AFL Mediawatch

[Father Jack]

One thing that always annoys me with journo's is when they use the odd fact or figure in their articles and then go and get it wrong. If they can't be bothered to make sure the easily-checked parts of their stories are correct, how do they expect us to believe the rest of what they write?

Here's an excerpt from an article by Tim Lane in yesterday's Age. I think we must have been watching different Grand Finals in the early part of the decade.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/for-greatness-you-need-4/2008/06/07/1212259176737.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

THE MALTHOUSE YEARS
Footscray: 1984-89, 135 games (67 wins, 66 losses, 2 draws) at 49.2%, best finish 3rd in 1985.
West Coast: 1990-99, 243 games (156 wins, 85 losses, 2 draws) at 65.8%, best finish 1st - 2 premierships in 1992, '94.
Collingwood: 2000-07, 186 games (92 wins, 94 losses) at 48.8%, best finish 2nd in 2001, '02.
TOTAL: 1984-2007, 564 (315 wins, 245 losses, 4 draws) at 56%.

I often find mistakes in articles, and I like nothing better than to point them out, so i think I might start doing so here from now on.

[Lenny29]

Where's the error?

WCE won flags in 92 and 94...

[cfc4life]

Collingwood came second in 02 and 03 not 01

[A Living God]

Where's the error?

WCE won flags in 92 and 94...
Not much of a Collingwood supporter are you?
Collingwood played in the 03 not the 01 grand final.

[Father Jack]

I can understand why a Collingwood supporter would want to expunge the '03 GF from memory. I've done it with the ... well, there was one in the early nineties that I have forgotten about. I forget which one.

[Strawbs]

Interesting article though. At least he put his cods on the line, giving an opinion about Malthouse. Few journos would be prepared to say that two flags in that many years is not a super record - which is true when you consider that he did coach a virtual state team. He's certainly got plenty of currency from them.

[Lenny29]

That's why I don't drink much anymore, I'm shithouse at general life the morning after. ;)

I read "earlier in the decade" as early 90s, for some reason. Odd.

But yeah, I don't remember an '03 GF performance from the Pies anyway. :P