Billy Brownless, Garry Lyon make on-air return for first time since 2016

There has been another twist in the ongoing saga between former mates and AFL stars Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon.

Garry Lyon and Billy Brownless.

There’s nothing like a reunion to get old friends back together.

Melbourne sports radio station SEN 1116 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week and has been bringing back a number of its former staff members for on-air chats.

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That has included the icebreaking return of Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon to the airwaves together for the first time since their infamous 2016 fall out.

Brownless and Lyon, of course, were longtime TV and radio running mates and good friends off-air until Lyon’s relationship with Brownless’ ex-wife Nicky became public.

Nicky and Billy Brownless share four children together, while Lyon has three children with his ex-wife Melissa.

Lyon and Brownless, former goalkicking forwards for Melbourne and Geelong respectively, made their peace in recent years, with the families even spending Christmases together.

Garry Lyon and Billy Brownless.

Lyon surprised Nicky Brownless last month when he proposed and she said yes, taking to Instagram to share the happy news.

The duo, who have been together for close to eight years, took off to New York shortly after the proposal.

Nicky Brownless enjoyed a day out at the Australian Open this week alongside daughter Lucy and sons Oscar and Max and spoke about the recent engagement and the overseas holiday.

“We’d planned to go and we did (have so much to celebrate),’’ Nicky said.

“We’re really happy.”

Now old mates Lyon and Brownless have spoken on-air together, along with another AFL great, Tim Watson.

That trio was among the first broadcast teams when SEN launched in 2004.

“Bill Brownless joined Tim and I to launch this station and he joins us (now), with thanks to Triple M — William, welcome,” Lyon said in his introduction on Friday morning.

Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon spend Christmas 2022 together with Nicky, Lucy, Ruby, Oscar and Max Brownless, Paddy McCartin and Josh Wallis. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

Lyon and Watson still host a show on the station today.

“G’day Gaz and g’day Whispy (Watson), and well done boys, 20 years, that is a bloody good thing to do,” Brownless replied.

The trio then launched into some banter, with Watson recalling that Brownless had predicted a two-decade run of success during that original launch.

“I can’t believe you’re still going after some of the interviews we did,” Brownless said.

“If you remember rightly, back in the good old days when we first started, I reckon (between) 6-7am, it used to get a bit fruity.

“Things going on at home, we’d been going out and things like that — it used to get a bit frizzy.”

The chat lasted around nine minutes and ended in good spirits, with Lyon saying: “It is great to see you and talk to you (Billy).

”One of the very first voices that you heard on this station was one of yours and we couldn’t have done it without you.

Garry Lyon and Nicky Brownless announced their engagement last month. Photo: Instagram

“We appreciate you coming on and giving us some time this morning.”

It’s another welcome development in a saga that had deep ramifications for Billy Brownless.

Nicky and Brownless were together for 18 years before splitting in 2014.

In 2020, Brownless addressed the situation on reality show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.

“We separated about four years ago,” he said. “Had a big, big dust-up we did. It was public, very public.

“She just fell out of love, which happens. I didn’t expect it. You think she’ll come back and all that, but she didn’t. So that was a real kick in the guts.”

Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon, seen here alongside Sam Newman, previously had a long broadcasting career together.

Brownless added that Lyon and he were “not best mates … but one day I suppose we’ll sit down and have a beer, time heals”.

That has indeed proven the case, with members of both the Lyon and Brownless families burying the hatchet and spending a number of Christmases together in recent years.

Lyon has also previously addressed the situation, apologising for his actions and discussing the relationship he conceded was “frowned upon”.

“It’s important I apologise publicly for the hurt they’ve been through,” Lyon said when the relationship became public.

“I was separated back in 2014. It’s hard enough to deal with separation, hard enough to deal with privately let alone publicly when you throw in a new relationship that lots of people frown upon, a person who was once married to a friend.”

Originally published as Billy Brownless, Garry Lyon make on-air return for first time since 2016