Local footy hits SEN on The Warm Up

SEN in collaboration with Times News Group has launched a new show that is bringing the best of local footy to the airwaves.

Sports broadcaster Matt Worland has joined forces with former Cats champion and now Fox Footy regular Cam Mooney for The Warm Up, which is being aired on the popular radio network every Saturday morning.

Show host Worland said The Warm Up will provide SEN listeners with previews of the weekend’s AFL games and sports across the country, and local content of the biggest games each week in the Geelong and District Football League, the Geelong Football League and the Bellarine Football League.

“It’s a sports show that is light-hearted, a bit of fun on a Saturday morning, but also with an element that relates to the local audience,” he said.

“Each week on the show we’ll speak to guests that have a connection to the biggest matches of the weekend, whether it’s AFL, NBA, cricket, or soccer.

Worland is excited to be back on air having previously worked with Crocmedia, which is now SEN, as a radio host and producer.

“Cam and I will offer listeners the best of both worlds when it comes to footy – we’re producing a sports radio show that includes a localised football segment.

“Whether you’re listening in Geelong, Ballarat or another region, you’ll hear the full show with coverage dedicated to your local leagues.”

Worland has returned to his local club Winchelsea Blues this season as the senior runner.

“I’ve already had a number of warnings from the umpires so far… I think I need to pull my head in,” he joked.

Co-host Mooney, who hasn’t done radio for six years, said he loved being back on air as co-host on The Warm Up.

“I had to step away a few years ago because Fox [Footy] ramped up too much, and now getting back into radio is what I love, it’s a lot of fun, you don’t have to get dressed up and you don’t have to put makeup on!

“It makes it a hell of a lot easier, and it’s the most enjoyable thing to do in media, I think.”

Mooney said he was impressed with the 2023 AFL season so far.

“The first six rounds in particular were exciting. I think the AFL did extremely well getting all the good teams playing against each other, and we’ve just had some amazing football.

“There’s been some teams that have jumped out of the box – St Kilda and Essendon – and then we’ve seen some teams that really have been disappointing as well.

“So we’ve got a little bit of a mixed bag, which is great, and what you want.”

Mooney also has strong ties to local club Newtown & Chilwell – his son plays footy in the Under 16s, his daughters play netball and his wife is the netball co-ordinator.

“So we’re fully entrenched with the Newtown footy club, we have been for nearly a decade now,” he said.

“Whenever I can, I get down there and get behind the barbecue or get behind the bar; I just love local footy.”

With Little Creatures Brewery Geelong on board as a show sponsor, Worland said the opportunity to work with the Geelong-based business that’s already a part of local and national football was well aligned.

“Little Creatures, brewers of Furphy, has a strong alignment with footy through their sponsorship of Channel 7’s the Front Bar, and sponsoring our Geelong-based show highlights the brand’s support for grassroots sport right through to the elite level.”

You can listen to The Warm Up at 8am each Saturday on SEN, or in the “podcasts” tab on the SEN app from 9am.