Sport Confidential is your wrap of all the footy gossip and banter.
Tom Morris has no regrets about defecting to Channel 7 after finally starting with the network on Thursday.
But the former Channel 9 chief footy reporter, who quit in November, will have to wait until July to join the Seven newsroom after Nine enforced a non-compete clause.
His role will largely remain on programs outside of the news.
“I wasn’t upset, it was clearly frustrating at the time, but I like to work and wanted to get cracking ASAP,’’ Morris told Sport Confidential.
“I understand these things can take time. I’ve got no regrets, moving jobs always carries with it an element of anxiety and everyone has been welcoming. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited for work than what I am now.”
Morris won’t be the chief footy reporter with Seven, that title remains with Mitch Cleary, but he will earn the title of chief cricket reporter.
He will make his debut on the boundary during Sunday’s coverage of Melbourne v Brisbane and he will host the Wednesday night edition of The Agenda Setters.
“I’ve had April 16 circled in my calendar for a while,’’ Morris said.
“I can’t wait to get started. I love footy and cricket and if you told 12 year-old me or even 25 year-old me that I’d be on boundary for the free to air broadcaster, it is a dream come true.”
Morris dismissed any talk of tension between himself, Cleary and Xander McGuire in the chase for news.
“I’ve got this question a few times, we’ve all got different skill sets, maybe I’m more of a host than Mitch,’’ Morris said.
“When I look at Mitch I think of someone who is across details incredibly well. Fundamentally in tune with footy on a daily basis and then cricket sets me apart. I’ve worked with Xander before and I coached him in cricket. We all have a mutual respect for each other.
“It was one of the real attractions to host a magazine show and build it from scratch alongside a gun newsbreaker in Mitch and best analyst in the game in Nick Riewoldt.”
Morris will continue with his SEN duties across footy and cricket.
His SEN podcast The New Ball, hosted with fellow cricket reporter Bharat Sundaresan, will be simulcast on Seven channels.
Eddie’s rev-up to Pies players
Eddie McGuire has given a rousing address to the Collingwood players about their rivalry with Carlton ahead of tonight’s match.
The former Collingwood president let it slip that he’d spoken to the players about the club’s arch enemy and footy’s biggest battle.
“David Parkin became a lifelong friend, I saw David on Monday at the Peter McCallum Breakfast. And yeah, it was pretty good, but not as good as me giving the address to the Collingwood boys yesterday in preparation of tonight’s game,” McGuire said to Jimmy Bartel on their podcast.
When Bartel pressed McGuire he wouldn’t elaborate.
“That’s it, that’s all I’m saying. They know that we’re playing Carlton this week, that’s for sure.”
Bartel joked that he’d channelled EJ Whitten and John Kennedy and had a spring in his step.
McGuire said he is still as fired up as ever for the big games.
“I tell you, it’s still the same. On match day against Carlton, I get up in the morning, I’m in the shower and it’s on,” McGuire said.
“And I do, I just have a different mindset and I just get a little bit agitated. And yeah, it is. It’s big against Carlton.”
Umpire Nick Foot calls out trolls after Butters controversy
Grand Final umpire Nick Foot has copped streams of abuse on social media in the aftermath of the tribunal showdown with Port Adelaide’s acting captain Zak Butters.
As the footy world casts its varied opinions over the matter, Foot who said his integrity was being attacked, has stood firm under the weight of intense scrutiny.
The charge of umpire abuse against Butters, alleging he said “how much are they paying you?” was upheld and he was fined $1500 with the club yet to announce if it would appeal.
On Wednesday Foot posted to his social media the toll it had taken with a long line of offensive messages from trolls, with the comment “humans”.
He also shared the AFL Umpires Association statement with the line, “Happy Community Umpiring Week”.
The AFL released its findings that it rejected Butters’ evidence that he made only one comment toward Foot, based on the umpire’s and Power teammate Ollie Wines’ version of events.
GWS captain Toby Greene has fired up over the AFL’s fixturing and potential changing up of opening round, saying the league was “nowhere near nailing it” in his part of the state.
Greene said scheduling two matches on a Friday night was a “strange operation” when you’re trying to grow the game in Sydney.
When asked what he thought of the proposed tweak to opening round so all teams played, he vented his frustrations.
“You trying to grow the game in Sydney or what?’’ Greene said, speaking with Jeremy Cameron and Tommy Sheridan on their Ausmerican Aces podcast.
