Craig Hutchison defends decision to have Clint Stanaway host AFLW show

CRAIG Hutchison has defended his company’s decision to have a man hosting Channel 9’s new AFLW show after criticism from the show’s former host.

Craig Hutchison steers the Crocmedia ship. Picture: Jay Town

CROC Media boss Craig Hutchison has defended his company’s decision to have a man hosting Channel 9’s new show on AFLW.

Experienced broadcaster Tiffany Cherry took aim at Hutchison and Channel 9’s new show, Women’s Footy, saying the two companies had taken a “significant step back” after last year leading the way with female football coverage.

Cherry last year hosted the show but has this year been replaced by Channel 9 sports host Clint Stanaway.

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Writing in Saturday’s Herald Sun, the former host said she was not critical of Stanaway but “absolutely could not accept that a female couldn’t be found to replace me”.

Channel 9 host Clint Stanaway. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Tiffany Cherry. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

However Hutchison defended the decision and the new line-up, saying he supported the production team’s push to “take the show in a new direction”.

“I feel for Tiff, because she’s not one of them (panel members),” he said.

“I’ve been in that situation myself, only recently, so I know that it can sting a little bit more than you otherwise might think.”

Stanaway will be joined each week by Herald Sun reporter Lauren Wood — Hutchison lauding the pair’s early work on the show — while other prominent AFLW faces will also join the weekly show.

“I don’t see why this has to be a woman or man thing and we have to be adding up the sums here, but 66 per cent of the show last week were women,” he said on SEN.

“It shouldn’t be (you have to have) either of the two, it should be just making a great show and the best television you can.

Clint Stanaway, Carlton AFLW star Lauren Arnell and Lauren Wood. Pic: Facebook

“I will say ... as a business, no-one’s more passionate about women’s sport than us.”

Hutchison said he had too much respect for Cherry to reveal the full details behind the show’s new faces, but said it was an exciting time for women’s sport and one all fans should embrace.

“It’s disappointing that this weekend should be chosen to cast a different view on that when there’s so much enthusiasm around women’s sport,” he said.

Cherry wrote she was happy to cop the decision to release her, nor a “witch hunt” directed at Stanaway, but was disappointed a “better fit” wasn’t found.