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 concerns over physical advantages. She describes lacking support from sporting organizations and facing restrictions despite lowering testosterone levels. Mouncey shares her perspective on blanket bans against transgender athletes and argues they should be allowed to compete after proper hormone therapy. She emphasises hard work over natural talent and says trans athletes are not successful merely for being trans. Mouncey remains hopeful her advocacy will have a positive impact on trans rights.

Timestamps:
00:15 - Mouncey shares when she first realized she was transgender
10:34 - She describes coming out to her mom and transitioning
18:45 - Mouncey recounts trying out for the AFLW draft
32:12 - She argues against blanket bans on trans athletes
42:34 - Mouncey talks about continuing to advocate for trans rights

Mouncey shares a powerful first-hand account of the challenges facing trans athletes. Tune in to hear her unique perspective.

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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 side after being traded, and what ultimately led him to walk away from footy at just 25.

Key Takeaways:

2:30 - On being drafted to Collingwood as an 18-year-old and living the dream his first year, including winning a Rising Star award.

8:00 - Getting caught placing bets on Collingwood games, resulting in a long suspension.

15:30 - Being abruptly traded from Collingwood to North Melbourne after just two seasons.

21:00 - Struggling at North as the losses piled up and scrutiny intensified.

27:00 - Getting injured after drunkenly crashing his bike down the stairs.

32:00 - Losing his passion for footy and deciding to retire at just 25 years old.

37:00 - Reflecting on his short AFL career and the challenges of transitioning to a "normal" job.

Don't miss this raw and unfiltered look into the real world of an AFL footballer. Tune in to hear Jaidyn's incredible story in his own words.

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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-minute cash delivery from John Elliott allowed Williams to take the field in round 1, 1992. Williams also shares techniques that helped make him one of the game's best ball-getters and handballers.

Key Moments:

2:30 - Getting rejected by Carlton as a teenager
7:20 - Transferring from Geelong to Sydney Swans
16:30 - Controversy with umpire John Russo and the Brownlow Medal in 1993
24:45 - Joining Carlton and run-ins with John Elliott
32:20 - Winning the 1995 premiership and Norm Smith medal
44:30 - Getting suspended after pushing umpire Andrew Coates
56:00 - Battling memory loss from concussions
1:05:00 - Williams' kicking tips and techniques

Don't miss this chance to go inside the mind of an AFL legend. Listen to the full episode now to hear Diesel's incredible story!

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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 injections and didn't realize the trouble it would cause. He talks about the constant "groundhog day" of having to face the media scrutiny, Jobe Watson's incredible leadership through the crisis, and the "devastation" of ultimately being banned for a year.

The big-hearted country boy also shares the setbacks and rejections he faced early in his career, moving to Melbourne and staying in a "terrible" hostel to chase his AFL dream, his special bond with coach Brendan McCartney, and how he managed to still perform on the field despite the mental toll of the saga.

Crameri's story is one of resilience and perspective. This is an insightful look into one of footy's most tumultuous chapters.

[00:02:30] Early career rejections and persistence to make the AFL
[00:08:00] Arrival of James Hird lifts standards at Essendon
[00:15:30] Breakout season in 2011 after move to forward line
[00:23:00] Supplements saga begins to unfold
[00:33:00] Dealing with constant media scrutiny during 2013 season
[00:40:30] Shifting to Western Bulldogs for a fresh start
[00:50:00] Devastation of 12-month suspension ruling in 2016
[01:03:00] Watching the Bulldogs win the flag from sidelines 
[01:10:00] Life after footy and key takeaways

Crameri's story is one of resilience in the face of adversity. Be sure to listen to the full episode to get an insight into one of the AFL's most challenging chapters.

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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 is headed.

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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 premiership players.

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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 member of the Sunday Herald Sun team with his weekly Ando’s Shout.

Bruce ‘Beva’ Eva is a Saints tragic and has seen it all since he began on the Herald sports desk in the late ‘80s and has gone on to Inside Football, SEN and now, 3AW.

We share highlights from past episodes across all five seasons of Sacked: AFL.

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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 parliament.

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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 start in Sydney as an assistant at the Swans, as the right-hand of the man who couldn’t lie, Ron Barassi.

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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.

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