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Full Noise by SN
Full Noise: How the NRL comes to life on radio
Logan Swinkels •  March 13th, 2026 11:54 am
Sam Hewat (left) in the Warriors Live commentary booth at Go Media Stadium with Blake Ayshford | Photo: Sport Nation
This week's extended edition of the Full Noise podcast is all about 'The Art of the Call' and how rugby league comes to life on the radio.
Sam Hewat, the play-by-play voice of the NZ Warriors on Sport Nation, joined host Logan Swinkels to discuss how his commentary box chemistry with Blake Ayshford works, knowing the market they're broadcasting for and when to cross the 'bias' line, plus how his detailed Fantasy NRL spreadsheet helps with his preparation.
"It's obviously very stats heavy - but it helps you learn who's in what team and what role they play," Hewat said.
"For people that don't play fantasy, it's going to sound like utter crap, but you need to know if someone's a starter or if they come off the bench - you need to know if they're going to play 50 or 60 minutes, or if they're only going to play 10 or 15 towards the end.
"And I think that translates to radio calling and knowing how the interchange might be used for that team, or knowing what a player's role is can actually really help. Even though I have a lot of fun with it and go in depth, I do consider it part of the research and prep."
The pair also relive three of the most memorable Warriors calls in recent years: Shaun Johnson's 2023 golden point field goal to ice the Canberra Raiders, the infamous forward pass call from the 2023 preliminary final that attracted over a million views on TikTok, plus last year's viral Leka Halasima 80th minute match-winning try against the Newcastle Knights.
Listen to the full podcast below and subscribe to Full Noise on Spotify:
