The Media "Egg on Face Award"

[Beasley]

How quickly things can change as we enjoy some long awaited success from our team.

However, I find it very difficult to forget how many in the media turned against our club last year. It was great to watch Hutchy get stuck into Mathew Lloyd this morning about his public dismissal of our club ....... and he still tried to deflect any acceptance that he was wrong by saying we wont make the finals. Pathetic!

It made me wonder about how many others of the media would not have egg on their face. Lets expose them here with what they said at the time and create the "Media Egg on Face Award".

A big contender would have to be Damian Barrett ........ didnt he call our club "irrelevant"?

 

[hoianbulldog]

I don't think it's reasonable to say that the media has egg on their face because of their opinions last year. We were s**t and they reported it.

There are a few like lloyd who will never show us respect but who really give a toss.

 

[Mattdougie]

I'm happy to admit when Lloyd ripped his Hammy of the bone against us I stood up and clapped, the only time I've ever done that for an injury but I simply hate the man and I don't use that word lightly.

Cheating a$$hole I have zero time for

 

[immortalmike]

Cringeworthy thread...
What was reported last year was what many of our own supporters thought. In fact I partially still agree with Lloyd that we may fade and miss finals. Such is life with an incredibly young side.

 

[Beasley]

Cringeworthy thread...
What was reported last year was what many of our own supporters thought. In fact I partially still agree with Lloyd that we may fade and miss finals. Such is life with an incredibly young side.

Lighten up and take your grump head off ... this was meant to be a bit of fun to highlight the regular media people that love shooting bullets at our club and seeing how many actually swallow their pride.

For example ..... have a listen to Rohan Connelley on SEN today.

listen to this on Audioboo

 

[compact72]

I'm happy to admit when Lloyd ripped his Hammy of the bone against us I stood up and clapped, the only time I've ever done that for an injury but I simply hate the man and I don't use that word lightly.

Cheating a$$hole I have zero time for

Cheating a$$hole?

Must be an Essendon

 

[Astro_]

Signs are good, however the season is young.

Lets not get ahead of ourselves hey. History shows we aren't exactly the most successful team running around, so lets not define starting the season 4-1 as groundbreaking.

Cracking start though.

 

[immortalmike]

Lighten up and take your grump head off ... this was meant to be a bit of fun to highlight the regular media people that love shooting bullets at our club and seeing how many actually swallow their pride.

For example ..... have a listen to Rohan Connelley on SEN today.

listen to this on Audioboo

Why not just do it in the designated media thread as many already are?
This thread might look silly in a couple of months, we're a young side, forget the talking heads for now and enjoy the ride.

 

[St 07]

Hardly a silly thread. The media absolutely tore us to pieces over the last six months. And Barrett himself was at the veritable forefront of that vitriol. Just because you don't happen to read the articles, or watch the television shows, don't dismiss the treatment we received... We were downed dogs being kicked over and over.

A comeuppance of the highest order has already played out and is incredibly satisfying to witness and be a part of.

 

[GOAUS!]

Needs more Greg Denholm. KB will no doubt get stuck into him about it later on this week.

 

[PuzzledfromParkville]

I'm happy to admit when Lloyd ripped his Hammy of the bone against us I stood up and clapped, the only time I've ever done that for an injury but I simply hate the man and I don't use that word lightly.

Cheating a$$hole I have zero time for

Must admit. I did too. Also yelled Lloydy in a girlish voice

 

[PuzzledfromParkville]

Hardly a silly thread. The media absolutely tore us to pieces over the last six months. And Barrett himself was at the veritable forefront of that vitriol. Just because you don't happen to read the articles, or watch the television shows, don't dismiss the treatment we received... We were downed dogs being kicked over and over.

A comeuppance of the highest order has already played out and is incredibly satisfying to witness and be a part of.

Media also tore us apart not taking into account how good the kids we had assembled and made the Boud trade look like the holocaust.

I reckon the thread is fair and even if we fade we should be enjoying the good times

 

[grassman75]

This is the reason I tweet out after every win "are we relevent yet?" Isn't tat right BRG93

I know it is starting to annoy some people, but until those like Barrett and co acknowledge that they really do have no idea then I will continue

 

[_Mike_]

I'm happy to admit when Lloyd ripped his Hammy of the bone against us I stood up and clapped, the only time I've ever done that for an injury but I simply hate the man and I don't use that word lightly.

Cheating a$$hole I have zero time for

I knew him as a kid growing up in Avondale Heights, played footy with his older brother Simon. Matthew was a flog then and still is now.. I'm, just disappointed that we didnt rough him up hard enough in those young years..

