The Score: Channel 9’s No.1 female hosting target can be revealed

The Footy Show has long been criticised for being too much of a boys club. Now the show’s future is hinging on a new female host, with producers aggressively chasing an award-winning reporter.

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How times have changed?

Who would have thought the future of the new revamped Footy Show is hinging on a “female”.

That’s right, the iconic show which has long been criticised for being too much of a boys club is now champing at the bit for a woman’s touch.

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Fox Footy host Neroli Meadows has become the apple in the The Footy Show producers’ eyes but there’s one major hitch … she hasn’t agreed to do it.

The award-winning reporter has been chased aggressively with Channel 9 “desperate” for her to switch networks.

Meadows, 33, is understood to be still weighing up the offer which would see her become just the second woman to host the show.

Fox Footy’s Neroli Meadows has been offered a role with Channel 9’s new Footy Show. Picture: Getty Images

Rebecca Maddern joined The Footy Show with much fanfare in 2016. She co-hosted alongside James Brayshaw after switching from Seven.

The pursuit of Meadows is far from a token move given her extensive football knowledge but her presence is seen as a crucial ingredient in the rejigged show.

As we reported earlier this month, comedian Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann will host the new show while other all but confirmed panelists include former star Brendan Fevola and wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott.

There had been some conversations between the two networks about whether Meadows could do an Eddie McGuire and appear on both channels.

Rebecca Maddern with Sam Newman and Eddie McGuire.

McGuire hosts and commentates on Fox Footy while also fulfilling his Nine commitments as host of popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Meadows has emerged as one of the rising stars of the pay TV channel having been the face of the Fox Cricket coverage over the summer.

During the AFL season she features on the match day coverage and also hosts football shows On The Mark and AFL Tonight.

The new Footy Show is going down the “footytainment” route to try and challenge Channel 7’s The Front Bar which has dominated it in the ratings over the past two years.

DOCKER’S TOUGH DEBUT

Hayden Ballantyne’s career is well and truly into its twilight and his new one hasn’t exactly started the way he would have liked.

The Fremantle forward saddled up his first runner as a horse trainer on Sunday at Pinjarra. Four-year-old mare Starza Lola went around at a $101 chance on debut and finished a distant ninth.

“For me it’s just a new learning curve. I’ve never had to nominate a horse for a trial and a race,” Ballantyne said.

“I got my trainer’s licence about six months ago, so I’m looking to build on my team.”

Ballantyne’s father Graeme is a trainer who won the 2013 Perth Cup with Talent Show.

CARTWRIGHT OUT OF LUCK AGAIN

Hilton Cartwright can be excused for thinking the cricketing gods aren’t on his side.

The Western Australian batsman was out caught and bowled by NSW’s Jason Sangha for three.

That sounds simple enough but it was anything but. Cartwright rocked back and smashed a half-tracker from Sangha straight into the helmet of Nick Larkin who was ducking for cover at bat-pad.

The ball ballooned into the air and back towards Sangha who completed an easy catch.

In the first innings Cartwright was also claimed in unusual circumstances after he attempted a reverse sweep from well outside leg-stump, only to top-edge the ball to first slip.

THE WHISPER

A bar fly in Prahran tells us the length of the season was the subject of great debate on Monday night between the AFL chief and a media big wig.