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AFL legend slams Footy Show host Rebecca Maddern and Sam Newman

FOOTY Show hosts Rebecca Maddern and Sam Newman are under attack as the long-running program cops heat.

Adam Santarossa
3 min read
May 9, 2017 - 10:59AM
Maddern wants to ban the banner.
Maddern wants to ban the banner.

AN AFL legend has savaged Footy Show host Rebecca Maddern and longstanding star Sam Newman for their attack on footy tradition.

Last week Maddern called for the AFL to do away with the custom of having players run through a banner as they enter the field before a game.

“Don’t you think it’s maybe time we don’t have the banners?” Maddern said. “No, hear me out. Everything in the game has become very professional and to start the game we run through a bit of crepe paper that costs $2.50. It’s time we get rid of the banners.”

Newman agreed with her stance. “For the first time since you’ve been on this show, I agree with you,” Newman said. “If you talk about nonsense in this game, give away the banners — they’re ridiculous.”

Newman took Maddern’s idea a step further, saying all pre-game activities should be removed.

“Stop the players going on the ground before warm-up,” Newman said. “The first time the players come on to the ground is at the start of the game — no banners, nothing.”

But Essendon great Tim Watson slammed the suggestion during a segment on Talking Footy on Monday night.

“I nearly fell off my velvet ottoman,” Watson said. “I couldn’t believe my eyes ... no place for it? There are peculiarities of our game that make it unique, one small thing is the players run through a banner to enter the arena. That banner is made by men and women, young and old, who find purpose, pleasure and a sense of belonging by presenting that banner. Yes, it’s made out of cheap crepe paper. Yes, they sometimes get the spelling wrong. Yes, the wind blows them over occasionally ... but it’s a feature of our great game that should be preserved forever.”

Watson’s reaction was similar to many on social media.

Maddern’s response follows a cheeky banner St Kilda displayed against Hawthorn in Tasmania at the weekend, which read: “Our Jacks will be nimble, our Jacks will be quick, Saints say thanks for the first round pick.”

The banner poked fun at Hawthorn handing St Kilda a first-round draft pick as part of the three-way trade that helped the Hawks secure Jaeger O’Meara from the Gold Coast Suns.

This lighthearted barb prompted St Kilda coach Alan Richardson to say he will now check the side’s banner, so as not to provide any added motivation to the opposition. But he otherwise saw the incident as harmless fun. “It’s just a bit of a competition between two supporter groups,” Richardson told 3AW radio.

AFL banners have been around since the 1930s and cheer squads can spend days crafting the artwork their side will run through each week. Most clubs hand the privilege to its members, meaning only the most ardent supporters have the chance to not only help create the banner, but display it on match day.

Clubs have more recently begun pointing fun at each other with their banners, ensuring competition is not just fierce on the field. The banners have generally been in good taste and comedian Danny McGinlay has won plenty of fans for his work for the Western Bulldogs.

Responses from AFL players on the issue were mixed. Richmond defender Alex Rance, who was a panellist on the Footy Show, said he was a fan of the practice.

“We do take notice of the banners,” Rance said. “Our supporters put in a fantastic amount of work.”

But Collingwood star Taylor Adams wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, saying he doesn’t pay much attention to what is displayed by the cheer squad. “No. No idea,” Adams replied.

Maddern took to Twitter to respond to criticism on Friday, clarifying her comments a little, but she still stood firmly behind her opinion on axing the banner.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/footy-show-host-rebecca-maddern-wants-to-end-an-afl-tradition/news-story/33234e3e5732ece6fc9e8c26b99dcf32