 

[Bont2Bruce]

We were largely irrelevant to the rest of the competition during 2014, in much the same way as Brisbane and Carlton will be during 2015.

If the media had continued to ignore us in the same way that the AFL fixture does, then I would have a problem with that - but the bandwagon is pretty full right now.

I don't have a problem with journalists having the opinion that we were a waste of space last year, because we were bad and then fell into an off-season chasm before Peter Gordon and the team did an amazing job at resurrecting our fortunes, appointing Beveridge, etc.

 

[Cudi]

Needs more Greg Denholm. KB will no doubt get stuck into him about it later on this week.

The man who said Robert Murphy was a silly choice as captain. This thread is a good thread alone just to have that mentioned again.

 

[Morris Major]

until those like Barrett and co acknowledge that they really do have no idea then I will continue

They're well informed and they know exactly what they're doing.

Considering the off-season, the doomsday message was what would sell papers and get people reading, so they wrote that. These people are far from 'having no idea', they're just dishing out whatever they think is most marketable. The vast majority of the football world thought we were going to have a poor 2015, why not go with the majority line? I'd have done the same, not everyone loves the club and are as optimistic as we are.

I wouldn't speak so loud just yet and call out journos just because they said a few mean things about us.

 

[hutchy31]

The problem with the footy media in general is that there are never average teams, just bad ones lurching into crisis or potentially great teams on the way up. While it's crap that the dogs were written off as irrelevant, it's equally cringeworthy that they're now on the bandwagon and we'll be 12-3 in a few months.

Yes, we now have a chance of making finals but we're not all of a sudden a flag contender. Anything above 10 wins is a great year imo, if that brings finals then great - if not we'll have libba back, another preseason into the kids and maybe a big free agent and let's go next year.

 

[paul scholes]

I found it really hurtful for our club and its stakeholders ( us) when the club was labelled irrelevant . It was bandied around to often last season, and now the parasites want row 1 seat A on the bandwagon .
I say F*** off

 

[lica23]

Just thought I'd leave this opinion piece here, feedback encouraged! Hope you enjoy it. Pretty big egg I reckon.

A Boo for Barrett

This isn’t a boo for Goodes. This isn’t a boo for Boomer. This is a boo for Barrett.

It seems those commenting on AFL issues can say whatever they want without being held responsible for their opinions. Journalists like Mark Robinson, upfront and hard-hitting, who tackle the toughest topics in footy and admit their mistakes keeping their credibility in tact, are hard to come by. If the integrity of AFL is to be maintained, journalists need to report with a sense of plausibility and accountability that reflects the game’s integrity and pride.

The Australian public admire accountability in journalists. Above all else, beyond entertaining their audience, journalists are responsible for informing and educating the public with plausible ideas, in fields they’re experts in. Presumably, for Damian Barrett, this is AFL. We encourage and admire contentious discussion that generates debate – not nonsense. We don’t encourage journalists to opportunistically take advantage of massive occurrences in our great game, to put their ridiculous ideas in the spotlight to generate attention. We don’t encourage journalists shooting non-sensical sh** at the wall to see what sticks. It seems journalists can be blatantly wrong and move on without being responsible for their opinions – without apologising, without taking it back as they should. This reflects poorly on the individual journalist, the AFL media as a whole, and our beloved game.

During the week, Damian Barrett wrote an article in the lead up to Boomer’s 400th game. While it made some decent points and touched on the loyalty owed to Brent Harvey by North Melbourne, Barrett joined the group of journalists opportunistically speculating about Brent Harvey’s playing future, tarnishing the lead up to a brilliant and historical milestone. Damian Barrett can pose that…”Alastair Clarkson and the Hawks seriously asked him the question three seasons ago, and would almost certainly do so again…” but not without considering why, as any respectable journalist should.

Let’s look beyond the fact that the next day Brent Harvey came out stating he wouldn’t play at another club. Let’s look beyond the potential salary cap ramifications for the Hawks. Let’s assess the degree of football understanding behind this comment. Let’s assess, why on earth Damien Barrett thinks Hawthorn would seriously ask the same question three years later.

At the end of 2009, Hawthorn tabled an offer to Josh Kennedy who opted to leave to the Sydney Swans. While his grandfather John Kennedy Sr. was a legend for the Hawks, the strong family ties were not enough to keep Josh Kennedy at the club – one of the reasons being that around the likes of Hodge, Sewell, Lewis and even Sam Mitchell (as big of a surprise as that may be to Wayne Carey), Josh Kennedy’s opportunities to break into the best 22 were somewhat limited. Now one of the most prominent midfielders in the league, Josh Kennedy serves as a reminder to Hawthorn, of just how important giving opportunities to young footballers is.

