Eddie McGuire's son reveals the parts of his childhood that his famous father swore him to secrecy about
Xander, the eldest son of media icon Eddie, began his broadcasting career as a sports reporter for Channel Nine in 2022 after early acting and internship work.
In 2025 he moved to Channel Seven 's AFL coverage team, earning industry praise and awards like the Clinton Grybas Rising Star.
He has handled the slings and arrows of critics claiming his early success is the result of nepotism with class and is forging his own reputation as a media superstar in the making.
While his famous father was a media powerhouse, he was also the president of the most powerful AFL club in the country - Collingwood.
And now Xander has revealed that not only was he aware of secret meetings in his own house, he helped organise them.
McGuire (pictured with parents Eddie and Carla) says he helped set up recruitment pitches as a teenager during his father's Collingwood presidency
'I remember, I think it was in the year off, when all the Bombers players were out,' he told the Dos and D podcast.
'[Essendon defender] Michael Hurley came over and everyone gave him the full pitch in our living room.
'They had like, the PowerPoint up on the TV and everything.
'My brother and I had to set it up. Dad couldn't set it up cause he had no idea about tech.
'It was very out the back door and don't say anything.'
'That was exciting too because he was a gun. He obviously didn't come so the pitch must have been s**t.
'There was a lot of things going on like that where it was 'don't say anything to your mates', all through our childhood. A lot of player meetings and the like at our place.'
While many would think that it would have been tough to work around the insane schedule of someone as busy as 'Eddie Everywhere', Xander said the total opposite was true.
His father was jokingly given the nickname 'Eddie Everywhere' for his host of television commitments involving footy, The Footy Show and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire along with his role as Collingwood president.
But Xander said that never stopped his dad from being present for important family and individual moments.
'The workload was wild, he was on brekky radio every morning,' he said.
'You wouldn't see him around the house in the morning which was unreal.
'The stress that he would have brought into the equation, like if I can't find my school shoes, he would've blown his top over stuff like that.
'He's better than anyone at finding little pockets [of time],' he said.
'I could count on one hand, not even, the amount of times that I would have had an event, a cricket or footy match, something, and he couldn't have made it to it, when I would have wanted him to be there.
'Even when he would host Friday night footy for Fox, he would come home at 5pm for like an hour, find a way to come home and have dinner with us.
Xander started his media career at Channel Nine, where his father Eddie (pictured together) made a name for himself
'It was never a thing where I felt like I didn't get to see my old man for different parts of when I was growing up.'
You can tell the apple doesn't fall far from the tree watching Xander speak.
He has the same mannerisms, room presence, facial features, hairstyle and he might even have the same suit as his father Eddie.
It is something that doesn't escape him as he forges his own path in media.
'Even though I am following a similar trajectory ... but I've never seen it as [a situation where I have to] emulate what he did,' Xander said.
'It's a completely different game now.
'It's more of a perception thing, to be honest. I don't know what either of your dads did, but a lot of my friends' dads are lawyers, doctors, and they're studying medicine and law right now.
'They don't feel the pressure to emulate exactly what they've done.
'Obviously I want to be successful and if I could be as successful as my old man has been, that would be fantastic.
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Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
James Haskell hits back at Wallabies coach's reaction to controversial flashpoint that secured the Lions a series victory against Australia: 'That is utter c**p'
James Haskell and Mike Tindall believe Joe Schmidt has no reason to feel aggrieved by the contentious last-gasp decision that has overshadowed the British and Irish Lions ' 29-26 victory against Australia on Saturday afternoon. The Australia coach lashed out at officials and World Rugby over why the Lions match-winning try from Hugo Keenan was allowed to stand after Jac Morgan appeared to clear out Carlo Tizzano, while making contact with the Australian's neck. 'In a world of player welfare… It's what they are there to enforce. A player who dives off his feet and is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact,' Schmidt fumed after the match. Schmidt used World Rugby's Law 9.20 to justify his point, which states that players cannot enter a ruck and make contact with a player above the shoulder line. 'You just have to read Law 9.20, then listen to the referee's description and watch the vision. A player who dives off his feet, is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact - it's a tough one to take,' the coach, who has previously worked as a technical advisor for World Rugby, fumed. The incident has divided the rugby community, with Tindall and Haskell both arguing on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby Podcast, that Schmidt wouldn't be making the same claim had the coin flipped in the other direction. When asked by Alex Payne if Schmidt was right to feel aggrieved, Tindall replied, 'No. The pair then jointly said: 'Absolutely not.' Haskell then proceeded to deliver an impassioned rant about the comments, with the former Wasps and England star, claiming that the real foul was Tizzano's alleged 'dive' and that if they had penalised Morgan for the clear out, they 'may as well have just disbanded the whole game'. After Morgan made contact with Tizzano, the flanker appeared to fall backwards and has been blasted for an apperent 'dive' by some members of the English media. 