Channel 7 responds as AFL commentator Daisy Pearce banned by second team

A second AFL club has closed its doors to popular football commentator Daisy Pearce after her career took a major turn.

Daisy Pearce interviews former Sydney captain Josh Kennedy. Pic: Michael Klein.

The Brisbane Lions have become the second AFL club to close its doors to popular football commentator Daisy Pearce.

The AFLW champion was earlier this month denied access to Richmond’s changeroom as a result of her conflict of interest.

Pearce last year was appointed to be an assistant coach with the Geelong men’s team — somewhat compromising her ongoing TV work with Channel 7.

The change prompted Pearce to switch her regular appearances for the network from the Friday night prime time slot to Thursday nights, where she features as an expert analyst.

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Because of her position as part of Cats coach Chris Scott’s coaching staff, the Tigers banned Pearce from their rooms while Channel 7 continued to broadcast from the inner sanctum.

Now the Lions have followed the Tigers’ lead.

Daisy Pearce is as talented with the microphone as she is with the Sherrin. Pic: Michael Klein.

According to The Herald Sun, Brisbane has informed Seven Pearce will not be granted permission to enter the club’s changeroom before or after the club’s Thursday night clash with the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Carlton in Round 1 gave Pearce standard permission to feature alongside Channel 7 colleagues inside its dressing room. Pearce did not feature on Channel 7 in Round 2 when the Cats lost to the Blues in a Thursday night blockbuster.

According to SEN, the Bulldogs will also grant Pearce full access to its dressing room on Thursday night.

Seven’s managing director Lewis Martin said on SEN: “My view was that we’d roll along with the season and as Daisy’s role at Geelong has become a bit more clear, then obviously there were going to be some clubs to respond to that,” Martin said.

“We’ll respect that and have a chat with Daisy this week. Without dismissing it, because it’s a football issue, it’s not really critical for us.

“We’ll respect various clubs. Some clubs may be different, some clubs talked to us about it (in the) pre-season, it wasn’t an issue at all.

“But I think what happens . . . once that first ball is bounced, when you’re dealing with clubs (in) pre-season compared to when the season is on, they become different beasts and we appreciate that, it’s a highly, highly competitive competition.

“Again it’s not something we would force upon a club . . . because we’ve got so many options and Daisy’s insight on our broadcast is so valued, it’s not critical that she’s in the rooms, I guess.”

Daisy Pearce in her role for the Cats. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Martin suspects AFL clubs are concerned about Pearce’s match day coaching role with Geelong.

“I think it’s about the match day role,” he said.

“I don’t know by the way, I’m only guessing, Hock (Geelong CEO Steve Hocking) and I spoke about this regularly in the pre-season as to how her role would evolve.

“But I think when you spend time with Daisy, I think you’re understanding of her knowledge and insight into the game, it becomes quite apparent.

“I could be wrong, but I think perhaps her role at Geelong has even evolved deeper as she’s spent more time there.”

Richmond adviser Neil Balme last week said it was impossible for Pearce to do both jobs and defended his team’s position.

“It probably seems a bit unkind,” Balme told SEN.

“But it’s just a thing that you don’t really want assistant coaches from other clubs hanging around rooms after games to see what they can find out.

“I know I’d trust her to the point that it’s not what she is there for.

“But you can’t do both jobs, so I think it’s reasonable of us to say that.

“It’s certainly not personal.”

Pearce captained the Demons to a premiership and finished her AFLW career with 55 games.

Pearce led the Demons for their first two seasons in the AFLW competition before she stepped away in 2019 to give birth to her twins, Sylvie and Roy.

She returned in 2020 to lead Melbourne through four more seasons, bowing out on a high with the Dees’ first flag in a nailbiting finish against Brisbane in November.

Pearce was selected for the All-Australian team on three occasions, starring in the midfield and at halfback before she shifted forward in her final two seasons to great effect, claiming her third AA gong in the early 2022 season.

She won three Melbourne best-and-fairests in 2017, 2018 and the first 2022 season.

Pearce’s new commentary role comes as part of a raft of changes at Seven.