The Recruit (Australian TV series)

For other uses, see The Recruit (disambiguation).

The Recruit
GenreSports
Reality
Presented byRyan Fitzgerald (S1), (S2 - Finale)
Starring
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesMcGuire Media[1]
The Media Tribe[1]
Original release
NetworkFox8
Release16 July 2014 (2014-07-16) –
21 September 2016 (2016-09-21)
Related
Cricket Superstar

The Recruit is an Australian rules football reality television series that aired on Fox8 from 16 July 2014 to 21 September 2016.

The winner of the show was drafted to an Australian Football League (AFL) club's rookie list via a special draft in September at the end of each series.[2] They were listed as a Category B rookie (i.e. the same as an international player or someone who had not played for more than three years).

The first series was hosted by Ryan Fitzgerald and featured Michael Voss as the head coach.[3][4] Mick Malthouse replaced Voss as head coach for the second series.[5] Other key members of the program are former Hawthorn player Ben Dixon as Assistant Coach, Leigh Russell as the Elite Performance Manager, and Port Adelaide fitness coach Darren Burgess as the High Performance Coach.[4]

Contestants must not have been previously selected to an AFL club list, be over 20 years of age, and have not played in a senior state league in the past two years.[2]

On 18 September 2014, the series was renewed for a second season. Originally scheduled to air in 2015, it was later announced it would air in 2016 due to multiple factors, one of which was the departure of Voss as coach.[6][7]

On 3 August 2015, it was announced Gary Buckenara would be a scout in the second season, and that Fitzgerald will not return as host (although he did return as host for the live finale).[8] The second and final season began on 20 July 2016.[9]

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 10[1] 16 July 2014 (2014-07-16)[10] 17 September 2014 (2014-09-17)[11]
2 10[9] 20 July 2016 (2016-07-20)[9] 21 September 2016 (2016-09-21)

Season 1

Contestants

The final squad of 13 players was selected from 50 contestants.

Name Club State/Country Position Comments Status References
Johann Wagner Tasman FC SA Forward Had signed with Central District[12] Winner, signed with Port Adelaide[6] The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Bradie Foster Aspley AFC Qld Ruck/forward Former captain of the AIS volleyball team Runner-Up[6] The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Chris Moreland Geelong West St Peters FC[13] Victoria Midfield Delisted in Episode 10[6] The Recruit, Geelong Advertiser
Reece Maxwell WA Utility Played basketball for Gillette College[14] Delisted in episode 9 The Recruit
Padraig Lucey Ireland Ruck Introduced in episode 3, Delisted in episode 9. However he was signed by Geelong. The Recruit
Ryan Semmel Rye Football Club[13] Victoria Midfield/forward 2013 Cheatley Medalist[15] Delisted in episode 9 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Brendan Goss Old Xaverians[13] Victoria Forward Delisted in episode 8 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Nathan Jackel Darley FC[13] Victoria Midfield Delisted in episode 7 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Mark Cisco USA Forward/ruck Introduced in episode 3
Delisted in episode 6		 The Recruit, US combine
Waylon Manson Billiluna Community WA Ruck/forward Highly rated 2011 AFL Draft prospect[16] Delisted in episode 6 The Recruit, WAFL
Ryan Smith Lancelin Ledge Point FC WA Centre half-forward/Centre half-back Previously played for East Perth FC[17] Son and brother of golfers Wayne and Kristie Smith Delisted in episode 5 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Daniel Johncock South Launceston FC Tasmania Midfield Delisted in episode 4 The Recruit,
Michael Hutchinson Aspley AFC Queensland Backline Delisted in episode 4 The Recruit, AFL draft profile
James Brackin Macquarie University AFC NSW Centre half-forward Delisted in episode 3 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse
Tyrone Armitage Manly Warringah FC NSW Half-forward/midfield 2013 Phelan Medalist Delisted in episode 2 The Recruit, Fox Sports Pulse

Season 1 episodes (2014)

