Man of Many’s Staff Favourites – 20 June, 2026

Happy Saturday, people! Here’s another round of Man of Many’s Staff Favourites, where we celebrate the products, services, entertainment, and experiences that have caught our eye over the last seven days.

We get to try so much of the cool, novel, and curious on a daily basis, but these encounters don’t always result in full write-ups or reviews. Instead, we collect them here in the hope you’ll find something new and exciting to give your weekend a lift. This week features must-see TV, a sweet new ride, Sydney’s best run club, and marine conservation at its finest. Let’s go!

This City Is Ours

Scott Purcell – Co-Founder

I needed a decent TV show to watch, so I did what any 37 (soon to be 38) year-old would do: I went to my parents for suggestions. I came out the other side completely hooked on a Liverpool crime drama. This City is Ours on Stan is the perfect show to crack on a quiet Sunday, but one to definitely watch with the subtitles turned on.

That’s half the fun of it, though. The dialogue is so dense with local slang and coded drug-trade talk that I felt like I needed subtitles for the subtitles

The story follows Sean Bean (who always manages to be murdered early in every series I’ve seen him in!) as an ageing gang boss stepping back from running the city’s cocaine trade. This kicks off a brutal power struggle between his hot-headed son, Jamie, and his loyal right-hand man, Michael (played brilliantly by James Nelson-Joyce). It’s tense, it’s grimy, it’s fookin’ Liverpeewwll.

The Scouse is also basically its own language. Someone talks about moving the “lem”, and I had no clue what they were on about. Turns out “lem” is Liverpool slang for cocaine, which I only know because I had to pause and give it a quick Google (actually Gemini AI) search. The Scouse slang “lem” for cocaine originates from a playful chain of association where the drug “coke” links to the soft drink Coca-Cola, whose classic alternative mixer is “lemonade,” which locals then abbreviate to “lemo” and finally “lem.” As a confessed non-expert in both Scouse and organised crime, I’ll happily take the show’s word for it.

If you fancy a crack, it’s all streaming on Stan in Australia, with a second season already filming. Have a squiz at the trailer above, just keep your phone handy.

Disclosure: I watched this on my own Stan subscription. No brand relationship, just a genuinely good show.

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FTN Motion Streetdog XR

Harry Parsons – Head of Branded Content

I’m no stranger to FTN’s electric motorbike range, having ridden the Streetdog 80 in the past, which you can view here. That was actually my first foray into test riding electric motorbikes, and it was a welcome one, so when FTN announced an upgraded version, the FTN Streetdog XR, I knew I had to see what had been upgraded. As a small yet versatile company, FTN is able to take customer feedback on board and act accordingly and quickly, and that is exactly what the team has done with this new release.

Having had the XR for a week, I noticed the upgrades immediately. The first thing I noticed was the stance and ride height. The Streetdog 80 is a relatively small bike, one that would make me feel slightly harder to see on the road (especially without an engine roaring). However, the increase from 714 mm to 775 mm in seat height, 885 mm to 955 mm in handlebar height and a wide handlebar width on the XR made me feel like I commanded the road a little more. The higher riding stance allowed for more visibility, both for myself and other drivers, and the more comfortable upright seating position helped on longer commutes.

One item I would have loved to see upgraded on the XR is a more plush seat for increased comfort. Whilst we didn’t get it this time, there is a significant suspension upgrade that truly elevates ride quality. With new nitrogen-charged gas shocks in the rear, bumps and potholes in the ground are far more manageable, ultimately providing more confidence in the control as well.

The FTN Streetdog is a rather large investment, and it’s great to see that the overall quality of the bike has been lifted to reflect its price (~AUD$9,990). The new die-cast alloy switchgear feels incredibly premium and tactile, replacing the previous model’s plastic switches and the upgraded handlebar mirrors provide more of a cafe-racer feel. Overall, the XR has seen a lift in quality, and this is evident both visually and through the ride.

Whilst I used the XR as a commuter bike to get into the city, and most of the streets range from 50-60 km/h (where this bike really thrives), there are certain areas that go up to 80 km/h. Pleasingly, FTN squeezed even more out of the 4kW nominal motor, pushing the top speed to 85 km/h while maintaining the instant electric torque that makes getting off the line a breeze. That means no more anxiety around keeping up with traffic. My only qualm with reaching this top speed is that the low weight of 88 kg means the handling feels a little uneasy, and a gust of wind could have more impact than anticipated. This is not a major negative, just a conscious need to really lock in on the handling.

Honestly, the XR feels like the bike FTN was always meant to build. It keeps the absolute best feature of the original, that massive 30-litre storage bay where the fuel tank should be, which effortlessly holds my gym gear and groceries, while ironing out the ergonomic quirks. If you were on the fence because the cafe-racer style felt a bit too compact for your daily grind, the XR hits the sweet spot. It’s rugged, wildly practical, and just flat-out fun to ride every day.

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Unofficial Run Club

Hannah Maher – Sales & Partnerships Coordinator

I’ve somehow ended up at the Unofficial Run Club more than once now, which is usually the point where you stop pretending it’s “just a one-off” and accept you’re part of it.

Every Friday at 6 am, a group gathers at the bottom of the stairs at Milsons Point railway station and heads off for a run around the harbour. It’s simple in the best way. No performance energy, no ego, no weird competitiveness. Just people showing up early, doing a loop, and collectively pretending they weren’t half asleep five minutes earlier. Some people are flying, some are simply getting through it, and a few are clearly there because they know the post-run coffee is the real event.

What makes it work is the people. Every week you end up meeting a different mix of like-minded people, and before long it feels less like a run club and more like an excuse to start Fridays properly.

I’ve never been someone who jumps out of bed excited for a 6 am run, but there’s something about finishing a workout before most of Sydney has opened its eyes that makes the rest of the day feel a little easier. If you’re looking for a low-pressure way to move more, meet people, and justify an excellent coffee before 8 am, this might be the best club in town.

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Seiko Australia and the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

Rob Edwards – Branded Content Editor

I’ve just returned from a trip to Cairns in Queensland, where Seiko hosted a tour to help spread the word about the incredible work being done by the team at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC). I’m more than happy to oblige.

Operating from the Cairns Aquarium and a facility on Fitzroy Island, the CTRC has spent over 25 years helping hundreds of injured and sick turtles found on the Great Barrier Reef, which is home to six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles. From collisions with boats and encounters with sharks to becoming caught in fishing lines, nets, and other hazards, it’s dangerous out there for our shelled friends. Fortunately, CTRC co-founder Jennie Gilbert and her team of volunteers do a remarkable job nursing them back to health and returning them to the wild.

While on site, we met one particularly charming patient, Kame, a Green Sea Turtle adopted by Seiko as part of the watchmaker’s commitment to ocean conservation. This flippered battler (who I can confirm is a big fan of having his shell scratched like you would a puppy’s back) and the beautiful waters and coral beaches of Fitzroy Island actually provided inspiration for Seiko’s outstanding Prospex Australasian Limited Edition SRPM04K, which the watchmaker launched last year.

This ongoing partnership is making a real difference for sea turtles, which are facing more threats to their survival on a daily basis, so while we were there, it was encouraging to see Seiko Australia donate a further AUD$25,000 to fund the CTRC’s important work into the future.

Finally, if you get the chance to visit Cairns, I can’t recommend snorkelling with the turtles in the waters off Fitzroy Island highly enough. It’s an astonishing experience I won’t soon forget.

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