“Don’t get me started on that (opening round). Pisses me off. Because Victorians think they need footy every week. It’ll still be in NSW and Queensland though. It has to be. It’s not for everyone, it’s for the northern states to grow the game and gain exposure. That’s the point of it.”
Greene continued that footy hadn’t gained ground in the Giants’ key market.
“When you ask people in Melbourne they get really antsy when they say NRL is the biggest sport in Australia. Which it’s not, AFL is.
“But if you want Aussie rules to be the biggest sport hands down, you need Western Sydney.
There’s 2-3 million people there and they’re nowhere near nailing it yet.
“So you’ve got to grow it, if that’s what you want. Or if you just want the game to stay stagnant and not grow then you have f … ing opening round at the G.”
‘Imagine if he does this to me’: Gorringe sweating on Daicos wager
Silly bet season is alive and well. It was five years ago now that Dan Gorringe got a tattoo of then Gold Coast Suns coach Stuart Dew on his backside after losing a wager on his old club the Suns beating his other old club the Blues.
Now he’s hauled in Magpies gun Nick Daicos, betting that if the Pies beat Carlton on Thursday night he will get a tattoo on his back of Nick’s choice. He mocked up a potential number 35 on his back for his Dan Does Footy followers.
And if the Pies lose, Nick has to shave his head.
One thing Gorringe forgot was that it’s Nick’s 100th game. It’s got him very nervous!
‘Like clockwork’: Channel 7’s footy newshounds already in sync
They’re not all officially working together yet but Channel 7’s three pronged attack is already in sync.
Mitch Cleary, Xander McGuire and Tom Morris had their finger on the pulse on Tuesday morning, all posting to X at the exact same time with news about Steele Sidebottom out of the clash with Carlton due to a hip injury.
It can be a game of seconds though, so it’s unclear who got ultimate bragging rights.
All three posted at 11.15am.
“Like clockwork,’’ one follower commented.
Cleary, Seven’s chief footy reporter, has been operating with McGuire in tandem so far this season with Morris unable to start yet due to a non compete clause enforced by Channel 9 where he was chief footy reporter.
The looming news jostle will be a must watch.
‘First mistake ever’: Matt Hill’s embarrassing commentary clanger
Matt Hill made his first clanger in commentary but as you’d expect, recovered it beautifully.
Hill was calling the match between the Giants and the Tigers for Fox Footy from Melbourne and accidentally thought the replay was live.
“Stringer kept it moving to half-forward,” an excited Hill said.
And then with a more measured tone, he said: “And that of course was the kick towards Cadman. And, well, what a start.”
Kane Cornes said he felt like he was calling out Bambi when he spoke about the incident on radio. It reminded us of the time commentator Luke Darcy called the replay live six years ago.
“Unfortunately our man Matty Hill, who we love, there isn’t a more beloved person in the industry than Matty Hill, has made his first mistake ever and called the replay,’’ Cornes said.
“It was funny. It’s challenging when you’re not there. When you have to do it from a studio it’s hard I understand so I give him an out for that.”
Darcy Moore mix up during trip to Adelaide
Injured Collingwood captain Darcy Moore made the trip to Adelaide for a few appearances but one turned into a drama.
On Friday ahead of the match against Fremantle two television journalists rocked up with their cameramen keen to grab a quote for the nightly news.
But Moore declined to do a quick chat because it wasn’t in his duties.
It led to some frantic calls to and from his management, but he was just there fulfilling the commitment to get content — he already had a full book of media.
‘Take a few risks’: King urges North to own Friday night slot
Former North Melbourne star and commentator David King has floated the idea of North Melbourne owning 5pm Friday night fixtures.
King said if the AFL is going to schedule two games against each other on the marquee night then why not start earlier for people finishing work and children done with school.
“I’ll go outside the flags a little bit, when your team’s down the bottom of the ladder, you can take a few risks,’’ King said on SEN breakfast.
“I would love the Kangaroos to own 5 o’clock Friday night (from) 5-7.
“The Friday afternoon is almost a shut down scenario for most businesses. They go and have their work drinks or their catch-ups or whatever. I think you can sell to a market that’s already at pubs or the corporate side of the sell is easy for 5 o’clock Friday night. Kids are home from school.
“And I would grab it. If I was the North Melbourne footy club I would grab that slot. Then you’re into your next game. Marvel is perfect and totally own that slot.”
King suggested the 5pm timeslot would work for half a dozen matches.