Daisy Pearce weighs in on gender equality storm over Channel Nine program Women’s Footy

AFLW star Daisy Pearce weighed in after Channel 9 was slammed for brushing women in its show about the female footy league.

Daisy Pearce is a shining star on and off the field.

AFLW star Daisy Pearce has weighed in on suggestions Channel Nine made the wrong move by replacing the female host of a program about the women’s football competition with a male presenter.

Broadcaster Tiffany Cherry took aim at the network and Croc Media on the weekend for failing to stand up for gender equality when she was shafted from Women’s Footy in favour of Channel Nine personality Clint Stanaway.

“Although scheduling was horrendous, due to a lack of a consistent timeslot, they had a female host and a female co-host and reporter, giving hope to women aspiring to a sports media career,” Cherry, the show’s host in 2017, wrote about her experience in an article for the Herald Sun.

“One year later, they’ve taken a significant step back.

“I absolutely cannot accept that a female couldn’t be found to replace me.

“Surely there was a female ... who, bearing in mind the message being sent, would be a ‘better fit’ as the face of the AFL’s new and precious product.”

But Pearce — one of the best players in the competition and a rising media star who’s part of Channel Seven’s AFL coverage — disagrees with Cherry. She says it’s not necessary to have only women involved in AFLW, preferring instead to have the best talent available promoting the league.

Daisy Pearce has become a rising star at Channel Seven.

“I enjoy seeing men working across and well-informed football commentators talking about our game,” Pearce told SEN Breakfast.

“It just goes to show this is not women’s football, it’s just football.

“When I tune in and hear Rohan Connolly and Jack Heverin doing the preview on SEN for the women’s round, I love that. It shows that the outside world and media consider this to be football, not women’s football.”

Pearce is predominantly a boundary rider for Seven and is a regular on the network’s AFL Game Day program during the season. Last year she also became the first female to commentate a game on Triple M radio.

She’s joined SEN in 2018 as — among other things — an expert commentator on match days and said if there was a belief only women can call AFLW matches and only men can call AFL games then “we have taken a few steps back”.

“I’m all for women getting opportunities in the game — I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I have if people were against that,” Pearce said.

“As we’re saying that me and other female commentators should get the opportunity to work in the AFL men’s competition, why can’t we see men working across the AFL women’s competition? It’s almost as if we are taking a few steps back if we think it has to be a female.

“By all means if there’s a female out there that is prepared to, and is good at her job and wants to do that, on merit give her that opportunity. But to think that people just get put there because females should be talking about female footy I completely disagree.”

Pearce is one the best players in the league.

The Melbourne Demons skipper stood tall as her team clinched a gripping six-point win over Greater Western Sydney in the opening round of the AFLW competition.

The lead changed hands three times during the final quarter at Casey Fields on Saturday but it was the Demons who hung tough to win 7.3 (45) to 6.3 (39) against the luckless Giants, who claimed the wooden spoon in the inaugural AFLW season in 2017.

Pearce had 13 of her 19 possessions after halftime and Cranston booted a team-high three goals for the Demons.

“(Pearce) just competes all day and she’s so critical with her leadership on-field,” said Melbourne coach Mick Stinear.

“The last quarter epitomised what we want to be about as a team.

“The way she started that last quarter with real intent and she inspired the rest of the girls to do what they did.”

After racking up eight early disposals, Demons midfielder Karen Paxman went off with a back injury, which was later diagnosed as spasms.

GWS opened the scoring through the impressive Jacinda Barclay. The visitors led by nine points at halftime and five at three-quarter time as an upset loomed.

But it was Melbourne — and particularly Cranston — who stood tallest in the fourth quarter before a crowd of 5,100.

Cranston kicked her second goal to start the final term and then slotted her third at the 15-minute mark.

Phoebe McWilliams kicked three of the Giants’ six goals.

Barclay, captain Amanda Farrugia and 36-year-old Irish recruit Cora Staunton were also among the better players for GWS.

— with AAP