Yvonne Sampson is a leading Australian sports presenter and journalist, widely recognised for her contributions to rugby league broadcasting.

In 2016, Yvonne made history as the first woman to host Channel Nine's State of Origin coverage, marking a significant achievement in Australian sports media. Her deep understanding of the game and engaging on-screen presence have garnered her immense respect and recognition in the industry.

In our conversation, we discussed her childhood, her passion for rugby league, navigating a career in a male-dominated field, motherhood, her relationship with her husband, and much more.

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Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan
Head of Content: Samuel Morgan

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction/ Promo
01:07 Yvonne's early aspirations & the role of sport in Queensland's Identity
05:33 Why Queensland has such a strong rugby league culture
13:19 Yvonne's journey into journalism
20:56 The challenges Yvonne faced as a female sports journalist
25:31 Yvonne's role at FOX League & the evolution of Rugby League coverage
28:53 Yvonne's relationship with key figures in rugby league & behind the scenes at FOX League
38:26 How Yvonne deals with big personalities & the different shows on Fox League
47:29 What Yvonne has got out of her job as a rugby league journalist
49:35 Current state of Rugby Union & how valuable V'landys/Abdo have been
51:32 How Fox League provided an alternative to Channel 9 & Mark's thoughts on Vegas
54:27 Yvonne's relationship with Chris O'Keefe & being a parent
1:06:31 Adoption & final thoughts