Matildas players and fans have rallied against Triple M radio host Marty Sheargold after an on-air rant where he compared the team to “Year 10 girls” and said he would “rather hammer a nail through the head of my penis” than watch them play at an upcoming tournament.
“There’s something wrong with the Matildas”, Sheargold said on Triple M’s Drive program, before later asking, “Got any men’s sport?”
“They had that wonderful tournament out here where we all fell in love with them, even though they didn’t make the quarters,” he said.
He was referring to the team’s semi-final appearance at the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Sheargold was chatting to co-hosts Troy Ellis and Will Ralson.
Ralston was talking about Australia’s performance at the annual SheBelieves Cup in the US, which he described as “a nightmare tournament for the Matildas.”
Last Friday, Australia lost to Japan 4-0. Three days later, they lost to the US, 2-1.
“You know what they remind me of? Year 10 girls,” Sheargold said. “All the infighting and all the friendship issues, ‘the coach hates me and I hate bloody training and Michelle’s being a bitch’.”
“Now I’m sorry to undermine the whole sport, but that’s what I think of it, so you can stick it up your arse.”
Ralston was doing the sports news bulletin, and brought up the current competition: “So we’re playing in the SheBelieves Cup.”
Sheargold interrupted, saying, “Oh, she believes in what? It better be men”, as laughter can be heard in the background.
Ralston continued: “We’re 12 months out from Australia hosting the Women’s Asian Cup, so hopefully we have a better runway to improve before that comes around.”
Sheargold responded: “Oh god. The Asian Cup. I’d rather hammer a nail through the head of my penis than watch that,” as a sound effect and more laughs were heard.”
“Got any men’s sport?”
Ralston responded, saying, “Yeah I do, baseball, the New York Yankees have dropped their 49-year ban on beards, on facial hair.”
“Now this is a good story,” Sheargold said.
The controversial remarks were brought to light by Australian hockey player Ambrosia Malone, who posted part of the clip on TikTok and Instagram with the caption: “It’s 2025 and something like this is being aired on prime time radio…disgusting. I had to sensor this myself with a beep because the audio was so horrendous.”
“I honestly don’t know what is wrong with the world,” Malone expressed in a statement on Tiktok. “I heard this on the radio yesterday in prime time (5.30pm) on the way to training and all I could think about was the young girls sitting in the car with their parents, maybe on the way to or from their own training sessions hearing this.”
“I’m sure many of them would have been hurt and confused … I was in disbelief. This is apparently acceptable on mainstream afternoon radio??? HOW??”
A postscript in smaller font read, “I’d name the station and speaker, but I don’t want to reward their behaviour with publicity.”
Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler commented on Malone’s Instagram post saying, “Sport is for everyone and these views are for no one,” alongside a vomit emoji.
Fellow midfielder Alex Chidiac wrote “so sick of this shit”.
Basketball player Lauren Jackson described the incident as “Standard misogyny alive and thriving.” Swimmer Libby Trickett commented: “I’m livid. It’s 2025 and this isn’t funny.”
Hockeyroos player Savannah Fitzpatrick wrote, “I am sick to my core. There is no way he can keep his job. It’s so hard to believe this wasn’t AI generated from searching “voice of a misogynistic foul creature living in 1950 who’s never played sport in his life.”
Football Australia has condemned the “inappropriate” remarks about the Matildas made by Sheargold, writing in a statement, “Such remarks not only diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our women’s national football team but also fail to recognise the profound impact they have had on Australian sport and society.”
“Every comment, every report, and every discussion shape public perception and reinforces our society’s values toward women and girls in sport.”
On Wednesday morning, Sheargold, 53, issued a public apology through the radio network, saying, “Any comedy, including mine, can miss the mark sometimes, and I can see why people may have taken offence to my comments regarding the Matildas. I sincerely apologise.”
A spokesperson for Triple M’s parent company, Southern Cross Austereo, released their own statement: “Marty Sheargold’s comments regarding the Matildas — made during Triple M Drive on Monday, 24 February — do not align with Triple M’s views and values, and Triple M remains steadfast in its strong support of all women’s and men’s sports. We are sorry for any offence caused.”
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