'The only bit of foul play nonsense in that incident was that Australian player [Carlo Tizzano] diving,' Haskell said on the podcast. 'That should have been red carded, because that is utter c**p.' He then went on to delve into the technicalities of the incident, claiming World Rugby's current laws don't allow players to remove a jackler in any other manner than how Morgan pushed Tizzano away. 'I'm telling you now, there is no physical way to clear out a player who is that low over the ball, without... the only other way that you used to be able to do it is if you put your head underneath him and go head-on-head, because when you're that low over the ball you've got a small window... You've got to get your head underneath him. 'But if you can't get any space to do that, and it would be head-on-head because you just lead with your head, you have to hit where he hit. That was a clear out I did every game, every week for 20 years...' Summarising his point, Haskell, who toured with the Lions in 2017, said the game would have serious questions to answer had Morgan been penalised over the clear out. Haskell added: 'That is the only way to do it. Because if you come in at the side at an angle, you'd end up doing a croc roll. It is utter, utter b*******. It is people clutching at straws. When a player is over the ball so low, what we used to be taught to do is I come in and I put my hand on the ground underneath him and lead up with my hands and hit him. 'All of that was just a rugby thing and the only foul was the Australian diving.' While Haskell praised the Australia coach Joe Schmidt as a 'great bloke' he fumed at how Schmidt had 'the audacity' to question the decision. Tindall replied: 'Again, if he's on the other side of the coin, it's not even a debate. He's going: 'That's what the game is'.' Haskell isn't the only person to have slammed Tizzano following the incident. Writing in his column in The Telegraph, Oliver Brown, 'Stop moaning, Australia, your player dived.' 'Tizzano clearly milked the incident, collapsing with a melodrama that could easily have persuaded some officials to chalk off Keenan's try,' he added. Andy Farrell, meanwhile, praised Morgan for securing the ball so well. 'I thought it was a brilliant clear-out, didn't you?' the Lions coach said, before admitting: 'It depends on what side of the fence you come from.' However, the refereeing decision has left one ex-Wallabies star livid. Morgan Turinui, who won 20 caps for Australia, hit out at the officials over the contentious call. 'That decision is 100 per cent completely wrong,' he said. 'The referee got it wrong,' Turinui said after the game. 'His two assistant referees got it wrong.' He then explained that the referee needed to be brought before World Rugby's Match Official Manager, Joel Jutge. 'Joel Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain. But World Rugby cheif executive Alan Gilpin has claimed that they were standing by Piardi (left) and his team following the incident 'Dan Herbert, the chair of Australian rugby and if I'm Phil Waugh, the CEO, I'm sorry I'm asking for a please explain. 'He did have a good game, but the refereeing group, when it counted, got the match-defining decision completely wrong. 'It's a point of law. It's in black and white. It's not about bias. It's not about colouring. 'There's nothing there. Get away from the fact that it's a wrong call. It's a penalty sanction. It's not a yellow card. It happens. 'The try must be disallowed and we should be going one-all to Sydney.' But in a fresh turn of events, World Rugby has since made clear their stance on the matter, refuting Schmidt's claims before stating that they were throwing their support behind Piardi and his team of officials. World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin said: 'It is disappointing when the reaction is, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. So, that part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements (by Schmidt).'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
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Why Lions' top try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe is not getting a look-in under Andy Farrell
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Ahead of a final meeting with Australia on Saturday, it would appear more likely for Blair Kinghorn to replace James Lowe on the left wing than it would to see Van der Merwe in action. Hansen is also back in contention after injury and likely above him in the pecking order. As a player leading Scotland's all-time scoring list with 32 tries in 49 Tests, he will be remembered with great fondness whatever else happens in his career. But the past few weeks will have been difficult. Unforgiving context Van der Merwe's chances of a fast start were compromised by ankle ligament damage that required surgery in April and meant that the Lions' opener against Argentina was his first outing in almost three months. He looked understandably rusty because of that lay-off. His next game against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium represented a blend of dangerous running and positional uncertainty. Then, four days later, Van der Merwe was drafted onto the bench for a disjointed win over the Waratahs. 