Hawthorn’s ageing list is in a remarkably different position now to what it was 3 years ago. Will Langford, Jonathan Simpkin, Jed Anderson, Billy Hartung, Jonathan O’Rourke, Brendan Whitecross and Alex Woodward are all on the fringe of playing senior footy consistently over the next couple of years. So in assessing why Damien Barrett comments that Hawthorn would again “seriously” consider a 38-year-old for its ageing list; I wonder whether he gave it any proper thought or merely interviewed a 6 year old wearing gold-and-brown at his local Auskick clinic.

Can Damian Barrett not see that playing Brent Harvey ahead of the younger players on the list would open Hawthorn up to losing them, in a similar fashion to Josh Kennedy in 2009? Can Damian Barrett not see that in the last 3 years Hawthorn have won 2 premierships and are in a markedly different position to what they were then? Can Damian Barrett not see, that if Hawthorn wants another player at the club it would be someone who is a better fit than Brent Harvey at 38? Can Damian Barrett not see, that it isn’t 2007 and Hawthorn doesn’t need a Stuart Dew?

Hawthorn has averaged 116 points this year, the most of any club, boasting one of (if not the) the most damaging forward lines in the league. With small forwards Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo, is Boomer seriously required? With the outside run provided from Isaac Smith, Bradley Hill, Shaun Burgoyne, Liam Shiels and Billy Hartung, the only thing for Hawthorn to seriously consider is how quickly to dismiss Barrett’s claim.

A professional AFL journalist should be able to. Boomer is a gun, and Barrett is a professional. But for someone who’s Twitter account regularly holds the AFL tribunal accountable for mistakes, he’s a big pot calling the kettle black. He has a responsibility to inform and educate his audience, not deal out this sort of rubbish. His comment was outright ridiculous. I feel for the 60-70 year old men who love their footy, read that, took it to their discussions at the local pub and got laughed at by those who were exposed to high quality insightful commentary over the course of the week; such as Dermott Brereton discussing the tactics of Fremantle’s midfield positioning and how other teams have combatted this over the course of the year.

Damian Barrett, I’ll never be able to listen to anything you say, or read anything you write without cringing. Maybe that’s just because I see you as a shock-jock with access to some industry sources and thousands of misled followers on Twitter. There are people out there who are good at what they do, are professionals and experts in one field or another. If you’re a professional, be one. Put forward your plausible opinions; keep the ridiculous conspiracies to yourself. When you’re wrong, take it back.

If Hawthorn want Brent Harvey, it’s so that he can sit down and have a cup of tea and a nostalgic chat with 86 year old John Kennedy Snr - about how the game’s changed from their time to now, and have a good laugh at the sensationalist fodder published in the media that journalists get away with.

Nighthawk out.

 

[Struggle]

Cameron ******* Ling

 

[Butane]

'Robert Murphy is very lucky to be on an AFL list' - Greg Denham on SEN during the off season discussing the Western Bulldogs new captain.

It's as if he hasn't seen Robert Murphy play in 5 years and just assumed he was old. What a dill.

 

[go you pups]

Needs more Greg Denholm. KB will no doubt get stuck into him about it later on this week.

I love listening to KB drill into him, Denham is very narrow minded

 

[go you pups]

lica23 post that on the Norf board or in a media thread on footy fourth estate, you may find plenty of differing opinions there on Barrett and more well-rounded opinions on him.

Not having a go at you, it was a good piece but I'm not sure your post offers much value to this discussion to be honest as there's no Bulldog angle there. This is our thread sticking it up to the negative numpties who completely wrote off a team who hadnt bothered factoring in things at all like the players who happened to beat your reserve team last year as possible candidates to improve the team, or that a heap of bad eggs (excluding Cooney) who wouldn't take the club any further had left for the greater good. That's the type of angle we are looking for.

Keep up your criticism and opinions of these individuals however, they need to be made accountable and like you say, transparency and accountability are qualities that are admired in journalists. I take great pleasure in working out the good to the over opinionated to the biased to the plain bad. I took down an AFL.com.au journo the other week called Nathan "Schmuck" Schmook in our main media thread for his obvious bias towards St Kilda that went well under the radar unnoticed.

 

[paul scholes]

The media swing in the breeze, and let's be honest we had a severe stench last October.