Media Street: Latest news and moves in the AFL media world
The Perth Wildcats hadn’t missed an NBL playoffs for 35 years until last year and this season is going down a similar road. Could Craig Hutchison’s ownership be the reason?
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The locals are restless and they’re coming for media mogul Craig Hutchison. Hutchison’s company Sports Entertainment Group has endured a tough two seasons as majority owner of NBL team the Perth Wildcats and the passionate red army fanbase have turned up the heat.
The Wildcats missed the playoffs for the first time in 35 years last season in what was Hutchison’s first campaign as owner and now they’ve lost four games in a row and sit outside the top five during the early parts of the current NBL season. It prompted the headline “The Curse of Hutchy” on the back page of local rag ‘The West Australian’ on Thursday morning.
Wildcats supporters have demanded a review into what has gone wrong following the poor early season form and shrinking crowd numbers for the popular team.
“SEN and Hutchy have ruined what was the most successful team in NBL history,” Wildcats fan Anthony Guerriero wrote.
“They are not West Australians - they don’t know our passion for OUR team.”
Fans are also lamenting changes to the gameday experience after being told to stand and clap until the opposition scores - a move from prior tradition where fans would stand until their own team managed their first points of the game.
An online petition has been launched calling for a change in ownership but at the time of writing less than 200 had signed.
But despite the whingeing, Perth has still clearly produced the biggest crowds in the opening seven matches.
The season is still in its infancy but Hutchison might need more than a ‘Spin City’ to turn it around from here.
COULD FOOTY CLASSIFIED BE HEADED BACK TO THE FUTURE?
Hawthorn premiership hero Jordan Lewis has been earmarked as a possible replacement for Ross Lyon on Footy Classified.
Lewis has been a revelation on Fox Footy in the special comments chair as well as working across a number of the network’s programs including AFL 360.
His forthright opinions and elite analysis of the modern game is seen by Channel 9 as the perfect replacement for Lyon who left the Wednesday night show after two years to return to coaching St Kilda.
Lewis is at the top of a wish list of potential replacements although he would take some moving from Fox Footy where he’s thrived since retiring in 2019.
The midweek Footy Classified show is being rejigged after Lyon’s move and regular panellist Caroline Wilson’s decision to focus on the Monday night edition.
A number of different scenarios are being thrown around including shrinking the panel to just three and making it more news focused with host Eddie McGuire, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd and either Damian Barrett or Sam McClure in the third seat.
There is even a push to take it more down the entertainment route which former Footy Show host McGuire is always open to turning his hand to again.
The Monday night Footy Classified panel will return with the same line-up in 2023 with Craig Hutchison as host alongside Lloyd, Wilson and Kane Cornes.
WELCOME BACK BRIAN
Brian Lara’s love of Australia will see the West Indian legend return this summer as part of Triple M cricket.
Lara, who was doing his best work at Flemington’s Birdcage at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, will be in the commentary box for Australia’s two tests against the West Indies in Perth and Adelaide.
He will then be replaced by former South African Test bowler Morne Morkel for the matches against the Proteas in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Aussie quick Mitch Johnson will join Lara in the commentary box in Perth while Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch will be a part of the Triple M team for the season-opening one-day fixtures against England starting November 17 in Adelaide.
The rest of the Triple M team includes former Australian captain Mark Taylor, Mark Waugh, Greg Blewett, Callum Ferguson while Lord Ian Botham and Isabelle Westbury will again come out from England to join the line-up.
James Brayshaw heads the ball-by-ball callers along with Mark Howard, Dan Ginnane, Gus Worland, Jack Heverin and Chris Dittmar.
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Originally published as Media Street: Latest news and moves in the AFL media world
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