No. Title Original air Date Overnight Australian viewers
1"The Cut"16 July 2014 (2014-07-16)119,000[18]
2"Drop Zone"23 July 2014 (2014-07-23)94,000[19]
3"Leap of Faith"30 July 2014 (2014-07-30)88,000[20]
4"Child's Play"6 August 2014 (2014-08-06)105,000[21]
5"Survival of the Fittest"13 August 2014 (2014-08-13)123,000[22]
6"Stranded at Sea"20 August 2014 (2014-08-20)130,000[23]
7"Follow the Leader"27 August 2014 (2014-08-27)88,000[24]
8"Recruits at War"3 September 2014 (2014-09-03)119,000[25]
9"Swimming with the Sharks"10 September 2014 (2014-09-10)133,000[26]
10"The Draft"17 September 2014 (2014-09-17)162,000[27]

Season 2

Contestants

The final squad of 15 players was selected from 50 contestants.

Name Age Club League Hometown Position Status References
Matt Eagles 26 Yeronga South Brisbane FC Queensland FA Morningside, Queensland Full forward / ruck Winner, signed with Brisbane Lions[28] The Recruit
Daniel Cox 21 Cable Beach FC West Kimberley FA Broome, WA Midfield / half-forward Runner-Up[28] The Recruit
Jordan Treloar 23 Heidelberg FC Northern FL Macleod, Victoria Centre half-forward Delisted in Episode 10[28] The Recruit
Jayden Kelly 27 North Broken Hill FC Broken Hill FL Broken Hill, NSW Midfield Delisted in Episode 9 The Recruit
Jackson Sketcher 24 Noble Park FC Eastern FL Melbourne, Victoria Half-back Delisted in Episode 9 The Recruit
Jack Dimery 23 East Coast Eagles Sydney AFL Quakers Hill, NSW Midfield / half-back Delisted in Episode 8 The Recruit
Darren Allen 21 Lindenow FC East Gippsland FL Lindenow, Victoria Midfield / half-forward Relinquished his position in the competition in Episode 7 The Recruit
Justin Van Unen 26 Mt Eliza FC Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL Nunawading, Victoria Full forward Delisted in Episode 6 The Recruit
Brady Egan 21 Rye FC Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL Rye, Victoria Wing / half-forward Delisted in Episode 5 The Recruit
Dillan Jones 23 Saints FC Newman FL Newman, WA Forward Delisted in Episode 5 The Recruit
Rhett Coots 21 Rupertswood FC Riddell District FL Melbourne, Victoria Half-back Delisted in Episode 5 The Recruit
Jeconiah "Jay Jay" Peni 20 Balwyn FC Eastern FL Balwyn, Victoria Wing Delisted in Episode 4 The Recruit
Shylo Smith 25 Essendon Doutta Stars Essendon District FL Point Cook, Victoria Midfield Delisted in Episode 3 The Recruit
Jason Williams 22 Diggers Rest FC Riddell District FL Sunbury, Victoria Half-forward / half-back Delisted in Episode 2 due to injury The Recruit
Fabian Brancatisano 22 Pyramid Hill FC Loddon Valley FL Kealba, Victoria Wing / half-forward Delisted in Episode 1 The Recruit

Season 2 episodes (2016)

No.TitleCaptain's challengeCaptain's challenge winnerOriginal air dateAustralian viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Run around The Tan and kayak the Yarra RiverRhett Coots20 July 2016 (2016-07-20)118,000[29]
2"Episode 2"Abseil down the wall of the Gordon Dam in TasmaniaJay Jay Peni27 July 2016 (2016-07-27)106,000[30]
3"Episode 3"Run a football clinic for children in Darwin, Northern TerritoryDarren Allen3 August 2016 (2016-08-03)102,000[31]
4"Episode 4"Walking a tightrope across Etihad Stadium with a football to drop on a targetJack Dimery10 August 2016 (2016-08-10)97,000[32]
5"Episode 5"Discus, long jump and relay race with Little Athletics childrenMatt Eagles17 August 2016 (2016-08-17)75,000[33]
6"Episode 6"Race through a tough obstacle courseJayden Kelly24 August 2016 (2016-08-24)95,000[34]
7"Episode 7"V8 Supercar tyre changeMatt Eagles31 August 2016 (2016-08-31)76,000[35]
8"Episode 8"Helicopter water escapeJackson Sketcher7 September 2016 (2016-09-07)78,000[36]
9"Episode 9"Holding a 10 kg football above headMatt Eagles14 September 2016 (2016-09-14)86,000[37]
10"Final - Live draft"N/AN/A21 September 2016 (2016-09-21)150,000[38]

