Danny Frawley lands knockout blow in footy media feud

A FEUD between two footy commentators has reached breaking point after a public blow was landed on Saturday.

Nobody is safe.

YOU won’t find footy’s most entertaining feud on the field.

It’s happening up in the nosebleed section where the television and radio commentary boxes are located.

On Saturday at the SCG, St Kilda great Danny Frawley proved his running battle with Channel 9 sports journalist Tony Jones is the most unmissable battle in football.

The pair have traded verbal barbs — mostly with their tongues planted firmly in cheek — for around 15 years, but the former Richmond coach may have taken it slightly too far with his latest stitch-up.

Frawley took an almighty swipe at his sparring partner over the so-called Chomper-gate issue that has divided them for more than a decade.

The feud dates back to when Frawley and Jones were both working on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.

The man known as “Spud” says he cooked-up Jones’ “Chomper” nickname after seeing the reporter walk into the studio one day with some fancy new dental work.

The pair have been gunning for each other ever since.

In 2013 it was revealed Frawley had also undergone extensive cosmetic dental work.

Jones has been having a field day ever since, but he hasn’t been able to shed the title of “Chompers”.

AFL stars have even taken to calling Jones by his nickname during live television interviews.

Frawley claims Jones enjoyed the notoriety of being thrown some banter by the AFL players — until it all went wrong during Thursday’s interview with Bombers star Brendon Goddard.

They do occasionally discuss football.

The cringe-worthy interview where Goddard only gave irritated, curt responses to each of Jones’ questions gave Frawley the ammunition he needed to land a telling blow in their rivalry on Saturday.

Frawley told Triple M’s Saturday Rub, Jones spat the dummy knowing he was going to cop some heat for the awkward Goddard interview.

Goddard’s live spot on the Channel 9 News in Melbourne broke the cycle of players calling Jones “Chomp”.

#Chompgate latest #SaturdayRub pic.twitter.com/DqZKLLaHOu

— Triple M Footy (@triplemfooty) July 23, 2016

“We’ve had a love-hate relationship for 15-years and it was more the hate than the love,” he said at the SCG before the Swans-Carlton game.

“About 10 years ago on the Sunday Footy Show where Brian (Taylor) and I used to work, Tony Jones walked in one day with a magnificent set of brand new chompers and we called him Chomp.

“He didn’t like it, but then he thought it was a term of endearment. He spent about $50,000 on a new set of teeth and they looked magnificent.

“Leading into the Thursday night Footy Show one of the players would come on the Channel 9 news and they’d say ‘thanks a lot Chomp’ (at the end of the interview).

“Over a five or six week period, Tony Jones started to love it.”

Garry Lyon and Tony Jones.

Frawley said it backfired on Jones when Goddard refused to follow the recent “Chomp” trend and made the Channel 9 presenter look foolish.

“Chomp can give it, but he cannot take it,” Frawley said.

“You loved it six weeks ago. Now you’re interviewing the players, they’re not going to come on now because you’re taking it personally. When you’re involved in a footy club and you’ve got plenty of mates, Chompers, you give and take, Chompers. You want to give it to people but you don’t want to take it, Tony.

“We don’t want any sour grapes. Whiny old chip on your shoulder.

“I even called him this morning to say ‘mate, just come on (the show), we’ll have a little chat about it. Don’t take it personally’. He said: ‘Nup. Not coming on’.

“You spat the dummy Chomp-Chomp. I love giving it to Chompers, you sour old pr***. He’s a disgrace.”

Jones responded to the spray with a social media post.

If there was a team of the century for flogs, @SpudSays would be captain/coach. Actually, not coach... History shows he can't.

— tony jones (@TJch9) July 23, 2016

Chomp-gate is reaching boiling point.