Time On: Brian Taylor says he’s no certainty to call Grand Final

Brian Taylor says he still doesn’t know if he’s calling this year’s AFL Grand Final, with “form” and “chemistry” rather than contract status the determining factor.

Brian Taylor says he still doesn’t know if he’ll get the call up for the Grand Final. Picture: Alison Wynd

Time On is your daily wrap-up of all the footy gossip and banter.

Brian Taylor doesn’t know if he’s calling this year’s Grand Final and says no one has a right to the plum gig.

Regarded as Channel 7’s key caller on Friday nights and Sundays, Taylor says the decision boils down to chemistry.

“I think it’s more than individual, it’s a team that gets selected rather than an individual,’’ Taylor said on the latest episode of his Life of Brian podcast.

“It has been predominantly the Friday night team over the years that I’ve been at Seven. I don’t know what the history has been prior to that. I can honestly tell you right now as I stand here three or four weeks before the grand final, I don’t know if I’m doing the grand final. It’ll be a decision that will be made by the network as to which team should be doing the grand final because chemistry is of ultra importance.”

Taylor is Channel 7’s key call on Friday nights. Picture: Getty

Taylor said the honour is not assumed but earned.

“I don’t know that I’m doing it, contractually there is nothing in my contract and as far as I know there is nothing in anyone else’s contract at Seven that says that they are entitled to do whatever games they are,’’ he said.

“You just get selected based on what the Channel 7 hierarchy want you to do. I would assume that boils down to you having a good year, you need to be in form, you need to be doing well and I think that’s how it’s selected. One thing I do know is on grand final day I think just about everyone in the team is doing something … everyone is involved in the broadcast somewhere along the line.”

He added: “There is no right to the berth on grand final day for any person within the Seven team, it’s got to be earned.”

Cotch banks on Dusty loyalty

Trent Cotchin is confident Dustin Martin will remain loyal to the Tigers.

The former Richmond captain said he’d love to see him play 300 games in yellow and black and reject any advances to join Damien Hardwick and the Gold Coast Suns.

“He’s up on the Gold Coast at the moment having a little holiday,’’ Cotchin said on Seven’s Talking Finals.

“I don’t think there’s anything more to it, than that. It’d be great to see him as a 300 plus game player for the Tigers in the yellow and black. Is it some pre-retirement fun to go up there and enjoy the sunshine at the very end of his career, I’m not sure. I know that one of his values is loyalty.”

Chicken’s grand plans

Ricky Nixon is going global.

The former high-flying manager will take on the streaming world by offering people the chance to view his functions.

The subscriber model is starting when he hosts a grand final breakfast on Saturday September 30, with guests including Sam Newman, Dane Swan and comedian Doug Chappel Jnr.

“It’s significant,’’ Nixon said.

“It’s like the Footy Show but there’s a lot of things you can’t do on free to air TV that we do on a sportsman’s night or at a function. What we’re doing is unlimited, people pay to watch it. I’m partnering with Game Face, we’ve got big plans for next year and we’ve got a fairly long queue of talent wanting to get on board.”

Watch this space.

Nixon will give people a chance to watch his sportsman’s nights online Picture: Supplied

McGuire Jr takes a punt

Eddie McGuire’s son Joe is making a big impression as a punter in the US.

He was recently signed by the Ohio State Buckeyes and has made his debut.

Next week he will play before a crowd of 100,000.

It was only five years ago he was at the MCG on Grand Final day watching his beloved Magpies before a similar crowd.

Buddy Franklin takes a lap of honour at the SCG. Picture: Jonathan Ng

‘Piss ‘em off’

Taylor was at the SCG to see Buddy Franklin’s emotional farewell to the crowd but he’s got a message for those who crowded the ground.

“Piss ‘em off,’’ Taylor said.

“I counted 35 people on the ground surrounding him as he walked the lap of honour. I thought that took away the centre of focus from him and his family walking. Piss ‘em off. Just piss all the hangers on off. Get rid of them all.”

He said it spoiled a grand occasion.

“There were PR for Sydney, social media people … people just being people, a big clump of people following him around,’’ he said.

“I thought at the end it took away from what could have been even better than what it was.”