Not so long ago having two star AFL players appear at your club would have stolen all the headlines, but on Saturday night it was the star of one Australia's podcast powerhouses — Dylan Buckley — that stole the show.
Brett Deledio is a two-time All Australian and Richmond best-and-fairest winner, was the AFL's Rising Star of 2005 and is a life member of the Tigers — having played 243 games and kicked 182 goals for the club. He now works in the high profile world of player management.
Michael Barlow played 141 games of AFL football, won a pair of Ross Glendinning Medals (for the best player in the Western Derby — Fremantle v West Coast Eagles), had a career-high 41 possessions while playing with the Dockers and was a member of the team that lost the 2013 AFL grand final.
Barlow is also moving quickly through the coaching ranks of the AFL and is North Melbourne's head of development.
However, it was he that said neither Deledio or he were the star attractions — that honour belonged to a man to their right who had played 41 games of AFL in eight seasons.
"Brett played 275 games of AFL and I managed to play 100-odd, but it is Dylan who is the most famous person here," Barlow said.
Barlow and Deledio form part of the line-up that is the Footy and Friends podcast, which falls under the Dyl and Friends brand, the popular podcast hosted by Buckley.
They accepted an invitation from Deledio to appear at the club where he had played a senior game of football for the team coached by his brother-in-law Billy Barnes, earlier in the day.
Barlow, who grew up in Shepparton and played with the United club, said he was excited to be part of the night.
"I love nights like tonight. My dad was a dentist at Shepparton, my grandmother was from Rushworth and my mum spent 30 years involved in country netball," he said.
In keeping with the assessment of his co-star, Deledio described himself as a third-string podcaster who was happy to be back alongside his family in the area where he grew up.
For the record Buckley didn't always have the upper hand in his dealings with Barlow and Deledio, in fact, a game where Deledio received a watch as a reward for a best-on-ground performance against Buckley's Carlton regularly comes up in conversation.
"I remember the games I played against them, but I also got to play with Brett in the NEAFL when were at GWS," Buckley said.
They finished their AFL careers within 12 months of one another, but all are still occasionally donning the boots.
Barlow was dominant for Shepparton United in a one-off appearance last year and said he had just been cleared to North Warrnambool to play in a special game for that club later this year.
Buckley is also preparing for a return to the playing field as part of the Carlton Draft — where he will play one game for a country football club later this year.
He said Barlow was the quietest of the three and Deledio certainly the most outgoing when it came to the podcast.
"Brett has a bit of crazy about him and was a natural. He is a bit of an undiscovered talent,’’ Buckley said.
"I'm sure he didn't realise how good he was going to be."
All three spent time reminiscing on football and life, Buckley explaining that he was always preparing for life after football after the last four years of his career were one-year deals.
"Each year in the AFL, for me, was closer to what came next," he said.
Barlow shared a story from the 2013 grand final review where he was the target of a Ross Lyon "spray" for the seven clangers he had in the game — despite him having 23 disposals in the match.
Deledio shared the story of his first Jack Dyer Medal, (Richmond best-and-fairest) in 2008 when his parents, brother and sister, along with his extended family were at the count.
As for life outside football Buckley shared the story of his father, Jim's, off-field triumph.
Jim Buckley was a three-time Carlton premiership player, a best-and-fairest winner and 164-game player.
"My dad has been off the beers for nearly three years and that makes me very proud," he said.
In keeping with the pride theme Deledio told the crowd that his hero was his father and for every one of his 275 AFL games they spoke on the phone the night before the match.
Barlow said his mother's illness and eventual death five years ago had given him a better understanding of what was really important.
"I sometimes thought things were hard in the AFL, but Mum's illness gave me perspective on hardship," he said.
Continuing that message Buckley explains one of his many roles, and most rewarding, is working with an AFL Players Association-led organisation called Tackle Your Feelings which identifies signs of mental illness.
He and his wife had a fertility battle before they had their son and Buckley was inspired to reach out and support others who were experiencing life challenges.
