Social media is blowing up after Damien Barrett’s newest thought bubble, with the veteran journalist now suggesting that the Showdown between Adelaide and Port Adelaide needs to be performed in Melbourne.
At the tip of Tuesday’s Access All Areas that Barrett hosts alongside Nat Edwards and Matthew Lloyd for AFL.com.au, the trio addressed the continued debate across the fixturing for one of many largest clashes in soccer.
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“Damo, should the Showdown be given the marquee timeslot on Friday night football every year?” requested Essendon legend Lloyd.
“Oh, absolutely,” replied Barrett.
“I’ve been saying this for a couple of years, and I know it’s a minority view, but I feel bring it to Melbourne,” he mentioned.
“Not just to make it a top Friday night timeslot, but bring it to Melbourne, the MCG.
“The entire competition’s coming to Adelaide in Round 5, if you schedule that game, if you don’t say MCG, let’s go with Marvel Stadium, you fill it.”
The thought was met with derision from co-host Nat Edwards.
“What? No!” mentioned Edwards.
“Adelaide Oval is amazing, the atmosphere there, to watch a Showdown.”
“You’ve got to grow the game,” Barrett mentioned.
“They’re two South Australian teams!” an incredulous Edwards replied.
“You’re going to upset a lot of South Australians,” she mentioned.
Edwards turned out to have loads of help, with proverbial steam popping out of the ears of South Australian footy followers.
Crows supporter Twitter account @CamryCrowback referred to as it a “mind boggling Victorian take”, whereas proud South Australian and journalist Daniel Brettig mentioned “burn it down”.
“We haven’t seen paternalism like this since Kitchener,” Brettig wrote.
“The Melbourne man’s burden.”
Nick Harris mentioned it was a “tale as old as the League itself”.
“Victorians see something profitable in football they don’t have and want it for themselves,” he mentioned.
“It’s not the Grand Prix, you can’t just take it,” mentioned Nathan Glennie, referring to the shift of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in 1996 from Adelaide to Melbourne.
Darren Murphy referred to as it “the worst take in Australian football history.”
“Not even an AI engine could have come up with something like this,” he mentioned.
Another Twitter account mentioned it was the “most insane footy take anyone has ever had.”
“Any Victorian want to understand the frustration with AFL media around the rest of the country? Here it is. In pure form.”
Another echoed Barrett’s trademark Sliding Doors column, saying “IF this is the stupidest idea you’ve ever heard, THEN obviously, it came from Damian Barrett.”
Supercars journalist James Pavey quote-tweeted the clip: “tonight, on Planet Melbourne”.
AFL Tasmania historian David Ingram mentioned it was “an early clubhouse leader for the ‘Dumbest S**t Said By An AFL Journo in 2023’ award.
“It’s not a ‘minority view’, it’s a view of one and it’s mind-blowingly stupid.
“The only reason a Showdown should ever be brought to Melbourne is for a Crows vs. Power Grand Final.”
Hobart-based Seven reporter John Hunt joked it could be okay, “only if Collingwood and Essendon play on ANZAC Day in Adelaide or the Grand Final gets played in Adelaide.”
Brisbane-based Seven reporter Ned Balme joked “while we’re at it, Collingwood vs Essendon on ANZAC Day should be in Launceston.”
The suggestion was roundly criticised as being a product of a perceived bias in soccer media in direction of Victoria, as the unique state of Australian guidelines soccer and the most important state for the code.
Port Adelaide nice Kane Cornes got here out final 12 months to name out the bias, saying “anyone who says it’s not the best rivalry in the game I think is certainly (showing) Victorian bias” on SEN SA.
“They’re a little bit threatened by the rivalry between these two teams, and when you look at the history across 51 games and 20-odd years of what has gone on behind these two and the way they continue to deliver in these games, there’s no comparison behind it,” he mentioned.
Originally revealed as Damian Barrett suggests transferring Showdown to Melbourne
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
