Ben Brown shares the highs and lows of his AFL career, from going undrafted to becoming a premiership player with Melbourne. Hear how he overcame adversity and self-doubt to reach the pinnacle of the sport. In this episode of Sacked, Ben Brown opens up about his AFL journey. From getting drafted by North Melbourne at pick 47 after being overlooked in previous drafts, to becoming their leading goalkicker, and then being delisted. He shares how COVID-19 and hub life impacted his mental health and ...
Aug 21, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Hannah Mouncey shares her experience as a transgender athlete fighting for inclusion in professional sports. Get an inside look at the challenges and discrimination she has faced. Overview: Hannah Mouncey, former Australian men's handball player, opens up about her journey as a transgender athlete. She talks about realizing her gender identity as a child, coming out to her family, and beginning hormone therapy. Mouncey recounts trying out for the AFLW draft and being barred from playing due to c...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Former AFL star Jaidyn Stephenson opens up about the highs and lows of his short-lived career, from winning a Rising Star to getting caught up in a gambling scandal that derailed his promising start at Collingwood. Overview: In this candid interview, Stephenson reflects on his rapid rise to fame as a teenager, the pressures of being in the spotlight, and how off-field mistakes led to his untimely exit from the Pies. He also discusses the difficulties adjusting to a struggling North Melbourne sid...
Aug 07, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Greg Williams was one of the greatest AFL players of his time, winning 3 Brownlow Medals and a Norm Smith Medal. But his road to stardom wasn't easy - he was rejected by Carlton twice as a teenager before getting his shot at Geelong. In this episode, Williams takes us through the highs and lows of his incredible career, from his rocky start to premiership glory with Carlton. Get the inside story on Williams' battles with umpires, his thoughts on concussion in the AFL, and find out how a last-min...
Jul 31, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Stuart Crameri was one of 34 Essendon players caught up in the infamous supplements saga that rocked the AFL. In this raw and revealing chat, the former Bomber opens up about the highs and lows of his career, including the supplements scandal that derailed the Bombers and the heartbreak of watching his Bulldogs teammates win the 2016 flag while he was sidelined. Crameri takes us inside the Bombers' supplements program, revealing he and his teammates "didn't blink an eye" when told to take inject...
Jul 24, 2025•58 min•Season 6Ep. 3
When Andrew Russell was called into Kevin Sheedy’s office at the Hilton Hotel as a teenager and offered a job, not in his wildest dreams would he have been able to predict the three decade high performance career that included six premierships across three clubs that was to come. Russell was there at the end of the Bombers dynasty, Port’s ‘04 choke-breaker and the start of the Hawks decade of dominance. From Stuart Dew to Luke Hodge and Cyril Rioli, Russell made a career out of preparing premier...
Jul 17, 2025•47 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Players - yes, coaches - definitely. But recruiting new high performance managers wouldn’t usually get the fans excited. And yet, when Andrew Russell made the shift from a four-premiership winning stint at Hawthorn to Carlton, it was seen as joining the missing link holding the Blues back. So why, five years later, did the 26 year AFL industry career of Andrew Russell end in disappointment? So, what happened? Andrew Russell delves into how he feels about his time at the Blues and where the club ...
Jul 17, 2025•23 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Sheedy, Clarkson, Malthouse, Pagan, Thomas, Frawley, Blight, Bailey, McCartney, Lyon. To close out season 5 of Sacked: AFL, we’ve gone back and delved deeper into the 10 greatest modern coach sackings since 2000. And who better to come on that journey than a pair of esteemed journos who saw it all happen up close, and, at times, were the first to know. Jon ‘Ando’ Anderson was there at some of the most important sporting events for the Herald Sun over the past four decades and is still a key memb...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Damian Drum spent more time as the next AFL coach in waiting than he did in the hot seat given he was up for roles as coach of the Swans, Demons and almost had the Collingwood job before moving to Fremantle. In one of the most notorious coach axings in AFL history, Drum learned of his sacking on live TV - just 9 games into his third season in the top job. And yet, it allowed the former shed builder to embark on his most consequential role yet - two decades as a member of state and federal parlia...
Nov 28, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Damian Drum was a late-bloomer when he was plucked out of bush footy by Geelong at the age of 20 and spent eight frustrating seasons battling to 63 games. And yet, it was only another injury sustained in the 1989 Preliminary Final that denied him the notorious role on Dermott Brereton eventually performed by Mark Yates in the opening moments of the famous 89 Grand Final. Drum would eventually become famous as the last one to know he’d been sacked as Fremantle coach, but that journey got its star...
