‘BT would be terrified’: AFL commentator on chopping block as rumours swirl
The departure of a longtime Channel 7 boss has reportedly put Brian Taylor’s AFL commentary gig in danger, making him “nervous”.
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Brian Taylor’s position as one of Channel 7’s leading AFL commentators could be under serious pressure after one of his biggest supporters lost his job.
Earlier this week, Seven’s head of network sport and Melbourne managing director Lewis Martin was one of several senior figures axed in a brutal clean-out.
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Industry veteran Kurt Burnette, who was the chief revenue officer, Melissa Hopkins, chief marketing and audience officer, were other senior staff to go.
The job cuts at Seven were described by media analyst Tim Burrowes as a “massacre” and symptomatic of widespread struggles in the Australian media and television industry.
The Herald Sun reports the surprise departure of Martin could put Taylor’s future as Seven’s main AFL commentator under threat.
Taylor was reportedly a favourite of Martin’s, and has been kept in the plum gig despite continued backlash to his commentary over the years.
“Lewis was the biggest supporter of BT of anyone by so far, he was BT’s guy,” one Seven insider told the Herald Sun.
“The most nervous bloke in the whole place will be BT.”
“BT would be terrified because he has upset a lot of people along the way,” another former Seven staffer said.
“They say be careful of the shoes you tread on, on the way up.
“Well those people he has trodden on are now going to be in charge. A lot of the producers work with him begrudgingly because Lewis says he is the guy.
“Now there is no one protecting him so I think he would be pretty scared of how life might play out.”
Taylor was once again trending on social media on Friday night for his commentary of Brisbane’s thrilling five-point win over Melbourne at the Gabba.
The Lions mounted a second half comeback and were pressing hard in the final quarter, despite some inaccurate goalkicking.
Melbourne didn’t score a goal for the entire fourth quarter, but Taylor was willing to predict the Dees would hang on to a slender lead with five minutes remaining.
“There is only five minutes left and I am thinking now, with a seven-point margin, I think Melbourne can hang on from here,” he said in commentary.
Luke Hodge replied: “Not in today’s football, BT!”
Brisbane’s Kai Lohmann and Hugh McCluggage proceeded to kick goals in quick succession to put the Lions in front and they held on to claim the win.
It comes a week after Taylor suggested Carlton’s Sam Walsh had initiated contact with the ground after being tackled by Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield
“Gee that almost looked like Paddy was trying to hold him up and Sam was trying to make contact with the ground,” Taylor said on Channel 7.
“But nevertheless I agree with the decision, dangerous tackle it was.”
The 62-year-old former Collingwood and Richmond forward has often been called out by fans over favourable comments in the direction of certain players while he has on multiple occasions been questioned over biased commentary when calling Collingwood games.
The current AFL TV rights deal ends this year, but Seven and Fox Footy will continue as broadcaster under the next deal through to 2031.
According to the Herald Sun, the contracts of commentators are linked to the rights, so while Taylor is expected to stay on, several big names could be on the way out at end of the 2024.
Taylor and James Brayshaw have been Seven’s lead AFL commentary pairing after legendary callers Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti stepped away from the microphone.
Taylor won the 1986 Coleman Medal for kicking 100 goals in a season, a milestone he recently admitted was achieved with some umpiring help.
He began his commentary career on radio in the 1990s and joined 3AW in 2010 before joining Triple M in 2015.
He started calling Saturday night games for Seven in 2012 and replaced the retiring Cometti in the primetime slots in 2017.
Seven’s AFL commentary line-up has undergone some recent change, with Wayne Carey axed, Daisy Pearce pursuing her AFLW coaching career with West Coast and Hamish McLachlan taking a leave of absence to spend time with his family overseas.
Hodge and Abbey Holmes are respected members of Seven’s commentary team, while Joel Selwood has joined as an expert commentator this year.
Footy fans will have more choice next season with Fox Footy to have their own sets of commentators at every game.
Currently, there are a handful of games only broadcast on Seven, including Friday night games, where Fox Footy is obliged to take Seven’s commentary.
Last week a petition was started on social media to have Taylor removed from the commentary box, with fans fed up with his allegedly biased and inaccurate commentary. It now has more than 2,600 signatures.
“My love for watching footy has always been intertwined with the thrill of a good game and insightful commentary. Unfortunately, the latter has been consistently marred by the presence of Brian Taylor,” the petition, launched by avid footy fan Kent Hodder, read.
“His biased viewpoints, lack of understanding of the rules, and overall incompetence have tarnished the enjoyment of countless games.
“His inability to fully comprehend and explain the rules causes confusion and casts doubt over his credibility.
“The role of a commentator is vital in providing accurate, unbiased, and insightful views to enhance the experience of watching the games and unfortunately, Brian Taylor is falling grossly short of this expectation.”
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