Receipt exposes Footy Show star in brutal takedown

A Channel 9 star has some explaining to do after AFL legend Matthew Lloyd took him down in an ambush planned for weeks.

Tony Jones has some explaining to do after he was brutally exposed by Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd on the Sunday Footy Show.

Lloyd ambushed Jones during a live segment where accused the Channel 9 star of being a bit too frugal — and he pulled out a receipt to prove it.

Lloyd gave Jones a bake and accused the host of trying to skip out on paying for lunch during a team brain storm session at a Melbourne restaurant.

Lloyd’s receipt showed the ambush was more than two weeks in the making.

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Lloyd said Jones had failed to cough up for an $11 soup he ordered at the Platform 28 venue in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct.

“I go to the bathroom. I’m the last to leave,” Lloyd said with a grin.

Matthew Lloyd stitched up Tony Jones. Photo: 9Now.

“I go and say, ‘I had the chicken salad and a coke and dumplings, so I’ll pay for that. And as I’m about to leave they say, ‘Excuse me Matthew. There’s an item on the menu that hasn’t been paid for’. And I’ve got the receipt. And there it was, the soup. So TJ I paid that $11. You just walked out.

He went on to say: “Can you pay me back?”

Fellow panellist Nathan Brown told Jones: “Gee, you’re tight”.

Jones gave an unconvincing explanation.

“That is a genuine oversight,” he said.

“I just assumed the producers might have paid for a meeting that they called.”

Matthew Lloyd stitched up Tony Jones. Photo: 9Now.

Moments later in the show it was Jones who was throwing the punches.

He took a surprisingly heated swipe at his Channel 7 rival Tim Watson — re-igniting their grudge that has simmered for many years.

Jones slammed Watson — and Channel 7 for its AFL season promotions — during a rant on the Sunday Footy Show that left panellists Kane Cornes, Nathan Brown, Matthew Lloyd and Damien Barrett in stitches.

Jones and Watson, the Essendon legend who has transitioned into a popular sport presenter on 7News’ 6pm bulletin, have frequently traded barbs in public in recent years and it appears Jones couldn’t resist throwing the first punch in 2023.

The 61-year-old hammered Seven for a promotional video where Watson promised viewers news from “inside” AFL venues and “inside the team rooms”.

Tony Jones landed the first punch. Photo Nine's Sunday Footy Show.

Jones then showed viewers a mash-up clip of Seven reporters, including meteorologist Jane Bunn, presenting from outside the MCG in the hours before Thursday night’s season opening draw between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG — and then he let his rival network have it.

He said his “old mate Timmy Watson” was “guilty by association”.

“When you pay billions (for the AFL TV rights) you would expect to get the front door key to the MCG. Here is Timmy telling us and all the other non-broadcast holders how we do it outside the game.

“Pretty compelling stuff. I had a look at their news on the opening night. Here is Blake Johnson, a senior reporter outside the ground. There is senior reporter Nick McCallum. Mitch Cleary, chief football reporter. Jane Bunn outside.

“Timmy, did you read the script properly? Well done, Seven for thinking outside the square.”

Cornes was left giggling and responded to the rant by saying: “Very strong start TJ. No prisoners kept”.

It was one of several feuds re-opened during the segment on the Sunday Footy Show with leading AFL journalist Damian Barrett also potting Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.

Barrett and Beveridge have a frosty relationship stemming from the journalist’s questioning and reporting of issues such as the leaking of information from within the Bulldogs in 2015, and the absence of retired star Tom Boyd from the senior team in 2016 when he was disciplined internally because of a drunken incident with then-teammate Zaine Cordy.

Barrett last year eluded to an incident at the 2021 Brownlow Medal where he says Beveridge “did basically shoulder me”.

Barrett on Sunday poked fun at Beveridge for showing off some glistening white teeth — suggesting the veteran coach had joined Jones in having some cosmetic dentist work done.

Meanwhile, the beef between Jones and Watson goes back many years.

Tony Jones, Peter Hitchener and Livinia Nixon on set for National Nine News Melbourne at Channel Nine Studio Docklands. Picture: Channel 9

Seven News photo – Tim Watson, Peter Mitchell and Jane Bunn

The feud between the pair went public again in 2021 when Jones was shown a photo of Watson before remarking “who is it?” during a segment on The Footy Show.

That quip made its way to Watson who sneakily implied that Jones, known more commonly around AFL circles as “chompers”, had hair plugs.

Watson, who works on SEN alongside Garry Lyon was alerted to the footage by his co-host and came out swinging.

“What toupee Tony did? Did he play that did he?” Watson said.

Jones wasn’t happy with Watson’s retort and quickly fired back at the former Essendon superstar.

“The teeth might have had a bit of work but not the hair … if that’s a toupee then I want my money back.’’ he said.

“Garry Lyon has got to be the biggest (s***) stirrer going around at the moment. The tape that we played, which we’re not playing again by the way.”