Originally from Queensland, Dayne Beams would land at the Magpies' nest in 2009. A versatile player who could play forward or back Beams knew how to find the footy. Slotting straight into a strong line up, Beams would taste premiership su...

A veteran footy administrator Peter Jackson served as Essendon's CEO from 1996 to 2009. A period where the Bombers delivered a 16th VFL/AFL flag and parted ways with iconic figurehead Kevin Sheedy.A brief absence from footy ended when Jackson was ...

Carrying the hopes of the Krakouer name made famous by father Jim and Uncle Phil for North Melbourne in the 1980s, Andrew Krakouer announced himself on the AFL stage in 2001. With great expectation Krakouer was a crafty goal sneak with an innate ability to judge the fall of the ball in the forward line Krakouer became a shining light through a dark period for the Richmond Football club. Krakouer's career would come to a grinding halt - a 16-month prison sentence ending his time at...

A favourite son of the Footscray Football Club, Doug Hawkins carried the hopes of the Western suburbs for the best part of 17 seasons. Blessed with balance and poise Dougie dazzled around opponents becoming one of the competitions most exciting wingmen during the 1980s and early 1990s. Quick, strong and tenacious Hawkins owned the outer wing of the Western Oval during 329 games at the Bulldogs and 21 at Fitzroy. In this episode Hawkins opens up about his mental health struggles early in his...

A strong mark and accurate kick, Barry Hall was considered a dying breed in his era, a power full forward who played exclusively in that role. An aggressive pack-splitting approach to his game enabled teammates to play with great confidence around him. This aggression however, led Hall to straddle the left of the AFL law and incur the wrath of the umpires over the course of his career. After 88 games with St Kilda, Hall would move Harbor side joining the Sydney Swans where he would lead them...

With a paddock full of star Roos Denis Pagan burst onto the coaching scene in 1993, taking North Melbourne to the finals in his first season, before guiding them atop the football mountain in 1996 and 99’. After finishing 7th in 2002, without Wayne Carey in tow, Pagan left North and headed for the Navy Blues. Little did he know he was walking into a salary cap breach nightmare, and with the players in control of the paddock things quickly spiralled out of control. Pagan reflects on the glory...

A footballing prodigy from Sunbury, David Schwarz burst onto the scene as a high leaping, aggressive and mobile center half forward for Melbourne the early 90s. Destined for greatness Schwarz's parth to the top would be thrown off course and very nearly destroyed by a string of knee injuries at the peak of his powers. Schwarz opens up about witnessing the murder of his father, fighting his way back from the AFL scrapheap, his gambling addiction and his controversial sacking from Melbourne...

Season 3 of SACKED publishes a new episode right here this coming weekend, August 22nd. Through to the end of September you'll hear from Andrew Krakouer, David Schwarz, Denis Pagan, Peter Jackson and more..... For more...

Five flags, two Norm Smith medals, three All-Australian jackets and a spot in the Hall of Fame! Gary Ayres playing career was covered in glory, flags and confetti almost every September. After an incredible career with the Hawks he stepped into coachin...

Premiership player, All-Australian and arguably the best contested mark of the modern era! Unfortunately, Travis Cloke’s glittering resume often took a back seat to the goal kicking yips that plagued his career. It took a move to the Bulldogs to discover that he wasn’t just missing the mark in front of the big sticks, but his passion and hunger for the game was also off course! Cloke opens up about the pressure of game day performance, the training session breakdown that led to his mental...

Three flags, three All-Australian berths and a club Best & Fairest. Justin Leppitsch’s playing career with Brisbane was steeped in success. Seven years after hanging up the boots he would return to lead the Lions pride after the tumultuous reign of fellow club legend Michael Voss. After just fourteen wins in three seasons, Leppitsch would eventually fall to the same knife as his predecessor. He knew the challenges when he signed on the dotted line, so where did it all go so wrong for...

Every weekend Brock McLean crossed the white lines and entered a battle on the football field. For 11 years he fought that fight for two hours each game day, then win, lose or draw he would step off the field and face his true battle. His mental demons were crushing, his alcohol and drug use slowly tearing his life apart. Six years on from hanging up the boots, and one year since finding help for his mental battlefield, McLean opens up about his pathway back to the light. Plus, the former Dee...

