Veteran footy commentator Brian Taylor has fired a shot at Channel Seven by publicly criticising the amount of AFL TV shows that are currently on the airwaves.
Taylor, who played 140 games for Richmond and Collingwood between 1980 and 1990, believes fans could do without a third of the current shows on the air – including those on his own network, which has made a huge investment in AFL panel shows.
‘The last 10 years we’ve been saying, “Got any money to do a Sunday footy show or something” and they’ve been going “No, no there’s no money to be found”,’ Taylor said on the Life of Brian podcast.
‘All of a sudden we’ve got 15 shows, one every hour of the day. So it is bizarre, the competition is red hot, the AFL must be sitting back licking their lips and saying this is what we want.
‘Full blown coverage of the AFL can’t get any better than what it is right at this moment. It’s amazing.’
The comments come at a sensitive time for Seven, with the broadcaster heavily investing in AFL discussion shows this season as it airs The Agenda Setters, Unfiltered, Extra Time, Sunday Footy Feast, Kane’s Call and The Wash Up.
Brian Taylor has hit out at the amount of AFL TV shows that are currently on the airwaves
Taylor’s comments may have put him at odds with his employers at the Seven Network (Taylor is pictured second from left with the broadcaster’s AFL coverage team)
Fox is airing AFL 360, On The Couch and AFL Tonight, with Nine offering Footy Classified and The Sunday Footy Show.
Many footy fans have taken to social media to slam the shows for being too sensational and over the top in their coverage.
‘Flood the footy world with so many hot takes and discourse to get as many clicks and eyeballs on whatever product you’re pumping,’ one wrote.
‘Already super overexposed . People are already sick of his made up crap after a week,’ another wrote.
Taylor believes casual footy fans will get fed up with the oversaturation.
‘I would also think the appetite of the general football follower, not the person who absolutely can’t get enough of it, but the general go to a game every now and then supporter out there … I would say they’re going to be sick of it by halfway through the year,’ Taylor said.
‘I have no doubt that this is going to wear people out, people’s opinions on footy.
‘As was proven with Richmond and Carlton the other day, every expert that I know, I didn’t hear anyone tip Richmond, but they all tipped Carlton by 40 or 50 points.
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‘It just shows you the experts are guessing, we are all guessing. So all of these shows, it’s not fact, it’s just subjective guessing. And that’s all it is.’
Kane Cornes, who recently defected from Nine to Seven, didn’t take long to fire back at Taylor.
‘What about podcasts?’ he cheekily posted on X.
One of Cornes followers felt that the Port Adelaide great had crossed a line with the remark, replying: ‘Taking digs at your coworkers is low Kane’.
Cornes replied: ‘Is it? I disagree with Hutchy and Caro every week. Love them both dearly.’
Earlier in the week, Channel 9 reporter Damien Barrett took a light-hearted shot at Cornes about taking a skit from Nine’s Footy Show to Seven.
Barrett’s remarks caught the ire of Channel 7 pundit Nick Riewoldt, who graded the Channel 9 broadcaster’s segment a C.
Riewoldt then took a swipe at Nine’s Tony Jones, and the rest of Nine’s punditry team, suggesting they had ‘no credibility’ after they did not criticise the TV star over his taunts towards Novak Djokovic at this summer’s Australian Open.
‘So they get a C for comedy gold, they get a C for class and maybe a C for credibility,’ Riewoldt said.
‘Because if you don’t go after one of your own who caused a global diplomatic incident then don’t come after our man,’ he added, making reference to Jones’ controversial comments at the Australian Open.
Jones had caused outraged this summer after appearing to mock Djokovic and a group of Serbian fans while he appeared on a live broadcast of the tournament at Melbourne Park.
‘Novak’s overrated. Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out… Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me,’ he had said, as a group of Serbian fans celebrated behind him.
Outraged by the comments, Djokovic branded Jones disrespectful over the incident, with the TV star being forced to issue a public apology to the Serbian tennis great.
Responding to Riewoldt’s comments, Craig Hutchison also took a swipe at Barrett, turning to Cornes before saying: ‘Still relying on you for ratings aren’t they?’
‘It’s a bit of an obsession wasn’t there,’ Kornes replied.