Nov 26, 2024•53 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Mal Michael played 238 games including the historic three-peat of premierships with the Brisbane Lions. But it might never have happened in the first place. PNG born Michael was brought from his hometown of Brisbane to Collingwood with no promises and very little money but was able to turn himself into the fearsome full-back of the Lions dynasty. And yet, it is the one that got away - their chance of four in a row in 2004 - that stayed with Michael for years. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Nov 20, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Alastair Lynch played over 300 games for Fitzroy, the Brisbane Bears and then the Brisbane Lions in a career that spanned 16 years. It was a career that had incredible highs, devastating lows and one five minute brain fade right at the end. A three time premiership player with the Lions, Lynch spent much of the mid to late 90s in bed with chronic fatigue having previously broken Roys fans hearts by signing a notorious 10 year contract to defect to the Brisbane Bears in 1993. See omnystudio.com/l...
Nov 13, 2024•57 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Nathan Burke has been involved in elite football across five decades and was involved in some of the biggest stories in that time. Towards the end of his playing career, Burke had a seat at the table for the incredible recruitment of Malcolm Blight as senior Saints coach and he was at the Saints through the tumult that was the Thomas and Lyon eras. Burke was also at the business end of the early days of the AFLW as coach of the Western Bulldogs. And don’t forget his role in helping Trent Cotchin...
Nov 07, 2024•45 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Nathan Burke played 323 games with St Kilda across three decades, and took the field with some of the best of the modern era - Lockett, Frawley, Harvey, Winmar, Loewe. He captained the club and played in a heartbreaking Grand Final loss in 1997 but was in teams that finished in the bottom four as much as they spent in contention. And when his playing career was over, it was a seat on the Saints board that brought him back to Moorabbin, and a front row seat to the turmoil that was the end of Ross...
Nov 05, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Daniel Harford was a top 10 draft pick and Vic Metro under 18 captain when he was taken by the Hawks. Harford went on to play 153 games in the brown and gold (and nine in a single season with Carlton). He was cocky and sure of himself with a good dose of self deprecation, that made Harford a favourite of the footy variety shows of the late 90s and early 2000s. The larrikin nature prepared him perfectly for a life as a breakfast radio host, but it was his footy smarts that gave Harford the edge a...
Oct 30, 2024•45 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Paul Roos played 356 AFL games for Fitzroy and Sydney as well as many in the Big V for Victoria across 17 years as a player. And as a coach he delivered the Swans a 72 year drought-breaking premiership in 2005 and was instrumental in the rebuild of Melbourne that ultimately culminated in the 2021 flag. In this episode, Roos details his journey from Fitzroy to the Swans and Ralphy’s part in his announcement as saviour of the Demons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 23, 2024•55 min•Season 5Ep. 2
David Noble played just two games of AFL footy with Fitzroy in the early ‘90s, but it was off the field that he truly made his mark as an assistant coach, recruiter and administrator and finally the monumental task of coaching cellar dwelling North Melbourne. In this episode, Noble details his football and personal journey from Hobart to Brisbane and the challenges he and his family have faced along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 16, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Tony Jewell commenced his senior football career with Oakleigh, in 1963. He tried out with St Kilda but failed to impress and was turned away. Richmond, however, decided to take a punt on him and he went on to give them good service, mainly as a half back flanker or back pocket, in 80 VFL games between 1964 and 1970. After a two-year stint as coach of the Richmond reserves, which included overseeing a flag in 1977, he took over as senior coach of the Tigers in 1979. A year later he led them to a...
Jul 14, 2022•52 min•Season 4Ep. 21
As Victorian opposition leader from 1982 to 1989 and then again from 1991 to 1992 before becoming the 43rd Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett has guided and divided many during his time in politics. Post political life Kennett became the inaugural chairman of Beyond Blue and in December 2005, replaced Ian Dicker as president of Hawthorn. In this episode Kennett opens about his relationship with 4-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson - and what really happened, his plans to hand the presidency...
Jul 07, 2022•48 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore Tony Cochrane. As Chairman of the Board Tony Cochrane is best known in his role as boss of the Gold Coast Suns. A successful businessman who didn't bother to finish school, Cochrane has been involved in event promotion since the 1970s, and has promoted or produced tours for several international and local artists. In March 2014, Cochrane joined the board of the struggling Gold Coast Suns, and then became chairman in March 2016 In this episode Cochrane exp...