One Matthew Scarlett toe poke, one cruel bounce of the ball and three Grand Final heartaches. Through what lens should we view the 09’-10’ St Kilda squad? A powerhouse team who went 20-2 in the 2009 home and away season and won 80% of their matches over the two year stretch. Or just a good team who came up small on the biggest stage of all? Brendon Goddard reflects on his career with the Saints, the Grand Final pain that still haunts him and the departure of Ross Lyon.    See...

The Saints hero who became footballs first big fish landed in free agency. After 205 games, three Grand Finals and two All-Australian guernseys, Goddard was on his way to the Bombers. The script was already bursting at the seams and plastered over the back of every newspaper, but the true plot twist was lurking just out of sight. The rest is history, the drug scandal stole the back page and Goddard’s career was thrown off course. We’ve all read the stories and heard the interviews, but what...

Bleached hair, handstands and a goal sense like none other! Jason Akermanis was born to thrill, but was his show overshadowed by the ever present controversy waiting just off stage? ‘Aker’ opens up about the Lions glory days, the Grand Final performanc...

Saints by club, not by nature. Stephen Milne and Steven Baker are old school larrikins, the mischievous pair up the back of the class and in the principals office every lunch. But do they have a story to tell! From sirengate, to hangovers at first trai...

A stellar career with the Magpies, an AFL assistant coach, married with three young kids. From the outside Gavin Crosisca had it all, but on the inside his world was falling apart. Crippled by a drug, alcohol and gambling addiction he lived his life from one fix to the next. For twenty-eight years that addiction ruled his life, until one day his wife Nicole forced him into the car and drove him to a rehab centre. Nine years later he is free of his demons and ready to offer a helping hand to...

From the Tigers on the eve of the millennium, to the building of the Cats dynasty. The Bombers on the precipice of the drug saga and then into the doghouse at the Bulldogs. Fourteen years after his first role as an assistant, McCartney was finally given the keys to the top job. Three seasons, twenty wins and one departed captain later and he was forced to hand them back. Two years later the Bulldogs broke a 62-year premiership drought. So where did it go wrong for Brendan McCartney? For...

After sixty three games in eleven years, ‘Chicken’ Nixon hung up the boots and seemingly walked away from the game in 1993. Almost twenty years later he was voted the fourth most influential football person of the past decade. Fast forward a handful more years and in 2011 he was given a two-year suspension and left the player management game. You know the story from the papers perspective, ‘the super agent who fell from grace’, but what about the story from the man himself?  For information...

Join Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane for a sneak peek of the award winning podcast series SACKED Season 2.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the man Tom Hafey coined the 'bloody back-pocket plumber' to arguably the greatest coach of all time. Kevin Sheedy's impact on Australian Rules Football is immense, as is his quirky personality and incredible story. Three premierships as a player, four as a coach and a first class AFL Hall of Famer. But behind the cups and confetti lies a tale of dodged bullets, career saving moves, hard calls and lucrative deals to trade in his red and black sash for enemy colours.

The moment Tony Shaw lifted the Magpies drought breaking premiership cup aloft in 1990 he cemented his place as a black and white legend. But could the favourite son lead the Magpies to another flag, this time from the coaching box? The answer came swiftly and cruelly as Shaw had his wings clipped after just four years at the helm. He reveals the truth behind his departure, the Pies attempted Damian Drum coup that left him fuming, the barbecue meeting that saw Tom Hafey sacked, Nathan...

'Spud' Frawley was the potato farmer turned St Kilda legend. But in 2000, the Saints Hall of Fame inductee traded his halo for yellow and black stripes as he took on the Richmond top job. While he ultimately fell victim to the Tigers revolving coaching door in 2004, Frawley knew his days were numbered all the way back in 2001. In a cruel twist of fate, his coaching peak was also the first sign of his eventual demise.

Mark 'Choco' Williams might have his knockers, but there is no denying he saw history in the making through his twelve year tenure at the Power. He lifts the lid on the 04' flag, the 'mutual' parting that was anything but, the payment backflip that left him stumped and the numerous top jobs which have slipped through his fingers.

After an unceremonious ending to his black and white days, Malthouse took on the the Carlton job with a simple goal at task. Restore the Navy Blues to their former glory and crest the coaching 'Everest' he felt he fell short of at Collingwood. What followed is now history, but it turns out the scriptwriters on Malthouse's Carlton years missed a few key chapters.