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Andy Farrell evidently wanted size in the back three and Van der Merwe was particularly impressive in Scotland's 27-13 victory over the Wallabies last November. He scored a trademark try out wide… …and burst through Australia from a hidden inside pass move: This was something the Lions attempted themselves from a goal-line drop-out in the first Test, with the Wallabies snuffing it out: Good work from Nick Champion de Crespigny to get across to Hugo Keenan: — Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) July 19, 2025 Indeed, with Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu certainties to tour, Farrell had scope to lean on the familiarity of a potent Scotland back line. Although modern wings men roam around the field, they tend to have a preferred side of the pitch that is dependent on factors such as their favoured foot to step off. Van der Merwe is a specialist left wing. Remarkably, according to All Rugby, he has only once worn a No 14 shirt in his professional career; in a Top 14 match for Montpellier against Racing 92 in 2017. In that respect, Van der Merwe was probably not competing against the unfortunate Darcy Graham for a place in the initial Lions squad. Graham, normally a right wing, could have been edged out by Hansen. Once the group assembled, Van der Merwe was up against James Lowe, a favourite of Farrell's from their time together with Ireland. Having started the past two Top 14 finals on the left wing for Toulouse, Kinghorn became another potential candidate for the 11 shirt. Van der Merwe needed to be at his most devastating. Pros and cons As early as the sixth minute against Argentina, there was a reminder of Van der Merwe's athleticism as he stepped off his left foot and carved through the Pumas: He flipped an overhead offload to Tommy Freeman a little later and slipped off a tackle early in the second half before linking with Bundee Aki: It is interesting to note that Van der Merwe has registered all five of his tries in Australia on the Lions left. Here against the Australia and New Zealand (AUNZ) invitational outfit, for instance, he is on hand to capitalise on the attack sparked by Hugo Keenan's quick line-out: Later in the same game, Van der Merwe caps his hat-trick on the end of a slick first-phase move that outflanks the defence: This try, against the Reds, was probably the most difficult finish and requires him to dot down in a tight space amid the attention of opposing full-back Jock Campbell: While it might be tempting to downplay this propensity for apparently easy tries, it is worth remembering that Lowe missed a similar chance against the Brumbies. As an outlet capable of surging into space, few are better than Van der Merwe. Scotland feed width readily to tap into that asset. Recent weeks have also showcased less assured areas of Van der Merwe's game. The Reds clearly targeted his back-field positioning. This Hunter Paisami cross-kick caused problems before Van der Merwe rescued himself… …and Kalani Thomas set up a try for Josh Flook with a grubber towards the same wing: Les Kiss, the Reds boss, also coached AUNZ in Adelaide. Forcing Van der Merwe to turn was a pillar of his strategy again, as suggested by Tane Edmed probing in behind from this early line-out: Van der Merwe loses his composure here and was fortunate that the ball bobbles into touch to give the Lions a line-out – the kick did not qualify for a 50:22 – because his actions would otherwise have conceded a five-metre scrum. As for kicking itself, a necessary skill for back three players, Van der Merwe is not a natural. Whereas Lowe's left boot has been predictably prominent, accounting for 416 metres from 11 kicks, Van der Merwe has hit a solitary strike all tour – after AUNZ had again found space in behind him: This tour, during which Andy Farrell has implemented systems reminiscent of those that characterise his Ireland team, has reinforced how coaches will back trusted individuals – and those who suit their methods – to deliver. Van der Merwe always faced a tricky task. Farrell's preferences Wings under Andy Farrell are granted licence to fizz around the field. While this table using data from Stats Perform is not bulletproof, because it is taken from multiple games and possession shares will have varied, it can broadly show us how much four Lions wings – Hansen, Tommy Freeman, James Lowe and Van der Merwe – have been around the ball. Hansen has been around the ball most, either carrying or hitting a ruck once every 2.8 minutes he has been on the field. Van der Merwe is fourth of the four: Freeman (15 defensive rucks across 390 minutes) and Hansen (13 defensive rucks in 270 minutes) have also grafted at the breakdown on the other side of the ball. This is not to say Van der Merwe has not come off his wing. The Lions have asked him to swing around from strike plays such as this one against the First Nations and Pasifika XV: However, with the best will in the world, it would be a surprise to see Van der Merwe set up a try like Beirne's in the second Test from first-receiver as Lowe did. The fact that Jamison Gibson-Park feeds Lowe rather than Keenan in the first place underscores their relationship: Kinghorn was off his wing and into the opposite 15-metre channel as soon as he had replaced Lowe. This cut-out pass to Keenan punctuated the first phase