Jun 30, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 19
A powerful forward with an unpredictable streak, Cameron Mooney was a nightmare matchup for backmen during his 221-game career. Drafted to North Melbourne during an era of dominance, Mooney broke into the North side during the 1999 season, where he'd become a premiership player without even touching the ball! Traded to Geelong in the preseason of 2000, Mooney would make his name with the Cats as Geelong would go on a golden run. In this episode Mooney opens up about the brutal selection battle h...
Jun 23, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Trent Croad had an almost immediate impact when he was recruited to Hawthorn in 1998. At the end of 2001, Hawthorn would shock the football world, trading Croad who was then 21 and one of the Hawk's blue chip youngsters to Fremantle for the number 1 pick which would eventually secure Luke Hodge. After two years at Fremantle, Croad became the Prodigal son of Hawthorn, returning to Glenferrie Oval. In this episode Croad opens up about the biggest trade shock in AFL history played out between Hawth...
Jun 16, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 17
After a decade with the Western Bulldogs, Brian Lake's time at the Whitten oval came to an end. With a new coach appointed and some dissent towards him from the senior playing ranks, the writing was on the wall and Lake was off to Hawthorn. With the Hawks coming off the 2012 Grand Final loss to Sydney, Lake arrived at Hawthorn at the beginning of a magical era. A premiership and a Norm Smith medal in 2013 was only the start for Lake as he would go on to help Hawthorn take out the 2014 and 2015 d...
Jun 12, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Taken at pick 71 in the 2001 national draft, Brian Harris as he was known as back then arrived at the Whitten Oval and became one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons. Over the course of 197 games in the red, white and blue, Lake developed into one of the competition's leading full backs regularly going toe-to-toe with the champion forwards of the time. In this episode Lake opens about his formative years at the Western Bulldogs, his relationships with key players at the Bulldogs who wanted him out o...
Jun 09, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 15
A versatile ruckman come full forward, Peter 'Spida' Everitt started his football journey with St Kilda in 1993. With dreadlocks and head bands Spida almost instantaneously became a cult figure. As Everitt's career was building, so too was the St Kilda Football club as the Saints made a charge to the 1997 Grand Final. A shoulder injury sustained in the Qualifying final against Brisbane would lead Everitt to miss the rest of the season thus making St Kilda's road to the elusive flag all that hard...
May 26, 2022•58 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Following a decorated career in the VFL, Rodney Eade would make the transition to the coaches box with relative ease. Stints as an assistant coach at Brisbane and North Melbourne would be followed by the senior coaching job at the Sydney Swans in 1996. In his first year at Sydney Eade was able to transform the Swans into a premiership threat, with his side playing off in the '96 Grand Final. After 152 games at the helm of the Swans, Eade's time in the harbour city came to an end as the axe came ...
May 22, 2022•47 min•Season 4Ep. 13
A legend of the Apple Isle, Rodney Eade was recruited to Hawthorn from Glenorchy in 1975. At Hawthorn Eade established himself as a dashing wingman, playing a part in four VFL Premierships with the Hawks. After 229 games at Glenferrie Oval, Eade crossed to the Brisbane Bears in 1988 - a move which would be the genesis for Eade's future coaching career. In this episode Eade opens up about the heartbreak of being dropped for the 1985 Grand FInal, the golden era at Hawthorn under John Kennedy, Davi...
May 19, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 12
In a North Melbourne team filled with stars such as Wayne Carey, Glenn Archer and Anthony Stevens in the 1990s, Corey McKernan has every right to lay claim to being up there with the best of them during that golden era. A dual Premiership player with North Melbourne and a best and fairest winner at Carlton, with a little more luck early in his career, McKernan might also have a rising star and a Brownlow medal to put around his neck. In this episode McKernan opens up about the heartbreak of miss...
May 12, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 11
A talented utility whose career was struck down by injury, Robert Shaw managed only 51 games over 7 seasons for Essendon. An assistant under Kevin Sheedy at Essendon and then at Fitzroy, Shaw was appointed Fitzroy’s senior coach in 1991. After 3 seasons with the Lions, it was over to South Australia to take charge of the AFL’s newest team, Adelaide. Shaw’s time in Adelaide would be rocky with the axe swinging at the end of the 1996 season.In this episode Robert Shaw outlines his plan for a 19th ...
May 05, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 10
In the 1990's North Melbourne were the rockstar team of the competition. Greg Miller is responsible for North's era of dominance during this period. Miller's footy nous, combined with his uncanny ability to identify talent, added in with some brazen recruiting heists helped the Kangaroos clinch two premierships. In this episode Miller details his attempt to recruit Nathan Buckley, his building of a formidable North Melbourne and his tumultuous Tiger years at Richmond. See omnystudio.com/listener...
May 01, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 9
