First, Tony Armstrong was a footy player. In his early 20s he played AFL for the Adelaide Crows, Sydney Swans, then Collingwood, before hanging up his boots at 25. A few years down the track, Armstrong was recruited to work as a radio commentator, before eventually pivoting to a career as an onscreen sports reporter. Now, aged 32, he is the sports presenter of ABC morning program News Breakfast, a gig he loves. (“I’m definitely better at talking about footy than I was playing it,” Armstrong has previously told Guardian Australia.)
In another dream role, Armstrong also recently helmed the ABC special A Dog’s World, a three-part series about humanity’s relationship with our four-legged companions. And from 8.00pm on Thursday 30 June, he’ll co-host ABC 90 Celebrate, a two-hour live event marking his employer’s 90th birthday. But for all his success in media, being on the telly was never part of Armstrong’s life plan.
