Footy journos Damian Barrett and Craig Hutchison reveal worst career bloopers

TWO of Australia’s most prominent footy reporters have revealed their parts in the “most famous mistakes in AFL journalism history”.

Former The Footy Show colleagues Craig Hutchison (third from left) and Damian Barrett (far right) are offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at AFL journalism in their new podcast, The Sounding Board.

TWO of Australia’s most prominent AFL reporters — Damian Barrett and Craig Hutchison — have discussed how their biggest bloopers shaped their careers.

The former newspaper journalists turned TV personalities have launched a podcast in which they discuss the behind-the-scenes working of AFL media.

On Wednesday night’s episode they relived the biggest mistakes they’d made and as Hutchison said, they were “two of the most famous mistakes in AFL journalism history”.

“They’re not laughing matters,” the Footy Classified host said. “But before we start bagging other journalists — which is inevitable — I think we should put on the table our own massive, career-risking faux pas.”

BARRETT’S BLUEPRINT ... FOR FAILURE

BARRETT was working at the Herald Sun in Melbourne in late 2003 when he got his hands on a “leaked document” detailing how Hawthorn was going to rebuild its club in the mould of the triple-premiership winning Brisbane Lions.

He wrote a back page story revealing the blueprint, which wasn’t what it seemed.

“I’m still incredibly embarrassed by my stuff-up,” Barratt said. “To cut a long story short, it wasn’t a document that was actually being used by the Hawthorn Football Club. Yes, it had been seen by certain people and referred to in certain workings. But it was a fake.

“Ultimately it wasn’t a document that had any relevance to anything and I made a very, very bad mistake. When it’s all said and done I would have been justified to be sacked over it ... because it was a story that wasn’t right.”

Barrett said he was lied to by a close associate in the process of compiling the story but took full responsibility and was forever grateful for the support his employer showed.

“It was a disgraceful act on my behalf to get that story the way I did so wrong,” he said. “What I’ll take out of it is I’ll never make that same mistake again.”

The follow up the next day.

Barrett’s back page story on the Hawks.

HUTCHY’S HALL OF FAME ERROR

HUTCHISON’s incorrect report related to a police investigation into two St Kilda players for sexual misconduct in early 2004.

“In terms of journalism it’s the single biggest mistake I can imagine you making,” Hutchison said.

“I took a call from someone I knew and trusted on the Monday night at Channel 7 saying that (another man) and Justin Koschitzke were being investigated by police after an incident on the weekend at Koschitzke’s house. I then made some calls, spoke to a few people I thought would know.

“I spoke to some people in the police force, spoke to some people in officialdom and had what I thought were three sources confirming the names to be true. I even had the affidavit read to me by a detective for the search warrant on Justin Koschitzke’s house.

“I sat down with someone involved in the investigation and was not dissuaded that it was those two.

“So I went with it. I didn’t need to name the two players in question ... but it was my decision ... and I said these are the two and two minutes later (St Kilda CEO) Brian Waldron rang me and said, ‘You got one of them wrong, I’m going to take you for every dollar you’re worth’.”

Hutchison revealed he offered his resignation to Channel 7 managing director Ian Johnson, who rejected it. He apologised on the news but Seven was sued by Koschitzke and forced to pay “about $30,000”.

“It was a bad mistake, it could have ended my journalism career ... and I’m very thankful to the Koschitzke family to this day,” Hutchison said.

And equally young Damian Barrett.

A young Craig Hutchison.

WHY HUTCHY AND GERARD FELL OUT

ON an earlier episode, Hutchison also revealed the origins of his fallout with Fox Footy host Gerard Whateley.

Hutchison started as a cadet at the Herald Sun a year after Whateley, who was assigned to be his mentor. “He was my guy,” Hutchison said.

They later became rivals when Hutchison moved to Channel 7 and Whateley went to Channel 10. “We were in this weird situation where we were great mates ... but we were competing for stories,” he said.

Hutchison said the friendship “all went south” the day after then Cats skipper Leigh Colbert quit Geelong in 1999.

Colbert was flying to the United States the morning after his departure from Kardinia Park was reported and both Hutchison and Whateley went to the airport to try to get an exclusive interview with him.

About 7.10am, Hutchison saw Colbert and completed a short interview. About 10 minutes later Whateley walked through the airport and asked Hutchison if he’d seen Colbert.

Hutchison knew if he told Whateley he’d already seen Colbert — who was flying to the US via Sydney — then Ten could have a reporter meet him at Sydney Airport and he’d lose his exclusive.

“So I said to him, ‘I haven’t seen him’,” Hutchison said. “Because if I said I’d seen him, he’d know what plane he was on and I’d given up my competitive advantage.”

To complete his ruse, Hutchison sat at the airport for three hours “pretending to look for Leigh Colbert” until the North Melbourne-bound utility was safely on his way to America.

Eventually Whateley determined he’d missed the boat, but in Hutchison’s opinion “left thinking ‘well, at least I didn’t get beaten on this story’.”

Soon after Seven trumpeted Hutchison’s exclusive interview would be on the news that night — and Whateley knew he’d been fooled.

“Gerard, to his credit, has never actually been demonstrative about it, but it affected our friendship. We were never quite the same after that,” said Hutchison, admitting he’d act the same way today. “But he’s a superstar at what he does and I think the world of him — as a person and a broadcaster.”

Leigh Colbert at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport on that fateful day in September, 1999.

Originally published as Footy journos Damian Barrett and Craig Hutchison reveal worst career bloopers