Australian Sports Commission award for The Australian’s Head Noise podcast

The Australian’s groundbreaking podcast investigation Head Noise has won a prestigious Australian Sports Commission media award for best podcast.

The Head Noise podcast, co-hosted by NRL great James Graham and The Australian’s chief sports writer Jessica Halloran, looks at the long-term consequences of concussion and the risks, rewards and responsibilities involved in playing contact sports.

The Australian’s groundbreaking podcast investigation Head Noise has won a prestigious Australian Sports Commission media award for best podcast.

The Head Noise podcast, co-hosted by NRL great James Graham and The Australian’s chief sports writer Jessica Halloran, looks at the long-term consequences of concussion and the risks, rewards and responsibilities involved in playing contact sports.

Head Noise was produced by the country’s leading audio team at The Australian, including editorial director Claire Harvey, Lia Tsamoglou and Jasper Leak.

Graham subjected himself to a number of brain tests for the podcast, as well as interviewing greats of the game and experts on concussion.

In the six-part series’ conclusion, Graham bravely revealed the results of an MRI scan, which showed the impact of what 400-plus NRL games had done to his brain.

“Its been a fantastic team effort from everyone involved and we are grateful for all of our guests for sharing their stories,” Graham said.

“It’s great to be recognised for this podcast but we still need to keep advocating for an annual brain, body and mind check-up for all former professional NRL players.”

The win was announced at a ceremony at the MCG on Wednesday night.

The ASC media awards have been running for more than 20 years and recognise excellence in Australian sports journalism, broadcasting, production and photography. They are the only dedicated sports media awards in Australia.