SACKED: AFL

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...

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 ye...

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...

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....

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...

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 B...

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...

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 full-back who toiled hard against the glamour full-forwards of the 1970s, Greg Miller's footy journey is as extensive as they come. Arriving at South Melbourne in 1972, Miller mustered 52 games for the Swans. For Miller his mark on football would be made in the office rather than the oval. In 1980 Miller became South Melbourne's recruiting officer, it was at this time that the VFL were look...

A gifted athlete with a tremendous leap, John Barnes landed at Essendon as a talented ruckman during the preseason of 1987. Hailing from Cobram in Victoria, Barnes, colourful and laidback, found it difficult to hold down a regular senior spot under Kevin Sheedy. By the end of 1991, Barnes was shown the door by the Bombers and his AFL career on the scrap heap. A lifeline from Geelong saw Barne...

A member of Hawthorn's golden era during the 1980s, Peter Schwab was a vital cog in the Hawk's machine. After 171 games and 3 premierships, Schwab turned his hand to coaching - first as an assistant with Richmond and then finally as a senior coach back at Glenferrie Oval. In this edition of Sacked, Schwab speaks out about the 2004 Line in the sand match between Hawthorn and Essendon, his playing j...

From his playing days with Richmond in the 1970's to coaching Melbourne in the 1990's and overseeing various footy departments throughout the 2000's, Neil Balme has seen and done it all. In this episode Balme reveals the formula to Richmond's golden era under Tom Hafey, his tumultuous sacking from Melbourne and how he became Football's Mr Fix-it. To listen to the podcast first, see galle...

Brenton Sanderson's sacking as Adelaide senior coach at the end of 2014 blindsighted the competition. A third year coach with a winning percentage above fifty, who only two years prior had led the Crows to a preliminary final was shown the door. In this episode Sanderson reveals his sliding door experience during the Bali bombings, how Geelong built a dynasty and his embarrassment follow...

At his time at AFL House, Andrew Demetriou presided over an era of enormous corporate growth and competition expansion. On the surface the Demetriou era was extraordinarily successful, but if you dig a little deeper scandals were never far from making headlines. In this episode Demetriou reflects on the drugs disgrace at Essendon, Jobe Watson's Brownlow Medal and the Melbourne tanking scandal.&nbs...

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League between 2003 and 2014, Andrew Demetriou's tenure as league boss was truly compelling. In this episode Demetriou opens up about the Carlton salary cap saga, the fall of Ben Cousins at West Coast and his remarkable ascent to power. To listen to the podcast first, see galleries, videos and read the stories behind SACKED: AFL, search Heral...

Jonathan Brown is entering the feed with the latest episode of Browny's Podcast, it was big day in the sunshine for the boys at Captain’s Day at Marvel Stadium with Max Gawn, Dylan Grimes, Patrick Cripps, Marcus Bontempelli, Ben McEvoy and Joel Selwood getting involved.  Search for Browny's Podcast wherever you're listening. Get involved with the Browny's Podcast Whatsapp group See omny...

What really happens when the axe falls in the AFL world? Some of the biggest names in the sport reveal the remarkable true stories of how they discovered their days were numbered and when the guillotine dropped. To listen to the podcast first, see galleries, videos and read the stories behind SACKED: AFL, search Herald Sun Subscription or download the Herald Sun app at your app store See omnystudi...

Search SACKED: Showbiz wherever you get your podcasts to hear from the people at the pointy end of some of the most sensational showbiz sackings. Here's a little taster with Sam Newman. Episode 2 with Derryn Hinch is out now, search SACKED: Showbiz wherever you podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With his father ill and living in Queensland, Dayne Beams would seek a trade to Brisbane at the conclusion of the 2014 season. The move to the Lions would see Beams assume the captaincy and become a leader for the young side. With all seeming well on the field, all was not well off it. Crushed by the loss of his father in early 2018 Beams' life would spiral out of control. In this episode Beams op...

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 success with Collingwood in just his second season. In this episode Beams opens up about the early years at Collingwood, his heartbreak of missing the 2011 Grand Fi...

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 appointed CEO of the oldest club in the competition - the Melbourne Football Club. Taking over when the club was on its knees Jackson would provide a st...

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...

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...

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 ga...

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 player...