2 replies to this topic

[Amelia Jane]

How dissapointing was the channel 7 coverage of Darcy and Robbins final game. I truly thought that we would see footage of Darcy and Robbins being chaired off but instead went straight to news. While I do admit that James Hird is a champion player and should be applauded and respected, why did he receive so much more publicity than all the other players that retired. This year there have been many great players retiring yet none of them have been given so much fanfare and publicity as Hird. I actually think that is has taken a lot away from Sheedy leaving Essendon because the media keeps fawning over Hird.

I know people will think I am being harsh but I also think Hird's children are in the media too much. While I have no problem with them coming through the banner with their father, I don't think it is appropriate for them to be on the ground so much. They are featured all the time and I have never seen any other players have their children with them on the camera so much.
After all, the footy field is actually a work place. I still remember the footage on Before the Game, where Hird's young son was filmed punching and kicking Mcveigh in the back while the players were warming down in a circle after the game.

I think it is wonderful that Hird loves his children and I have nothing against the children. I just think that instead of Hird fully communicating with his fans on his farewells, he is distracted with his kids and it also took away from Sheedy's farewell. Darcy, Kouta and Ricciuto all had their children with them when they went through the banner but they were not there all of the time.

Anyway, good luck to all the players retiring this year and I hope Darcy and Robbins have a wonderful career ahead of them away from the football.

[DMcG]

The reason Hird got more publicity was yes he plays for a more high-profile club but it's more to do with the fact that James Hird is a celebrity. He's won a Brownlow, 2 premiership medals, an Anzac medal, I'm pretty sure he won the Norm Smith didn't he?

It's because of those medals he's got a lot of media attention and countless appearances on the Footy Show, he had his own show on Triple M for a while, columns in the Hun, and commercials for Toyota and the TAC and the Hun. [Herald Sun]

So it wasn't a footballer retiring, it was a celebrity retiring. That's why he got more coverage.
Just like a Neighbours star releasing a single gets more publicity than a no name pop starlet we've never seen before.

If there was justice in the world motorola would have Thierry Henry or Shunsuke Nakamura doing their commercials, not David Beckham.

PS - Thanks to "Pretty Boy" Robbins and "Count Von" Darcy for all the memories! You guys rock!

[Caveman]

I didn't mind Kevin Sheedy receiving loads of publicity - he has earnt his stripes, 27 consecutive years as coach from 1981, the season before in 1980 he was a panellist on World Of Sport and before that he had been a Richmond player since the late 1960's


However the James Hird goodbye went on like Darren Beadman(his 1st one) and Steve Waugh's farewells -seemingly forever. Excellent footballer but did it have to be the lead item on the SUNDAY 6pm news? A full day after the match had been played and there were other games on that day.