Guests

Guest[39] Episode
Anthony Koutoufides 1
Brent Harvey 1
Corey Enright 1
Dermott Brereton 1
Dustin Fletcher 1
Jason Akermanis 1
Ian Thorpe 4
Jonathan Brown 4, 9
Stephanie Rice 4
Cathy Freeman 5
Barry Hall 6, 9
Ryan Fitzgerald 6
Paul Licuria 7
David Reynolds 7
Lauryn Eagle 8
Shane Warne 8
Brendan Fevola 9
Kevin Sheedy 9

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Knox, David (13 September 2013). "FOX8 in the hunt for The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b Niall, Jake (19 June 2014). "AFL to hold draft for Foxtel reality TV show The Recruit". The Age.
  3. ^ Knox, David (20 November 2013). "Michael Voss to coach The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b Knox, David (4 February 2014). "Ryan Fitzgerald to host The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  5. ^ Knox, David (7 December 2015). "Mick Malthouse joins The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Knox, David (18 September 2014). "Johann Wagner wins The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. ^ Knox, David (25 November 2014). "The Recruit out for 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  8. ^ Knox, David (3 August 2015). "Auditions: The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Knox, David (9 June 2016). "Returning: The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  10. ^ Knox, David (24 June 2014). "Airdate: The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  11. ^ Knox, David (11 September 2014). "The Recruit: final 3". TV Tonight. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  12. ^ Morgan, Kym (15 July 2014). "Central Districts Johann Wagner escapes car crash to take chance at AFL dream with reality TV show The Recruit". Adelaide Now.
  13. ^ a b c d "Victorians join The Recruit". AFL Victoria. 16 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Reece off to play US basketball". North Coast Times. Community Newspaper Group. 28 September 2010.
  15. ^ West, Luke (23 October 2013). "Semmel likely to play with Rye". Bendigo Advertiser.
  16. ^ Clark, Jay (24 November 2011). "Will a goanna hunter be AFL's next big thing in the national draft?". The Daily Telegraph.
  17. ^ "Ryan SMITH (East Perth)". WAFL.com.au. West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  18. ^ Knox, David (17 July 2014). "Wednesday 16 July 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  19. ^ Knox, David (24 July 2014). "Wednesday 23 July 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  20. ^ Knox, David (31 July 2014). "Wednesday 30 July 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  21. ^ Knox, David (7 August 2014). "Wednesday 6 August 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  22. ^ Knox, David (14 August 2014). "Wednesday 13 August 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  23. ^ Knox, David (21 August 2014). "Wednesday 20 August 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  24. ^ TV Cynic (28 August 2014). "Wednesday 27th August 2014". Media Spy. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  25. ^ Knox, David (4 September 2014). "Wednesday 3 September 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  26. ^ Knox, David (11 September 2014). "Wednesday 10 September 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  27. ^ Knox, David (18 September 2014). "Wednesday 17 September 2014". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  28. ^ a b c Knox, David (22 September 2016). "Matt Eagles wins The Recruit 2016". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  29. ^ Knox, David (21 July 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 20 July 2016". Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  30. ^ Knox, David (28 July 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 27 July 2016". Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  31. ^ Knox, David (4 August 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 3 August 2016". Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  32. ^ Knox, David (11 August 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 10 August 2016". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  33. ^ Knox, David (18 August 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 17 August 2016". Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  34. ^ Knox, David (25 August 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 24 August 2016". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  35. ^ Knox, David (1 September 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 31 August 2016". Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  36. ^ Knox, David (8 September 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 7 September 2016". Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  37. ^ Knox, David (15 September 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 14 September 2016". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  38. ^ Knox, David (22 September 2016). "Top 20 Programs, All Subscription Channels, Wednesday 21 September 2016". Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  39. ^ Knox, David (13 July 2016). "Shane Warne, Ian Thorpe to guest on The Recruit". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 July 2016.