John McGrath

[Croydon]

I am not certain if there has been any discussion about The West Australian's chief football writer to politics. But the next two weeks will be an important phase in the West's football team. McGrath, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the plum, Liberal seat of South Perth at the next State election. McGrath will be an enormous loss to the paper. He is the only journalist in WA to be widely respected by all areas of football. He has been at the West since the mid-1960s, during the time having been the paper's chief trotting writer, chief racing writer and sports editor. The Liberal party is expected to make its decision within a fortnight.

 

[eagleskickass]

NOOO dont let us lose QUALITY from the west, its already bad enough! Still for him i hope it works out, who would be likely to replace him?

 

[Croydon]

Good question. Probably Mark Duffield, who was brought back from Melbourne after a short stint at the Australian. Ross Lewis sees himself as a future chief football writer. But I don't think so.

 

[mick ryan]

Originally posted by Croydon
I am not certain if there has been any discussion about The West Australian's chief football writer to politics. But the next two weeks will be an important phase in the West's football team. McGrath, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the plum, Liberal seat of South Perth at the next State election. McGrath will be an enormous loss to the paper. He is the only journalist in WA to be widely respected by all areas of football. He has been at the West since the mid-1960s, during the time having been the paper's chief trotting writer, chief racing writer and sports editor. The Liberal party is expected to make its decision within a fortnight.

What are you, his Public Relations Officer??

How do you know he is the only journalist in WA to be widely respected by all areas of football? Go and ask Docker supporters what they think of him?

 

[Croydon]

No, not his public relations officer.
Sure some one-eyed supporters at the Dockers don't like McGrath.
But the overall respect he commands with his writings gives him more credibility than all of his paper's football writers put together.

 

[mick ryan]

Originally posted by Croydon
No, not his public relations officer.
Sure some one-eyed supporters at the Dockers don't like McGrath.
But the overall respect he commands with his writings gives him more credibility than all of his paper's football writers put together.

Overall respect he commands from who? That is at best an assumption on your part that you can not substantiate. As for more credibility than all his fellow football writers, he doesn't really have much to beat although I am sure Duffield and Wilson would get more than a laugh out of your statement.
McGrath is, in every way, a soft **** scribe and an unpaid Public Relations Officer for the WCE. If he has ever written an article that has been critical of the WCE I have yet to read it. Where was he when Cousins and Gardiner were more than friendly with their drug dealing mates? where was he when the rape controversy involving ( you no doubt know their names) was all the news? where was he when the Embley situation was conveniently dealth with?
It is common knowledge that when Malthouse was in charge your friend McGrath was absolutely **** scared to write anything that Mick didn't give the ok to. In fact he was so condescending it was an embarrassment so they sent him off to Melbourne to be their Victorian based writer.
As for the possibility of him being in Politics, he would be the perfect toe the party line insipid type that the Liberal Party loves. Bad luck if he was your local member, you could hardly expect him to stand up for you!
It's not only some one eyed Dockers supporters that don't like him.

 

[Croydon]

Okay, you made your point.
You must be pleased that Duffield will be the new chief football writer at the West.
Information coming from the West is that he was brought back from Melbourne to take the major job.
Even if McGrath is still at the West next year, he won't be the chief football writer.

 

[Freo Big Fella]

Originally posted by Croydon
Okay, you made your point.
You must be pleased that Duffield will be the new chief football writer at the West.
Information coming from the West is that he was brought back from Melbourne to take the major job.
Even if McGrath is still at the West next year, he won't be the chief football writer.

Good riddance. Lets have some impartiality for a change.

 

[ThePope]

Originally posted by Croydon
Okay, you made your point.
You must be pleased that Duffield will be the new chief football writer at the West.
Information coming from the West is that he was brought back from Melbourne to take the major job.

Just in time for the conflict of interest claims to come up when reporting about Freo and his nephew, Paul Duffield, who should be getting a game or two by then.

I thought Duff came back himself after trying to head up the Australian's AFL coverage, but they didn't like having a newcomer from the West incharge and went back to one of Rupert's long term employees.

 

[mick ryan]

Originally posted by Croydon
Okay, you made your point.
You must be pleased that Duffield will be the new chief football writer at the West.
Information coming from the West is that he was brought back from Melbourne to take the major job.
Even if McGrath is still at the West next year, he won't be the chief football writer.

No I am not necessarily pleased about Duffield in fact I don't particularly care who their Chief Football Writer is as I am not an ardent reader of the paper. In fact I think it is a sub standard parochial rag that too often takes its readers for granted.
If,as you say, McGrath wont be the CFW it could well be that he has been told that he will be endorsed as the Liberal candidate for the seat of South Perth and as such wont be able to do his job satisfactorily at The West.

 

[Croydon]

The last few replies have made valid point.
The West doesn't write the "hard" story. That is true. Most of the pieces are very soft.
But the addition of guest columnists is not a great move. Robert Walls, Dennis Commetti, Gary Hocking, Ben Allan are very weak in their predictions and "analysis".

 

[Croydon]

As the media reported yesterday, John McGrath gained the Liberal Party nomination for its Blue Ribbon seat of South Perth.
Now the scramble is on for the Chief Football Writer's job. There isn't much to chose from, but Mark Duffield will probably get it, as I understand he is the sport editor's pet.
McGrath has been told by the editor to resign and leave immediately. Usually, journos in McGrath's grade are to give 3-4 months notice, but the editor doesn't want any political baggage for the rest of the football season.

 

[mick ryan]

Inclined to agree with you Croydon re Duffield and the fact that there isn't much to choose from. Given that you introduced the topic and obviously have an interest, be it in McGrath's future or the goings on at the West, can you see anyone other than Duffield having a chance?

 

[coasting]

Think its time for some new blood. Get a journo straight out of uni or something.

 

[Croydon]

Originally posted by mick ryan
Inclined to agree with you Croydon re Duffield and the fact that there isn't much to choose from. Given that you introduced the topic and obviously have an interest, be it in McGrath's future or the goings on at the West, can you see anyone other than Duffield having a chance?

Ross Lewis possibly, though Craig O'Donoghue is a very prolific football writer at the paper.

 

[Croydon]

Originally posted by coasting
Think its time for some new blood. Get a journo straight out of uni or something.

Good idea, but I don't think it will happen. I have been told it is a closed shop there.