get into when you can talk back to you and all that sort of stuff.

But then at some point, like in a football club, like I was saying at the start, you want them to be themselves. Yeah, that's going to be a cool transformation. I'm guessing that's ten years away. But there is similarities to.

The footy boys are You're like, come here, that's one minute warning, chance to have a super water right now, finish it all.

We actually we got an older group of players. So we've got ten to fifteen kids. Wow, which is a lot in around our football club. You guys must be like daddy daycare time creation. Now what there is a creation of the game.

You just lock them in the middle of the mcg on the grass and I can't do any damage there.

So there's lots of kids, they're all friends, they all know each other. Well. Well, I mean we went through a harbor. I didn't have a child in the harbor we went through in twenty twenty. There was four months in Queensland. Yeah, we had ten to fifteen kids there having the time of their life, seeing people every day. It was probably great for their social skills. I'm not sure what you guys were like before you had kids, but I might remember.

I went to school, he sick.

Partied every night. But I was like that guy was like, yeah, cool, I hilf have a kid. Maybe play a card. I'm not picking him up or helping you feed him, or like when you're saying, oh, look at this cute kid of mine, I'm only cool. But now I'm the guy like, how are you not finding my son? What he's doing right now? He's playing to his cards by himself. That is cute. Why you're finding that?

Look he's pretending he's How do you not say?

I get what you mean?

And I also think my kid's the cutest, which I'm all absolutely, we all do.

George is very adorable.

Have you said that's all the way to and guests. So yes, yeah, to tell the guest.

That child, Look, you're going to be the first guest for your child, is fix it coming on the podcast. I don't think it'll go down that well.

We've always good sleeping and good eating. He has got a trait that we struggle with a lot, and he's incredibly introbuted. I'm not sure who he gets that from because we're I feel like we're both on the extroverted side. But he struggles at daycare, struggles at separation, struggles with other kids, struggles with leaving the house, shruggles when new people come to the house. So there's a lot of pressure there. But apart from that, yeah, we feel like we've.

Breakstart a little bit too.

They don't really know any different, And I mean, my eldest is kind of like that. My youngest is the complete opposite. I see him struggling in moments that I know for me, I would have never struggled him like now, you can't shut me up. For him, he'll be like really in his shell. So yeah, it's sometimes it's tough to like watch it.

They change as well. Lola, who's my youngest, hated me for the first year and a half of her life. I did not I would want to give her a cuddle and just always wanted mum, nobody else, didn't want to interact with people who are you in the household like Marley, who's my eldest, did that. Marley would just run to anyone. And I kind of thought to myself as well, like I guess she's just going to be

We do feel like the daycare part will help. The first hour of daycare dropping him.

Off, it's tough.

Yeah, just back on the foota club, Like are they really flexible if you need to step away or if Jess is sick and kids sick because it happens, going to get this and they're like, you're like, look, I can't come to trains day calling sick.

Do they ask you for a doctor's note?

Or are they like, look, you do you that's flexible and bring a kid to work day if it's an issue. We have no single fathers there currently, but we have in the past and it's certainly been there's been kids in and around the football club, and to be fair, it's one of the better jobs to be a dad. A lot of time off. We get twelve weeks a year off as well at the end of the season. That's great and we have obviously a good steady cash flow. So it's a great job to be a dad. That's

Mack, I've got to ask you for any parents, specifically dads who are listening, what would be your one bit of advice for how they can make life easier for their partners.

So this could come across as selfish, but I feel like in the long run, if you've got a very good relationship with your family, it makes sense. And it stems from how I spoke about the start, about being the best version of yourself. If I come home from a bad day of training and I walk straight into the house, I'm potentially going to get into screen time. I'm not going to give George my best version of me, and then it's just not going to be a great night.

Who's taught you this?

Where did this come from? I'm always battling to be present. I feel like present Max is the best version of Max, and I feel like that's the same with every single person in the world. So I know the being present I'm gonna you can see it when you're not present with your kids. They're sitting playing the cars next to you and you're on your phone or you're watching sport on TV.

And that's just exactly like me.

Yeah, and you go to sleep that night and go I didn't get great George time, today, did I? Yeah?

And I catch myself doing it too, where I'm like, I've been on my phone all day with email as well, is it kindy or make?

Is it kindy?

And now they're home and I'm still doing the same thing.

So I have caught myself a lot.

If you mix that with I've been out till five for the whole day, so I've got a Like I said, he's a great sleeper, so I've got a two hour window before he's asleep, Like why not making an hour and forty window and have twenty minutes to make that

Since having it, do you find that you're more aware of your health both mental physical?

