AFL legend Nathan Burke has copped a fair bit of criticism after he called a part of Melbourne ‘the great unwashed.’
Burke was speaking of his journey into the MCG on ABC as Richmond took on North Melbourne on Sunday.
And it seemed that the former St Kilda man was less than happy with the company he had on his commute.
During the broadcast he joked about those who were on the train with him, but he wasn’t going to be allowed to get away with his barb at the people of Frankston.
Listeners were quick to fire back at the 56-year-old, with many of the responses read out by his co-hosts.
For the most part, all of the back and forth between Burke and the listeners was in good nature.
Nathan Burke has copped a fair bit of good natured stick for calling the people on the Frankston line the ‘great unwashed’
Despite his barb at the train line, Burke did go on to say he was born and raised in Frankston and does actually love the place
‘Alright, so soothing on the train on the Frankston line,’ Joel Peterson started.
That provided the perfect set up for Burke to take his swipe at Frankston, ‘Just calming, travelling in with the great unwashed, I just calmed myself down,’ he said.
That drew a round of uncomfortable laughter as Peterson responded, ‘Jeepers’ while Lauren Bordin could be seen with her face in her hands as she turned away from the cameras.
‘Here we were thinking you were levelling with the good people of the Frankston line, and you’ve just gone and clipped them,’ Peterson responded.
‘I can already see the complaints coming through,’ Bordin added.
But none of that stopped Burke as he continued, ‘I am one of them, I am right in the middle,’ he said.
Marc Murphy who was also in the commentary booth told his co-hosts he would be watching the computer and told listeners to send their texts in.
It didn’t take long for Burke to cop it from those on the Frankston line as the texts came flooding in.
But before they could be read out, the former Western Bulldogs coach showed no fear saying, ‘I will see them on the way home.’
‘Nathan quickly eroding his man of the people tag. Residents of Moe-by-the-Sea not impressed, and I can say that being a Moe boy by birth,’ one listener wrote in.
Burkey was then given a chance to rebut, ‘What’s Moe got to do with the Frankston line,’ he asked, as he was told that Moe-by-the-Sea is Frankston.
And he eventually relented, saying, ‘Frankston is a wonderful spot. I grew up in Frankston, love it.
‘I coached local football down there, still do.’
And there was still time for one more response as someone wrote in that their husband rides the Frankston line and has all his teeth, so they are unsure the Frankston line is the ‘great unwashed.’
