5 hours ago
5
Paul Martin, one of the executive producers behind Netflix’s Formula One sensation Drive to Survive, has been living the dream of every “sports guy” for the better part of the past decade. Inspired by that show’s phenomenal success, which is widely credited with revitalising the sport on a global scale, he has since been invited inside some of the biggest competitions in the world.
In Full Swing, Martin got a front-row seat at the PGA Tour. Break Point took him inside the Australian Open. Unchained explored the Tour de France. Make or Break rode the highs and lows of the world surf championships. Any Given Saturday threw the soccer-loving Brit inside US college football; and in Faceoff he explored Canada’s National Hockey League.
“We’ve been approached by individuals, teams and leagues on an almost constant basis,” Martin says, speaking about the post-pandemic boom enjoyed by his production company Box to Box Films. In fact, the AFL – the subject of his latest Amazon Prime Video series, Final Siren – has been chasing a partnership for years.
“I was down in Australia for the Melbourne Grand Prix filming Drive to Survive maybe four years ago, and Beth Wallis [recently promoted to director of original content and partnerships] at the AFL invited me to a game to see what it’s all about. The AFL sat me almost on the grass at the MCG, between the two coaches, and I had such an elevated experience of the game. I remember being blown away by the sheer athleticism of the players.
“Aussie Rules had a bit of a moment in England, where I think it was on Channel Four. I remember all we knew was that they wore cut-off shorts and beat the hell out of each other … As I got to know the sport and spend some time in and around it, I was just blown away by the skill level and the personalities.”
It’s an experience the AFL – which has labelled the series “an important asset” in growing its reach – clearly wants to replicate for viewers here and around the world. But in a streaming landscape now swamped with sporting documentaries, does it do enough to stand out?
What to expect from Final Siren: Inside the AFL
The four-part series follows a handful of big-name players during the tail end of the 2025 AFL season. And though it culminates in the Brisbane Lions going back-to-back to win the flag (told through the perspectives of Dayne Zorko and Cam Rayner), the story is more concerned with exploring individual controversies and vulnerabilities than great plays and ladder placings.
That includes dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe reflecting on the burden of injury and deciding to call time on his career; Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli reckoning with the prospect of contract extension; Max Gawn rallying his Melbourne teammates after the surprise sacking of their coach Simon Goodwin; and Toby Greene suffering the consequences of yet another suspension.
The latter notably provides a rare snapshot into Greene’s family life. The firebrand player, wildly controversial for his aggressive moves on the field, speaks about his relationship with his estranged father, and he is forced to answer to his partner and mother about the effect online abuse has on all of them.
“There’s a certain persona around the Australian male and AFL player,” Martin says. “We had a slight fear that they were just going to f--- around with us basically, and not give us [the authentic moments] we wanted.”
But he found that most players, reassured by the production company’s track record, were eventually able to open up: “If you do these shows right, these moments can become cathartic for them. It’s a way to talk about things in their own words [and] communicate a much fuller picture than just a back-page headline or scandal.”
“I’m a fan of Married At First Sight, so I understand how cuts can work. But I don’t have anything to hide.”
Melbourne captain Max GawnSpeaking the week before the show’s premiere and yet to see the complete final cut, Gawn said it’s only natural to feel vulnerable about what’s being put to screen. “I’m a fan of Married At First Sight, so I understand how cuts can work,” he says. “But I don’t have anything to hide.”
Gawn points out he was mic’d up for all three games that were filmed, which is the kind of exclusive behind-the-scenes action he enjoyed in Drive to Survive. One notable moment involves a rousing speech during an on-ground huddle in which every sentence contains an F-bomb.
“It probably worked out better that Goody wasn’t there,” he goes on. (For the record, speaking broadly about Goodwin’s departure, the captain tells me “the right call was made”.)
“He was very defensive of his own intel and what was happening behind our closed doors. Once we had no coach, it was a lot easier to walk around with a camera. As a group, we were keen to show what we thought we were doing well after a bit of adversity.
“It helps the AFL to share our story globally. And Melbourne Football Club’s forever trying to gain more fans and more sponsors, too.”
A dealbreaker: ‘You can’t PR the story’
Martin is clear that each league, club or sportsperson comes to his projects for their own reasons. In fact, he encourages it. “I always say to people: you have to find a reason to want to do it. And if you can’t find that reason, don’t do it.”
But he says he’s uncompromising about the final product.
“We’re very clear with anybody that takes part,” he says. “We say, ‘In order to make these shows successful, you guys need to come with a layer of authenticity and not try to control or PR the story’. Audiences see through that.”
Though Martin doesn’t “name and shame”, he says plenty of AFL clubs knocked him back on requests to be involved.
With just four episodes on offer, and with our big-name players complete unknowns on the world stage, it will be a tall order for this series to take off in the same way as Drive to Survive (which drops its eighth season on Netflix this Friday). But as an established footy fan, a series taking viewers inside the toughest moments of the season is something I’d watch every year.
Final Siren: Inside the AFL premieres on Amazon Prime February 27.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
