by Chris Jones has always had an eye for talent and for building relationships. As a cadet reporter with the newspapers of the leaders in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, he closed a friendship with a young local player, Sam Mitchell. He introduced Mitchell to his future wife. Her respective careers flourished and Jones was appointed last year in Seven West Media Director of Network Sport, with the mandate to revise his foot cover.
It is a change that is long overdue. Seven’s reporting has been pretty bad in recent years. The additions by Jason Bennett, Alister Nicholson and Matthew Hill-Lakteres probably the best racing owner of the world beads well. But all too often, her colleagues have returned to a funny, stunning prattle, to hyperventilate when nothing really happens, and to dose when someone pulls down the year of the year.
The production standards have also declined. Since they paid off well with the chances of the TV rights (and the former AFL managing director Gil Mclachlan played them like a harp), the Gastrundfunkers had to reduce the costs. It means dizzying camera work, directors who have never accepted the concept of enlargement, and a lonely analysis shows that this was a bit a snoozer.
Jones was hired to address that. One of the first things he did was to charge Kane Cornes for dinner and lure him from Channel Nine. An argument could be made that Cornes lies in the three most important characters in the game, perhaps only behind Andrew Dillon and Laura Kane. If you even consume a fraction of the foot media offered, you probably hear two voices over everyone else – the first is the Yahoo on the Sportsbet ads, and the second is Cornes.
Cornes is a split figure and a comfortable person to capture all the problems of sport. But much of what he does is excellent. His play-by-play analysis shows someone who does his homework and sees the game well. His columns show a good nose for news and the willingness to swim against the flood. He is not committed to anyone in the game, except perhaps his former coach Ken Hinkley, whom he worshiped. He found his niche, took his chance and showed his former players that a media career gives more than attracting close suits and picking splinters from their backs.
And yet. He seems to be really determined to empty everything that is pleasant and interesting about sport. To support a large part of his work is a certain contempt for the modern footballer, a pleasure for the players and coaches to run aground. He was an era in which they paid for their fees in an irreconcilable environment – physically, mentally and even financially – stiffened their fees, stiffened tendons. It is contemptuous of everything that results from it – hence his rather tedious obsession with the length of the contracts, with smiles and hugs after the siren and with its “top 10 spuds” or whatever the hot take -oven from the morning.
The new role of Cornes will test him. His audience will be less rusty than what he is used to. There will be more women, older fans and spectators who get into sports. His biggest challenge will be to achieve the right balance between positivity and negativity. He had no hand brakes on nine and sen. At seven, he has to be aware of his general responsibility towards sport-to promote him, not to find guilt in every game passage and perhaps show a little more reluctance when he talks about head strikes, long-term injuries, contract extensions or strange young players.
Craig Hutchison, another with a long-term professional and personal relationship with Jones, will produce a large part of Seven’s non-matching programs. The last thing we need are more of these shows. In view of the fact that Fox Footy now has a mortgage on Saturday games, Seven needs a new catch. Agenda seter, unfiltered, additional time, washing and Kane’s call all indicate a certain ceremony. But the hosts, discussion participants and defectors (or “list cloggers”, as Eddie McGuire called them) everyone brings something with seven and indeed fox footy taellists who are ready to pull out the neck, journalists who have the news agenda and the Former driving can play players who don’t just call it.
Jones was responsible for Seven’s cricket reporting and he did a good job. He promoted new voices, hired more women, watered down the red gentlemen and helped make cricket on the free television a far less grid experience. In this role he poached the right people, he has an appropriate budget and he has given every indication that the gastrund radio is actually up to the task. Channel Seven has treated his audience with contempt for too long. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.
The numbers crunch
Ken Hinkley will take over with Josh Carr in Port Adelaide at the end of the season, while Luke Beveridge, Matthew Nicks and Justin Longmuir are among the coaches who will face the greatest heat this year.
From the archives
The flood of injuries before the season is a memory of David Schwarz’s miserable happiness. In his absolute prime after a breakout season of 1994, he first tore his ACL in a scratch game that was played next to Albert Park Lake. He was removed in a Ute. He made one of the fastest restoration in the history of the knee injuries and tore them open again.
Nine months later, Schwarz returned to the Lavington Sports Ground near Albury in a reserve game. He changed the direction, heard his knee cracked and stumbled off, swored to retire and become a professional player. He also hit a corrugated iron exchange box and broke his hand. Black would return as “the ox” much more heavily and far less nimble, but he has released a solidly when checked career.
You said what?
The bombers this week added the 25-year-old striker of their list after impressed four goals in a camo appearance against the Western Bulldogs. The clubs have until Friday to complete their selection before the season.
View of the stands (or the couch)
“Ginbey’s incident must be viewed on Lalor. Lalor in such a vulnerable position and the ball player must be protected. A form of tunnels. “
Former Essendon Great Matthew Lloyd followed the social media platform X after Richmond No. 1 Draft Pick Sam Lalor was injured in a collision on Monday in a collision before the season in a marking competition with Reuben Ginbey. The young tiger was diagnosed with both a broken jaw and a concussion and is doubtful for the first round.
Footy Quiz
In which decade was the first VfL/AFL match on TV broadcast? Bonus point for the exact year.
Answers in the newsletter of the next week, but if you believe that you know, meet the answer and let me know!
Do you want more?
The fans have to move out for a subscription to see the live reporting on Saturday because the games leave a paywall this season, while more players are connected to the millionaire ‘club as a market for top-end talents.
Bobby Hill started four goals and Jy Simpkin ran widely in midfield when the indigenous people beat all stars of Fremantle in the optus stadium. The AFL boss Andrew Dillon, who was occupied by the success of the exhibition game, marked the possible return of the state of origin.
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