| Tony Armstrong | |
| Fullname: | Tony Patrick Armstrong[1] |
| Birth Date: | 29 September 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Albury, New South Wales |
| Originalteam: | Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock (Hume Football League) Calder Cannons (TAC Cup), Assumption College Kilmore |
| Draftpick: | No. 58, 2007 National Draft, |
| Height: | 185 cm |
| Weight: | 78 kg |
| Position: | Defender |
| Statsend: | 2015 |
| Years1: | 2008–2011 |
| Games Goals1: | 14 (0) |
| Years2: | 2012–2013 |
| Games Goals2: | 15 (2) |
| Years3: | 2014–2015 |
| Games Goals3: | 6 (0) |
| Games Goalstotal: | 35 (2) |
Tony Patrick Armstrong (born 29 September 1989) is an Australian television presenter and former professional Australian rules footballer.[2] [3]
Armstrong played for the Adelaide Football Club, Sydney Swans and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.[2]
Armstrong is now a presenter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, where he has presented the sport for News Breakfast on both ABC TV and the ABC News channel since 2021.[2] Armstrong has also hosted ABC TV shows including A Dog's World, Great Australian Stuff and Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things.[4] [5] [6] In September 2024 Armstrong announced that he would retire from News Breakfast on 4 October.[7]
For his television work, Armstrong has won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logies and the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies.[8] [9]
Originally from Burrumbuttock, New South Wales and of Barrabinya descent, Armstrong was initially interested in rugby league, but turned to Australian rules football, supporting the Sydney Swans.[10] Armstrong was drafted by Adelaide in the 2007 AFL Draft at pick number 58.
Armstrong attended Assumption College,[11] and also played games with TAC Cup sides NSW/ACT Rams and Calder Cannons. After being drafted, he played for SANFL club North Adelaide, and after some fine performances, was rewarded by Adelaide coach Neil Craig with many emergency spots in the lineup. He was named for his AFL debut in round 13, 2009, but was quarantined along with his housemate, teammate and fellow Assumption College graduate Richard Douglas due to a swine influenza scare, and so did not take his place on the field.
Armstrong debuted in the senior side in Round 1, 2010, against Fremantle at Subiaco.[12]
In September 2011, Armstrong walked out on the Adelaide Crows and requested a trade to the Sydney Swans, the club he supported as a child growing up in NSW.[13] On 16 October 2011, Armstrong was granted his wish and was traded to the Swans in exchange for Lewis Johnston.[14]
In April 2012, he made his debut for the Swans; he replaced club captain Adam Goodes, who was suspended for the match. Goodes is one of Armstrong's childhood idols.[15]
At the end of 2013 AFL season, Armstrong was delisted by Sydney Swans and then joined Collingwood as a delisted free agent.[16] [17] He made his debut for Collingwood in round 19 of the 2014 AFL season.[18] Armstrong was delisted at the conclusion of the 2014 AFL season but was re-drafted by Collingwood in the rookie draft. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, after only playing one senior game, Armstrong was again delisted by Collingwood.[19] [20]
In March 2020, Armstrong began hosting the show Yokayi Footy, a collaboration between NITV and the AFL.[21]
In June 2020, Armstrong joined ABC as a producer and presenter of sports news on ABC Radio and Television presenting sport on ABC News, commentating for Grandstand AFL on ABC Sport and hosting the summer series of Offsiders.[22]
In March 2021, Armstrong began filling in for Paul Kennedy on ABC TV's News Breakfast presenting sport from Tuesday to Friday for 3 months whilst Kennedy worked on ABC's 7.30.[23] Catherine Murphy presented sport on Monday. In July 2021, Armstrong took over as the full-time sport presenter on News Breakfast replacing Kennedy.[24]
In November 2021, ABC announced that Armstrong would host A Dog’s World on ABC TV, a three-part series that seeks to understand our ever-evolving relationship with dogs.[25]
In June 2022, Armstrong won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logie Awards for his work on the ABC News Breakfast show. The following year, Armstrong won the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies.[9]
Armstrong also regularly appears on Network 10's The Project and semi-regularly on Fox Footy.
In 2023, Armstrong was one of a number of journalists who put their names to an open letter calling for greater scrutiny in the reporting of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.[26]
In 2024, ABC announced that Armstrong would host Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things, a five-part TV series where Tony is on a mission to curate an exhibition at the National Museum of Australia. Objects from the TV show will go on show at the museum in June 2024.[27]
In September 2024. Armstrong announced his retirement from News Breakfast with his last day on 4 October.
In September 2024 Armstrong was criticised on ABC's Media Watch for undertaking commercial work for NRMA without approval from the ABC.[28]