Footy show flops

SINCE early October, footy fans have been waiting in earnest for the best game in the world to once again return to our TV screens.
2012 wasn’t supposed to be like any other year.
Foxtel was to introduce a “footy only” channel and all games were to be shown in HD – something footy fans have been waiting for all their lives.
So, naturally viewers were excited to see the launch of FOX FOOTY for coverage of the start of pre-season competition the NAB Cup, and 24/7 footy-related shows.
The actual coverage of games was good, the commentary average (despite many high-profile callers) and the shows leading up to and following the games were pitiful.
Maybe everyone is trying to get into their groove, but it just seems like FOX FOOTY has rehashed the old Triple M footy radio show and thrown in a few other Channel 9 and 10 rejects for good measure.
After the bounce, clearly an attempt to mirror the successful Channel 10 show Before the Game, failed miserably instead portraying something similar to the boys club-type Footy Show mentality, rather than being a show about footy.
In the first 10 minutes, there were six (yes, six) attempts at humour showing former Richmond coach and St Kilda star Danny Frawley wearing a bathing cap and a fat suit to portray how Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall spent his summer.
The first one was awkward and un-funny, and they got considerably worse as they went on.
That’s if you could focus your attention on anything but the uber-tight shirt former Lions star Alistair Lynch was wearing.
Foxtel later addressed growing criticism of his outfit on social networking sites saying that Lynch was a last minute call-in and that he was wearing a shirt meant for fellow commentator Gerard Wheatley – you’d think the big budget station could afford more than one shirt in the wardrobe.
If FOX FOOTY has learnt anything from Channel 10, it’s that people want to watch the game and shows about the game – not lame below-the-belt comedy stunts that miss the mark.
The station is only in its infancy so it’s got nowhere to go but up – hopefully the big guns at Foxtel can fire up for the fans and make it something great. – Melissa Meehan