of the winning attack: Freeman, like Lowe adept at contesting high-balls, has continuously roamed. As pointed out by Kevin Millar, he burrowed into rucks on opposite touchlines in the build-up to Keenan's last-gasp try. It is not that Van der Merwe is incapable of this, just that others seem to do so more impulsively. Much earlier in the second Test, just beyond the half-hour mark with the Lions trailing 23-5, Lowe and Freeman contributed to a key moment. From a left-hand scrum, Bundee Aki attempts to launch Huw Jones but a flat tip-pass ricochets off Len Ikitau. Lowe reacts brilliantly and keeps the attack moving with a pass to Keenan, who sends Freeman charging into contact: A strong carry, with the help of Keenan's latch, ends up metres from the try-line and foreshadows Tom Curry's crucial finish. No doubt Lowe's awareness will have been heralded by the Lions coaches this week. What next? Van der Merwe's response to this tour will be intriguing. Graham and Kinghorn, one suspects, would be shoo-ins for any Scotland side. There is fierce competition developing for back-three spots, though. Kyle Steyn, exceptional in the air, is a reliable operator. Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Arron Reed all had bright moments on the summer tour. Besides Rowe and Ollie Smith, Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke could be considered as potential full-backs that shift Kinghorn to the wing. Van der Merwe will be eager to begin the 2025-26 campaign strongly for Edinburgh to assure himself of action over autumn fixtures against USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga. As with other Lions colleagues, how he moves on from the tour may be more significant than what has happened in Australia.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The AFL's most hardcore footy fan makes some VERY bizarre posts about footy heartthrob Bailey Smith
One of the AFL 's most hardcore footy fans has taken to social media to share several pictures with Geelong star Bailey Smith, including one very bizarre photoshopped image of the Cats midfielder. Troy 'Catman' West is one of the club's most recognisable supporters and is regularly seen at matches sporting some very exuberant costumes and elaborate makeup designs, depicting himself as a cat. The footy fan has taken to the social media platform Threads in recent months to share snaps of his life following the Cats. One of the pictures showed him tucking into a carton of cat food, as he looked to truly embody the life of a feline in homage to his beloved Geelong. Among the snaps was also a photoshopped image of Smith appearing to be flying like Superman over Melbourne's Marvel Stadium. The image showed a Geelong player who had Smith's face placed onto it, suspended in mid air, with the player raising both of their index fingers. A red cape was also cropped onto the image, akin to the red cloak Superman typically wears. The post also had the caption 'Up up and away, it's SuperBaz.' Catman has also published several snaps of himself posing with the Geelong fan favourite. In one image, he added the caption: 'When Bailey Smith takes your camera off you and takes a selfie. He's just the best!!' It comes after Catman has opened up a discussion with former Geelong star Sam Newman over whether the Cats should be allowed to play finals matches at home. The discussion comes amid concerns that Chris Scott's side has been denied the chance to play a finals match at home in recent years. Their last and only ever finals match at Kardinia Park was played back in 2013, where the Cats were beaten in a qualifying final by Fremantle. It is understood that a contract that requires finals matches taking place in Victoria in weeks one, two and three of the series to be played at the MCG. With Geelong currently sitting fourth in the ladder, the club could once again snag itself a home final this series. However, recent reports state that the Cats are 'increasingly resigned' to playing their home finals elsewhere. And while Newman suggested that 'home ground advantage was irrelevant' and that Geelong shouldn't worry about playing away from the GMHBA, Catman disagreed. He paid tribute to the footy star, writing in one post: 'When Bailey Smith takes your camera off you and takes a selfie!!! He's just the best' 'Of course we should,' he wrote, in an article published in The Geelong Advertiser. 'It's unfair and feels like we're being treated like the smaller country cousin,' he added. 'We are a powerhouse destination club and win games and deserve a fair system that treats all of us the same. Your home ground is your home ground.' Catman, meanwhile, recently took to social media to correct fans after he revealed he was covering up his Hindu symbol tattoo with a 'black sun'. Some on social media claimed that his Hindu symbol was a swastika, but the Geelong fan accused them of being ignorant, before explaining the symbol's real meaning. 'To the fwits saying I have/ had a Nazi tattoo design,' he wrote. 'Pardon your ignorance, but the swastika is a 3000-year-old ancient symbol and I was with the Hari Krishnas (sic) back in the 90s and my tattoo is Hindu and it means good fortune, good luck and good health. 'Only dumb, ignorant trolls think it's a Nazi symbol.' West, meanwhile, has some big links to the footy club through his father, Roy West. Roy played for the club between 1961 and 1964 before returning to play for Geelong in 1966 and 1967. He would make 108 appearances for the club as a fullback and win the 1963 flag with the side, while also being crowned the Cats' best and fairest in 1961.