You certainly notice not being present? Yeah, a lot more. I feel like without a kid, I could have sat and watched a whole Ashes cricket day on the couch and not even yeah where if you watched four overs and going, oh no, I haven't spoken to George, you sort of pick up on it real quickly. We're both well aware of how we are emotionally. One of the big debates about having a child was we both love our lives a lot, and I feel like that is

That sounds me.

Yeah, So we're both fully aware of how we are emotionally and this is very good with that. She tells me to my face when she when she needs some time or some communication. Good communication.

And your relationship with Lulu Lemon. You've been with them for three years now, correct me if I'm wrong.

How many of the boys hit you up for freaking well? I mean, this is one of the big things of Lula Lemon is that's such a great brand that how many people actually knew they do great male clothing. It's actually unbelievable, and I'm had to do. I'm had to tell.

If I may give you a compliment, you look delicious.

Color is real.

But never really responded to a partnership. Again, a lot of cool little partnerships been in the position I'm in. I've never really responded to a partnership like Lulu Lemon.

Also goes without saying that you're an incredible athlete, and I think from talking with you an incredible dad. So it's no surprise that you're one of their ambassadors.

Well yeah, and that was that was me, That was genuine.

I'm getting further.

I mean, it's not a rosy better dad as well as we all know, there is a lot of times I'm not present, so that's why I do that stuff to make sure I am. But it has been a wonderful journey. Obviously, two is going to rock my world by the sounds of things, and then when you're out numbered, if you go down the three path, you're two and done. I want to be two and done. But the fact there's no girl yet makes me feel like Jess is going to push for a third.

Opposite, I'm two girls looking at a third in the hope that maybe I'll get a board.

There's apparently a diet you can go on that puts you in the boy category.

You've got to penetrate deeper.

I have a small penis penetrate. Well, we've actually got a strong, strong, strong formula of during this season, if you have sex, you can see a girl, and if you have sex in the off season, you have a boy. Based on what reason, I'm guessing tests levels maybe so.

Probably not going to apply for you.

You could go into a strenuous training program. Yeah, okay, no, but then that means girl, so go less training.

Get that like me?

Okay, yeah, I just need to spend more weekends with that less training.

Chance a boy.

I've got one of these the boys crazy like exactly like I was as a child and is now picks up on everything I do, which is both great and annoying. And then I've got a little girl who has completely changed me. I've softened up, believe it or not. And yeah, like it's a totally different experience. I think, like you definitely parent them differently. Macy's can do no wrong, but I just I can do everything wrong.

Well, I mean, I'll keep that in mind when when.

You go for the third if you never know you might have to go down the line, you might.

Just boy boy boy, I'm one of three boys. So yeah, okay, right, you're getting my mom's one of four. My mum's so she's not a boy, but she just got three brothers, and my dad's one of four boys. There's a lot of boys. Max.

I want to say, thank you so so much for talking with us today. It's been an absolute delight.

Thank you for having me in totally.

I picked up the mindfulness thing for me from you is.

Be wary of bringing it up the first time with your partner.

Yeah, she'd be like, where have you been for fifteen? Max? Gorne told me I've got a float around.

Don't take your surfboard. That's where it starts to be a little bit.

She goes out of the garage and she counts, make sure they're still all there. But yeah, thank you so much for jumping chatting with us. Thank you to a little element for allowing this to happen, of course.

And also good luck for the rest of the seasons.

Points in.

Yeah, how many weeks now.

Are we We're five to go with a game on Sunday. Obviously not sure when you're going to get this all together, so that could be outdated.

But we're talking probably mid August.

The finals are coming.

Like anyway, I'm looking forward to the Grand Final.

Hopefully we've won the last three games, but we just skipped over.

Where you situated for you're still not a bad place.

Yeah, it's a top or of the double chance and we're sitting in fourth where two games clear of fifth at the moment. It will be interesting to see how these ages.

Before we go though, one last mention that if you have enjoyed this podcast or any of the episodes that we put out, we would absolutely love it. And if you go us a review five stars, Maxie, if you were to review us, how many stars would you give?

Three and a half.

Beautiful honesty, it's all of your cringey compliments.

Now we're going home and putting in how do you do it?

Ideally Apple podcasts, Apple podcasts, you can give just five stars. You can also like the Krem de la Crem review would be five stars. You can pass me off phone and I can do it for you, just to make sure, and just a few comment could be.

Any loved episode nineteen, Yes.

Yeah, that would be the dream.

And if there's any other doting dads or doting mums that you would love for us to speak to the podcast, please make those suggestions. At two doting dads on Instagram and on that note, Max, it's been a pleasure.

Thank you so much. Cheers the att