From realfooty.com.au (The Age)

[Dale61]

McGuire kills AFL poll
By Caroline Wilson (from Ch7 Talking Footy fame)
May 28 2002

The AFL yesterday ordered the removal of a poll on its website questioning the performance last Friday night of Channel Nine commentator Eddie McGuire following a complaint from McGuire, who is also the Collingwood president.

McGuire, whose call of the Port Adelaide-Collingwood game has been widely criticised on talkback radio, yesterday communicated his disappointment with the AFL poll to league executive Tony Peek.

It is understood that AFL strategic planning staffer Gillon McClaughlan told website staff to remove the "Channel Ten questionaire" in which about 75 per cent of responding subscribers described McGuire's call as biased towards Collingwood.

Telstra, which has paid the AFL $4 million for the 2002 Internet rights, agreed to the league's request.

McGuire confirmed that he had raised the website poll yesterday during a conversation with Peek. Denying he was "into censorship", McGuire added: "I don't think it's appropriate that the AFL website has its Channel Ten questionnaire posing questions about the Channel Nine commentary team.

"We've had our moments with the website recently. Three weeks ago the question was whether Allan McAlister or Eddie McGuire was a better president of Collingwood. There have been some pretty ridiculous questions."

The website yesterday morning posed the question: What did you think of Eddie McGuire's commentary on Friday night?

1. Passionate and exciting, just like the game?

2. A little too biased in favour of his beloved Magpies?

Before the poll was removed shortly after 5pm yesterday the response had been placed at between 74 and 77 per cent in favor of the second question.

The previous administration at Channel Nine had intended McGuire to host but not call Friday night football.

ABC commentator Tim Lane, who was to call Friday night games on Nine, had a clause in his contract stipulating that McGuire would not call Collingwood games.

When the network's new chief executive Ian Johnson declared that McGuire would call every Friday night, Lane resigned.

Channel Nine and, by implication, McGuire, were also strongly criticised yesterday by commentator Graham Cornes, the father of Port Adelaide players Chad and Kane, who accused the network of a pro-Collingwood bias


"Racetracks are for racing, roads are for getting there."

[Cam]

I love Ed and i love his commentary but he's got to be careful. I know i couldn't commentate with the pies playing and not be barracking. I think he needs to host the show but not call the pies but whether he'll stand down is another thing. I felt passionate about givin it to those PA pricks at half time (so much so that my wife now refuses to go to games with me - and we were only in the loungeroom.. Carlton people.. i shoulda known better but Ed needs to step back and let derm (who i'm not real fond of actually) or dennis C or gaz lyon if things get heated or close. Just my two cents.

Hard at it. The Collingwood way.

[Brown26]

Cornes is a dick - like his bias is nothing. I think Eddie whould be able to commentate however he wants, until the radio coverage is unbiased, why should the TV? At least Eddie knows the opposition players names!!!

Pies for Premiers 2002, 3, 4, 5, 6....

[Bones]

Wondered when this subject was going to come up.

Ed's call Friday night was too far over the top..

And as for Dermie butting in all the bluddy time...jeeeez

I will not be listening to 9's coverage unless i have no choice. TV mute with the radio blaring from now on.

[Doska^32]

People can say what they want to me. I love Eddie McGuire and what his done for the club, his passion is second to none but he shouldn't be commentating Collingwood games, it's as simple as that no if's and no buts.
He is the Collingwood President and while his commentating the game and having to say good things about Port Adelaide when really inside his burning makes me wonder why the hell he is in there. He can commentate other games but when it comes to Collingwood games he is our president and represents the Collingwood Football Club, not sitting in the commetary box calling it down the middle, he should be in the stands losing his voice. On Friday Night I was at Slys with about eihgt other people watching the game I bloody cried when we lost I went outside and cried because losing breaks my heart and imagine how Eddie was feeling when Rocca missed that shot he can't show his emotion and thuck the polls let other teams put there presidents in a coaches box and see if they won't be like Eddie it's a simple fact Ed, your the man but get your ass out of the commetry box during Collingwood games your support is needed in the stands not calling the game.
I wana hear your thoughs on my comments on this matter and tell me what you all think.

[junkboy75]

agree with the sentiment that eddie should not call c'wood games. this isn't about the dreaded conflict of interest or even cornes' criticism; it's about professionalism. it's quite clear that, despite all his experience, eddie cannot provide balanced commentary in a tight game involving c'wood, like against port. christ, he's only human! if I were in the same situation, I would not be able to do it either! the solution would be to not call pie games. c'wood fans might not mind, but I can understand how fans of other clubs might be peeved by it.


"..we flew at them as a hawk to his prey, passed through them in the disordered state in which they were, separated them into two distinct parts and then tacked upon their largest division.." -- Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, 1797

[ramjet21]

ed shouldnt call pie games. end of story. he is, in my opinion, president of collingwood before footy commentator. i dont believe the conflict of interest crap(brereton calls hawks games, lyon calls demons games, commetti calls bulldogs games etc etc). i WANT eddie to be jumping out of his skin, abusing the umps, sighing and oohing and ahhing with the rest of the crowd at pie games. but he cant do that when calling the game. its one or the other. the problem for eddie is i dont think he particularly wants to be calling pie games. i reckon he'd be much happier screaming his guts out with the rest of us. but Ch 9 need him now they have no tim lane. they need to give the coverage an anchor(every brucey didnt just HOST the game). he needs to excuse himself from pie games and get back out there being a pie president and supporter.

[PeterWH]

you guys in Melbourne are lucky....when we get to see a PIES game on Ch9 the only time we get to see Ed is at the beginning and then we get the other commentators,who every they are at the time,but we never hear Ed.
I gues that it might be different on Fox Ch14 with the footy,BUT I havent got that channel on board....it was tooooo expensive

PeterWH
PIES FOR PREMIERS 2002

[Joel]

I'm so over the amount of whinging that is going on.

JDF