We have just started Round 12 and the rebuild discussions have already begun. The Fremantle Dockers are an obvious one which Ross Lyon has already conceded to.
However, there is a team which is in more trouble than the early settlers since its inception in 2007. It is a team that lost its captain in the off-season and has really struggled to find its balance since.
That’s right, Channel Nine’s Footy Classified needs to consider a Geelong 2006 style review.
Footy Classified has been a staple of mine on a Monday night since it first hit our screens. It provides a combination of game analysis and footy news and opinions to lead into the start of the week.
Craig (Hutchy) Hutchinson and Caroline (Caro) Wilson are inaugural panellists and both credentialled media personalities. When Hutchy and Caro (but particularly Caro) hypothesise on a footy story they are usually spot on.
Since 2013, Essendon legend Matthew (Lloydy) Lloyd has been on the panel and with Garry Lyon standing down over the offseason, award winning journalist Damian Barrett has been the regular final member on the panel.
So why are there issues to address? Firstly, Hutchy has assumed the Captaincy in the off-season from Lyon and has coped with it worse than Trent Cotchin.
I am actually a bit of a Hutchy fan and enjoy listening to his spots on radio. However, while assuming the captaincy, he has repeated questions to Brendan Bolton and taken on a Christopher Pyne-like persona on the panel with his key focus of reminding people of predictions they have got wrong.
The usually ultra-professional Caro succumbed a few weeks ago, labelling Hutchy stupid which she quickly apologised for.
Lloydy is the lone hand with the footy analysis although he had very small shoes to fill taking over from Grant Thomas. They have looked a much better outfit when Chris Judd has been on the panel.
Chris has ‘straightened them up’ in football terminology and Pyne lets him speak. Damian and Caro were all over the Essendon saga and their insights fascinating, but now, like the mining boom, that has finally passed and the panel is too journalist-focused rather than footy.
Damian and Hutchy have petty arguments from time to time (think Christopher Pyne and Anthony Albanese on Sunrise) which is either put on or perhaps some sort of issue between the two.
The best segment in my opinion is ‘the hot seat’ where a coach or CEO is interviewed. However, this needs to be weekly.
To finish, here are my other thoughts on the ways to improve the show. Rotation policy with at least two footy experts a week should be adopted. Also, a strict Richmond quota should be introduced.
Hutchy needs to handover the captaincy and take up yoga for relaxation. If Garry does not return, Judd needs be appear more regularly or entice a Paul Roos-type figure.
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