YOU could - kind of - understand why Channel Seven recruited Brian Taylor to its AFL commentary team.
''BT'' had built a strong following shouting at games with the ''Triple M screams football'' team. He was relatively inoffensive calling less consequential matches on Fox Sports. Perhaps the trademark catch-cries - ''boy oh boy, wowee!'' - and the low-brow Rex Hunt impersonation would translate in a more high-profile role.
However, long before Taylor was imposing himself on the finals series - most vociferously, in the closing moments of Fremantle's elimination final victory over Geelong - the monster had run amok in the laboratory. Taylor's commentary was, unchallenged, the biggest ''cross'' of the electronic media's football season. This cross was in direct proportion with how badly ticked off the audience was by his caterwauling and repetitive references to ''footy factories''. With the top prize awarded by near-unanimous acclaim, the other ticks and crosses for 2012 follow:
√ Open Mike. Veteran journalist sits in a chair and interviews well-known subject. So simple it just might work. And it did, on numerous occasions, with Mike Sheahan conducting thoughtful interviews with a host of subjects. Indeed, so willing were his guests to open up about the sins of the past, the show might have been called Father Mike's Confessional Box.
X Reading tweets during the game. Does anybody really care that ''Terry from Aberfeldie thinks that Dane Swan's new tat looks ace?''
√ Finey's Final Siren. SEN's post-game review has become a cult classic for insomniacs or those with a long drive home from the ground. Footy shock jock Mark Fine knows the game, but is always at his best spitting bile at some ill-equipped or inebriated caller.
Probably funnier than it's meant to be - especially after a Richmond loss.
X Michael Malthouse. Not just because he sounds so cross. But because, despite having accepted a well-paid role in the media, the curmudgeonly coach did not fully embrace his new job. There were occasional insights, but not enough to justify the way in which he used Seven and 3AW as platforms from which to further his causes. Malthouse was especially unconvincing critiquing Collingwood and speaking on his role in the Carlton coaching saga, and how his new $1 million job would upset his family.
√ Fox Footy. The ''every game live'' component of the new rights agreement proved a godsend. Not just for the lack of advertising between goals, or even the (partially) HD coverage, but also because of the superior graphics used during its exclusive games. Some of the programming around the games - AFL 360, particularly - appealed more to addicts than casual observers. But that's the channel's demographic.
X Radio stations labelling every aspect of the game with advertising. ''That's another McDonald's kick by Murphy on the Goodyear Tyres stats sheet. Ooooh, and a Red Rooster handball to Judd who takes two Visy bounces …'' And on and on it goes, until you switch to the ABC.
√ Seven's Friday night half-time entertainment. Not every one of Bruce McAvaney's interviews hit the mark, but plenty did. And Seven at least made an earnest attempt to use the access its rights agreement provided to go inside the game, and present a club's preparation or provide a different perspective on a player or coach.
X Current-day players. Biases and vested interests of retired players and professional commentators are evident enough. Adding players such as Nick Maxwell reduces the chances of critical, uncompromised analysis.
√ Matt Granland (SEN), Tim Lane (3AW), Gerard Whateley (774) and the other radio commentators who still provide the basics. Where is it? Who's got it? What did he do with it? What's the score?
X Brett Kirk's heart-on-the-bespoke-sleeve approach. We really wanted it to work. We tried to understand. Maybe it's not you Kirky, it's us.
√ Matthew Richardson. We are not talking about the Seven Richo, who is guilty of reading the above-mentioned tweets, and engaging in banal banter. We are talking about the 3AW Richo, who seems far more insightful and good natured. Indeed, you could almost put him on the same mantle as another great full-forward-turned-media pundit, Matthew Lloyd - if he didn't read those inane tweets.
