Three of 7NEWS’ footy reporters are pulling back the curtain on AFL’s biggest headlines with a new LiSTNR podcast exploring how breaking stories come together.
The Breakers, hosted by Mitch Cleary, Xander McGuire and Tom Morris, launched this week as a six-episode series, giving listeners an inside look at the world of AFL journalism.
The podcast explores how reporters verify information, develop sources and decide when a story is ready to publish — as well as the competition, pressure and personalities behind one of Australia’s most closely followed media beats.
And the first episode isn’t holding back.
The debut sees the trio unpack the story behind Tom Liberatore’s retirement, the reporting around Alastair Clarkson’s exit from North Melbourne and Tom Morris’ tense post-match interview with Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker.
Morris also reveals a mystery phone call he made to Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks before breaking a major story, while McGuire shares some of Cleary’s tactics for getting stories across the line.
The episode also tackles the competitive side of sports journalism, including who broke particular stories first and whether journalists should be the ones to break retirement news.
The series arrives as the AFL news cycle enters one of its busiest periods, with the finals, Grand Final week and post-season trade period all on the horizon.
Cleary brings more than 15 years of experience breaking footy stories, while McGuire features across Seven’s AFL and 7NEWS coverage. Morris joined Seven’s AFL and cricket coverage in 2026 after previously working across Fox Footy, Nine and SEN.
For McGuire, the podcast offers the reporters a chance to discuss the parts of their jobs that normally happen away from the cameras.
“We spend a lot of time chasing the next story so it’s pretty rare for us to get the chance to stop and talk about how the story actually came together,” McGuire said.
“The Breakers gives us the opportunity to unpack the calls, the decisions, and the process of how these stories are made.”
Southern Cross Media Group director of sport – TV, Audio and Streaming Chris Jones said there was a growing appetite from audiences to understand the journalism behind the stories they consume.
“There’s a huge appetite among footy fans to understand what happens behind the stories they consume, particularly as the AFL news cycle continues to move faster,” Jones said.
The podcast will also feature segments including ‘unintentional cutting’, ‘story time’, ‘nugget’ and ‘media performer of the week’.
The Breakers sits within the 7AFL podcast feed on LiSTNR alongside The Agenda Setters, exclusive interviews and other AFL content. Episodes are also being released on the 7AFL and 7NEWS Australia YouTube channels.
