- Footy Classified may not be screened on Tuesday night
- Broadcaster also looking at last-minute hosting switch
Channel Nine’s Footy Classified show could reportedly be pulled from the air on Tuesday night after three of the show’s panel stars sensationally defected to Channel Seven ahead of the 2025 AFL season.
It would be a bombshell decision from the free-to-air network ahead of the grand final on Saturday between the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions – with ‘crisis talks’ between network executives to determine the best course of action.
Former Port Adelaide premiership-winner Kane Cornes, veteran journalist Caroline Wilson and media identity Craig Hutchison will all jump ship, with the latter to use his TV production company to aid Seven’s footy programming.
The trio were set to preview the AFL decider with Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd.
Lloyd is set to be frustrated at the situation, telling 3AW Radio on Monday night: ‘I’m bitterly disappointed, but no one is bigger than the show.’
Footy Classified was rescheduled for Tuesday this week following the staging of the Brownlow Medal on Monday.
According to News Corp, the likes of Eddie McGuire, Geelong great Jimmy Bartel and footy reporter Damian Barrett have been told to be on standby as the broadcaster examines its options.
Hutchison – along with Wilson – was one of the original panellists on Footy Classified, now in its 18th season.
Channel Nine’s Footy Classified could be pulled from the air on Tuesday after stars Caroline Wilson, Craig Hutchison and Kane Cornes (pictured left to right) defected to Channel Seven ahead of the 2025 AFL season
The trio were set to preview the AFL grand final with Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd (pictured), who told 3AW Radio he is ‘bitterly disappointed, but no one is bigger than the show’
The likes of Eddie McGuire (pictured with wife Carla), Geelong great Jimmy Bartel and footy reporter Damian Barrett have been told to be on standby on Tuesday
Cornes, who is known for his outspoken views, announced his switch in August.
He ruffled a few feathers at Seven before even starting at the network following his recent brutal takedown of Richmond legend Trent Cotchin.
‘It [criticism] got back to me,’ Cornes said on the Howie Games podcast.
‘They [Seven] were really, really upset by it (the segment parodying Trent Cotchin).
‘That made me feel a little bit guilty.’
It came after Cornes made a now infamous video where he mocked Cotchin’s delivery on camera in his new role as an AFL analyst.
‘We just sort of walked in on the Sunday and I’d seen this Trent Cotchin video. I thought it was an average product, to be completely honest,’ he explained.
‘Yes, Trent is new (to the media), I personally wouldn’t have put that on social media after seeing what it was, so I think they [producers] let Trent down by doing that.
‘Sometimes we take the mickey out of each other, so I thought is there anything we can do with this Cotchin video? I didn’t really rate the video.
‘We put our brains together… and we said, well why don’t we film you (Kane) in a similar style, let’s find the most boring piece of play for the year and let’s recreate what happened.
‘I think I said to Matt (our producer), is this out of line? Is this too nasty? And the consensus was ‘nah, it was a bit of fun.
‘Would it have been hard for Trent to look at? Possibly. Do I regret doing it? No. I would do it again.’
