Watch Gold Coast v Hawthorn: Julian Marcus and Meg McDonald headline 3AW, Adam Papalia joins from 6PR

The moment that has everyone waiting has finally arrived, and it could not be more fitting. On Friday, 1 May 2026, the battle between Gold Coast and Hawthorn will be called live from two of the busiest broadcasting rooms in Australia, with a third commentary team ready to back them up across the world's feeds.

For those tuning in from the UK and beyond, TNT Sports 4 (UK) and Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand) are both on the roster, alongside the World Feed which channels the commentary through Premier Sports Asia, TSN Canada 2 and a string of other outlets. HBO Max (UK) is also carrying the line-up, so British viewers have plenty of ways to catch every word as the game unfolds.

The main thread of the broadcast comes from Melbourne, where Laura Spurway is set to present. She has built a strong reputation as 3AW's AFLW broadcaster, and her role as presenter ties the whole room together. She is joined on the field by Julian Marcus as main commentator, with Meg McDonald and Becky Webster providing commentary alongside him.

The 3AW team in Melbourne

Julian Marcus has been a fixture in the commentator ranks for some time, and his recent history shows he has been calling major games back to back. His last several matches have had him as main commentator across a wide range of competitions, and he is set to do so again here. Fans of the older broadcast style will recognise him from May 2026, when he commentated a match across TNT Sports 2 (UK), Sky Sport 6 (New Zealand), the World Feed, TSN Canada 2 and 6PR (Perth) among others.

Meg McDonald brings a different kind of energy to the room. She is a former Geelong AFLW captain, and she has recently been featured as one of the hosts of Tapt Media's new podcast series 'AFLW Inside Out', which launched to provide in-depth analysis of the women's game. In her own words on the show, she is a colleague of Laura Spurway and a former Geelong skipper, which places her firmly in her element on the field.

Becky Webster rounds out the Melbourne trio, and she is a name with plenty of credentials behind her. She has been selected in the All-Australian squad for the first time in her career, a move described as fitting given how outstanding a leader she is on and off the field at Geelong. She led the Cats in intercept possessions this year, averaging 22.4 disposals per game at an impressive 72.9% disposal efficiency.

The 6PR team in Perth

From Perth, the match is being called by Adam Papalia as main commentator, with Nikki Harwood providing commentary alongside him. Adam Papalia is an Australian sports commentator for Fox Sports and the radio station 6PR. He has covered an average of 60 games a season, calling the NBL, A-League and the AFL, having completed a sports broadcasting course at Edith Cowan University. In 2016 he joined the Fox broadcast team, commentating a game each Saturday and sometimes on Sunday when a game is played in Perth.

The full line-up, including both teams and the many international channels carrying the commentary, is recorded across the Aussie Rules database. For readers who want to see exactly who is commentating where, the match details are catalogued there.

Whether you are watching from a pub in London, a bar in New Zealand or a house in Canada, the stage is set for one of the most-watched matches of the season. With Julian Marcus and Meg McDonald leading out from Melbourne and Adam Papalia covering the same game from Perth, there is plenty of commentary to chew through as Gold Coast and Hawthorn go head to head.

Julian Marcus commentator profile

Article generated: 8 November 2026, 04:08 GMT