Essendon champion, Tim Watson, has declared the fans missed out on full player access when the Sydney Swans didn’t allow Brian Taylor to roam the change rooms after Friday night’s win.
‘Roaming Brian’ has developed a cult following, as the Channel Seven commentator walks freely around the winning club’s rooms, interviewing players and staff at will. However, the Swans indicated to Taylor he could only interview players in a set-up, controlled environment, something a fellow Seven broadcaster disagreed with.
“Anyone who knows Brian would know he is a creative soul, he needs his head, he can’t be corralled, he can’t be hemmed in, he needs space and movement,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.
“He is a restless soul. Roaming Brian is free range. Sydney played him on Friday night like they played under Paul Roos - super defensive. Crowding him, forcing stoppage after stoppage. He looked as impotent as a weathercock. Yes, they allowed him access, but no time and space. He was painted into a corner and suffocated.”
Watson reckons viewers were robbed of unlimited access to a joyous Sydney rooms, after Gary Rohan’s after the siren goal secured a famous victory.
“Sadly, the by-product of this was the viewers,” he said.
“The fans didn’t get the access you deserve. On Friday night, Sydney turned Brian into a battery swan. A sad, forlorn figure. Wings clipped, eyes dripping, beak all shut. The good news is Melbourne, the people’s club, has already indicated that free ranging Brian will have unlimited post game access should they win on Friday night.”
Taylor was publicly frustrated with the Swans, venting his displeasure with the club’s media department on Seven and Triple M radio. However, Sydney Head of Media & Communications, Loretta Johns, has defended the team, saying they offered the host broadcaster any player they wanted.