He saved James Hird’s career... then lost seven years of memory | John Quinn

2026-08-24

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John Quinn has worked with some of the biggest names in Australian sport. We’re talking James Hird, Kevin Sheedy and Matthew Lloyd; Nathan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers; even Cathy Freeman as Australia’s sprints & relay coach at Sydney 2000. But his most remarkable story isn't about the athletes he's coached. After helping save Hird's career following a devastating foot injury, John would later face a battle of his own, surviving a rare brain disease that stole years of his memory and changed his life forever. He joins Dyl & Friends to sha...

But his most remarkable story isn't about the athletes he's coached.

After helping save Hird's career following a devastating foot injury, John would later face a battle of his own, surviving a rare brain disease that stole years of his memory and changed his life forever.

He joins Dyl & Friends to share lessons from a lifetime in high performance, leadership, resilience and finding out what people are truly capable of when they're pushed to their limits.

We talk:

The phone call from Kevin Sheedy that brought him to Essendon… despite never watching AFL
How he helped James Hird return from a career-threatening navicular injury
The secrets behind Essendon's famous 2000 premiership season
Why Matthew Lloyd was one of the hardest workers he's ever coached
The AFL players who could have become elite track athletes
Working with Olympians, AFL players, NRL stars and world-class athletes
What separates good athletes from great athletes
The three-part framework John believes underpins every elite performer
Why modern athletes train differently to previous generations
The biggest mistakes everyday people make with health and fitness
The illness that nearly took John's life and the years of memory he lost
How surviving a brain injury changed the way he coaches… and who he coaches