Tony Armstrong

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Tony Armstrong
Craig Reucassel Zan Rowe Tony Armstrong 2022 (Armstrong cropped).png
Armstrong in 2022
Personal information
Full name Tony Patrick Armstrong
Date of birth (1989-09-29) 29 September 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Albury, New South Wales
Original team(s) Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock (Hume Football League)
Calder Cannons (TAC Cup), Assumption College Kilmore
Draft No. 58, 2007 National Draft, Adelaide
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 78 kg (172 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2008–2011 Adelaide 14 (0)
2012–2013 Sydney 15 (2)
2014–2015 Collingwood 6 (0)
Total35 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Tony Patrick Armstrong (born 29 September 1989) is an Australian television presenter and former professional Australian rules footballer. He played for the Adelaide Football Club, Sydney Swans, and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League, before becoming a presenter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He presented the sport for News Breakfast on both ABC TV and the ABC News channel from 2021 until October 2024. Armstrong has also hosted other ABC TV shows including A Dog's World, Great Australian Stuff, and Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things.

Contents

For his television work, Armstrong has won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logies and the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies.

Early life and education

Tony Patrick Armstrong was born on 29 September 1989 in Australia. [1] He is originally from Burrumbuttock, New South Wales [2] and is a Barranbinya man. [3] [4]

He attended Assumption College. [5]

Armstrong was initially interested in rugby league, but turned to Australian rules football, supporting the Sydney Swans. [2]

Football career

During his career, Armstrong played for the Adelaide Football Club, Sydney Swans, and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. [6]

Apart from school, he also played games with TAC Cup sides NSW/ACT Rams and Calder Cannons.[ citation needed ] He was drafted by Adelaide (the Crows) in the 2007 AFL Draft at pick number 58.[ citation needed ]

After being drafted, he played for SANFL club North Adelaide, and after some fine performances, was rewarded by Adelaide coach Neil Craig with many emergency spots in the lineup. He was named for his AFL debut in round 13, 2009, but was quarantined along with his housemate, teammate and fellow Assumption College graduate Richard Douglas due to a swine influenza scare, and so did not take his place on the field.[ citation needed ]

Armstrong debuted in the senior side in Round 1, 2010, against Fremantle at Subiaco. [7]

In September 2011, Armstrong walked out on the Adelaide Crows and requested a trade to the Sydney Swans, the club he supported as a child growing up in NSW. [8] On 16 October 2011, Armstrong was granted his wish and was traded to the Swans in exchange for Lewis Johnston. [9]

In April 2012, he made his debut for the Swans; he replaced club captain Adam Goodes, who was suspended for the match. Goodes is one of Armstrong's childhood idols. [10]

Armstrong training with Collingwood in 2014 Armstrong training 03.jpg
Armstrong training with Collingwood in 2014

At the end of 2013 AFL season, Armstrong was delisted by Sydney Swans and then joined Collingwood as a delisted free agent. [11] [12] He made his debut for Collingwood in round 19 of the 2014 AFL season. [13]

Armstrong was delisted at the conclusion of the 2014 AFL season but was re-drafted by Collingwood in the rookie draft. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, after only playing one senior game, Armstrong was again delisted by Collingwood. [14] [15]

Media career

In 2019, Armstrong became the first Indigenous Australian person to call live Aussie Rules on commercial radio. [3]

In March 2020, Armstrong began hosting the show Yokayi Footy, a collaboration between NITV and the AFL. [16] [3] He also also appeared on The Marngrook Footy Show as well as becoming a regular panellist on The Colour of Your Jumper. [3]

In June 2020, Armstrong joined the ABC as a producer and presenter of sports news [17] on ABC Radio, and co-hosting ABC Melbourne breakfast radio with Sammy J. [3] He also appeared on Television, presenting sport on ABC News, commentating for Grandstand AFL on ABC Sport, and hosting the summer series of Offsiders . [17] [3]

In March 2021, Armstrong began filling in for Paul Kennedy on ABC Television's News Breakfast , presenting sport from Tuesday to Friday for three months while Kennedy worked on 7.30 . [18] Catherine Murphy presented sport on Monday. In July 2021, Armstrong took over as the full-time sport presenter on News Breakfast, replacing Kennedy. [19]

In November 2021, the ABC announced that Armstrong would host A Dog's World on ABC TV, a three-part series that seeks to understand humans' relationships with dogs. [20] [21]

He hosted Great Australian Stuff in March 2023. The four-part show looks at "the surprising, strange, and sometimes dark history behind our most iconic stuff" – including Chiko Rolls, Speedos and Stubbies, Vegemite, Hills Hoist, the boomerang, the Victa lawn mower, One-Day cricket, and Sherrin footballs. Guests on the program include Benjamin Law, Nazeem Hussain, Jenny Kee, Nornie Bero, Kevin Kropinyeri, Richard Glover, and Jean Kittson. [22]

In April 2024, the ABC announced that Armstrong would host Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things, a five-part TV series featuring objects chosen by Armstrong, which would go on show at the National Museum of Australia in June 2024. [23] [24] [25]

In September 2024 Armstrong announced his retirement from News Breakfast, with his last day on 4 October. [26] [27] In the same month, he was criticised on ABC's Media Watch for undertaking commercial work for NRMA without approval from the ABC. [28]

In January 2025, Armstrong began hosting Eat the Invaders , a six-part series which explores eating Australia's invasive species, airing on ABC TV. [29]

Armstrong has also often appeared as a panellist on Network 10's The Project and on Fox Footy , as well as doing comedy segments on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering . [3] He has been working on writing for television and wants to write a dark comedy. [24]

Other activities

In November 2023, Armstrong was one of a number of journalists who put their names to an open letter calling for greater scrutiny in the reporting of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. [30]

Recognition and awards

In June 2022, Armstrong won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logie Awards for his work on the ABC News Breakfast show. [31] [4]

The following year, Armstrong won the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies. [32]

In 2024, a photograph of Armstrong was featured on the cover of the ABC's Annual Report, surrounded by objects presented by him in his television programs. [33]

Personal life

Since around July 2023 and as of 2024, Armstrong is in a relationship with Rona Glynn-McDonald, daughter of filmmaker Warwick Thornton. Glynn-McDonald is the founding CEO of Common Ground, an organisation focused on reconciliation, co-founder of First Nations Futures, [34] [24] and a filmmaker herself. [35]

References

  1. ↑ "Armstrong, Tony Patrick – NAFC History Database". North Adelaide Football Club . 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 "NAB AFL Draft Camp: Running solo". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tony Armstrong". Hey Lemonade. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Tony Armstrong Takes Home Logie". NIRS – National Indigenous Radio Service. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Segaert, Anthony (20 June 2022). "The rise and rise of Tony Armstrong, TV's most popular new star". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Meade, Amanda (18 July 2021). "'I failed but I'm fine': Tony Armstrong's road from AFL player to successful broadcaster and swoon-worthy bad news man". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Crows must be like the tortoise". Adelaide Independent Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  8. ↑ Capel, Andrew (24 September 2011). "Strike three as Crows lose Armstrong". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Swan Lewis Johnston, Crow Tony Armstrong swap clubs". Herald Sun. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  10. ↑ Forsaith, Rob (22 April 2012). "Tony Armstrong to play his first game as a Sydney Swan". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "Tony Armstrong clear to join Collingwood after being cut by Sydney Swans". Herald Sun . 30 October 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  12. ↑ Rielly, Stephen (7 November 2013). "Armstrong becomes a Magpie". Collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Buckle, Greg (1 August 2014). "Armstrong to make debut for third AFL club".
  14. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (31 October 2014). "Pies cut Armstrong, but promise to re-draft him". Collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rookie Draft: Tony Armstrong". Collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond. 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Introducing 'Yokayi Footy': NITV & the AFL kick off a new football show". SBS. 5 March 2020.
  17. 1 2 Jackson, Sally. "ABC Sport recruits Tony Armstrong". abc.net.au (Press release). Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2021– via About the ABC.
  18. ↑ "Good Weekend's Who Mattered 2021: Australia's most influential people". Good Weekend. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  19. ↑ "ABC announces new roles for Paul Kennedy and Tony Armstrong". Mediaweek. 8 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  20. ↑ Meade, Amanda (25 November 2021). "Tony Armstrong, Pistol and Boo and a real-life fairytale: the ABC unveils 2022 lineup". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  21. ↑ Knox, David (24 February 2022). "Airdate: A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  22. ↑ Knox, David (15 March 2023). "Airdate: Great Australian Stuff". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things". The National Museum of Australia . 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  24. 1 2 3 Armstrong, Tony (14 July 2024). "The ever-humble Tony Armstrong tells us why he had to work on being proud of what he's achieved". Now To Love (Interview). Interviewed by Sellers, Wade. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  25. ↑ "Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things". Screen Australia . 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  26. ↑ Tugwell, Nikki (24 September 2024). "Tony Armstrong to leave ABC News Breakfast". abc.net.au (Press release). Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024– via About the ABC. Tony's final day on the News Breakfast couch will be Friday 4 October.
  27. ↑ Ross, Isabella (24 September 2024). "The internet's boyfriend just announced a huge career change". Mamamia . Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Some Help from Tony". Media Watch. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  29. ↑ Valentish, Jenny (2 January 2025). "Hard to swallow: can Australians be convinced to eat our invasive species?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  30. ↑ Jaspan, Calum (24 November 2023). "Journalists urge 'improved' coverage of Israel-Hamas war in open letter". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  31. ↑ Knox, David (19 June 2022). "Logie Awards 2022: Winners". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Graham Kennedy Award For Most Popular New Talent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  32. ↑ Doyle, Michael; Ripper, Felicity; Barrett Peters, Courtney (30 July 2023). "Logie Awards 2023: Sonia Kruger wins Gold Logie, Tony Armstrong honoured with inaugural Bert Newton Award". ABC News . Tony Armstrong named most popular presenter. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  33. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2024). "Annual Report 2024" . Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  34. ↑ Green, Cassandra (18 August 2024). "tony-armstrong-rona-glynn-mcdonald-relationship". ELLE. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  35. ↑ "The 22-Year-Old Kaytetye Filmmaker Bringing Dreamtime Stories Into City Homes". Broadsheet. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
Media offices
Preceded by News Breakfast
Sport presenter
July 2021 to 4 October 2024		Succeeded by
Charles Brice
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