Berko Bevo vs. the former Muckraker Morris in the Round 1 presser

[Bulldogs Legend]

Disappointing effort from Bevo to lose composure and go all out on the troll journo, he is required to lead by example as the face of the club. While it doesn’t excuse his outburst the reprisal with karma biting Morris is an example of how journalists need to be held accountable for the tripe they publish and how they behave.

Yeah nah we need a bit more honest passion

 

[dergert]

I wonder how much of this is a McEnroe-esque 'you cannot be serious!' rant by Bevo to get himself fired up, and to engender another 'us against the world' crusade. I don't know if the players will buy into another one so early in the year.

Should we be concerned that he needed to do it so early in the year, or at all?

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

Man there's some tools on the MB discussion about this - one particular Swans Neanderthal. No concept of why Morris is in a very deep.hole. No awareness whatsoever.

Anyone defending Morris is just enabling this sort of grubby behaviour and reflects on their moral compass

 

[dogwatch]

Finally a truthful view on the press and they sheltered little club

The media's silence on Tom Morris is deafening

The last couple of days in the AFL world have been very telling, in a way no one should be happy about. By now…

www.theroar.com.au

Good to read. It took a non-establishment (non-commercial) outfit to do it.

One thing I’m surprised about though,is so many Bevo defenders and Morris critics expecting pretty much equal coverage. Regardless of the hypocrisy of certain prominent AFL commentators we should not be surprised by the unequal treatment.

Morris may be a lowlife with no journalistic ethics but he’s one of scores, maybe hundreds of operators on the AFL broadcasting and journalism landscape. Bevo on the other hand is one of just 18 coaches and handles maybe 75% of the club’s dealings with the media (excluding player interviews). That is, he is the public face of the club. Everything he says and does forms a significant part of the club’s image.

So it’s only to be expected that any erratic or unusual behaviour from a coach will be seized on much more than the fall from grace of a 30yo try-hard journo.

Now before you all pile on I’m not defending Morris or the hypocrites who sanctimoniously rallied around him then looked away when those two clips were leaked. Nor am I saying that Bevo going a bit over the top in a presser was an equivalent transgression to Morris’s (it was not even in the same ballpark).

What I’m saying is the nature of Bevo’s job means everything he says and does is naturally going to be amplified in the media. While we should demand the same ethical standards from all public figures (including journos) we shouldn’t be surprised that Bevo is much more under the microscope than Morris.

There is the larger matter of the effect narcissistic media figures are having on the sport and its worth debating … but that’s much wider than Bevo v Morris.

In the wash up Morris lost his job while Bevo made an apology for overreacting and went back to work. Now I think that was appropriate and proportional.

I’m disappointed the club’s official line was so submissive but we know who holds the whip in the AFL:club relationship don’t we?

I still back Bevo.

 

[Iamspock]

Should be shared to all media outlets!

They wouldn't run with it anyway.

 

[Wetdog]

So your not happy with someone passionately calling out unethical grubs in the media
ok got it
Me I’m proud of Bevo there should be more like him

Why can’t a footy journo run with a selection story (I.e. Hunter dropped) after obtaining some news from an inside source? Surely, this is not unethical? Isn’t that in the job description?

I’m not happy that there is an inside leak at club. That’s obviously not good. But what did the footy journo do wrong in that instance?

The irony shouldn’t be lost on here. Week on week in the selection thread we have begged and thanked a certain few posters when they leak selection information on here. Why can’t a footy journo do it?

 

[Mofra]

 

[dogwatch]

Why can’t a footy journo run with a selection story (I.e. Hunter dropped) after obtaining some news from an inside source? Surely, this is not unethical? Isn’t that in the job description?

I’m not happy that there is an inside leak at club. That’s obviously not good. But what did the footy journo do wrong in that instance?

The irony shouldn’t be lost on here. Week on week in the selection thread we have begged and thanked a certain few posters when they leak selection information on here. Why can’t a footy journo do it?

Reasonable questions. I made the same point a couple of days ago about us being happy to get inside info on selections ahead of the official release.

As for what's wrong with Morris reporting a selection decision, that's a trickier question. He's certainly within his rights legally. Bevo has implied there was more behind it (that's my reading anyway) and pretty much accused Morris of a double standard in that he was happy to chip away at our club but did nothing to Melbourne FC, the club that Morris allegedly supports. Even that comment is at odds with a tweet on the subject where Jesse Hogan claimed Morris had leaked info about Melbourne for his own benefit.

I think there might have been a spillover from the treatment of Bailey Smith too, but I don't know if that was Morris, nor do I know exactly what was said. I'm only going on references to it here. Again, that would be Bevo being fiercely protective of his charges (who according to Caro he might not be fit to lead!)

Bevo was also trying to set an expectation of an ethical standard for such leaks, i.e. do what journos like Sam Edmund do and ring the club first.
Not a legal issue but a moral one.

 

[ScragCity]

(...avid). Board members are to assist the President in the running of the Club, the Club, not society, the Club. Bev is a supreme coach, his personal life's passions, skateboarding, surfing, Zapata moustache-ing, have nothing to do with what he's paid, handsomely, to do, win games and premierships. If Bev ran for Parliament, I wouldn't necessarily vote for him, mavericks aren't worth anything in politics.

Since WW11, we've had several generations raised in the expectation of peace and prosperity. In unrealistic expetation, I really hope those dickheads on the other side of the world, in a different hemisphere, with squabbles nothing to do with us, and whence came most of our ancestors, pull their heads in, leave us out of it and let us enjoy our footy.

I don't suppose you're the same David Mitchell who played 4 games for Fitzroy back in 19 mumble mumble? If so, you were one of my favourite players to watch as a kid. Kicked the best two goals I've ever seen.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

I still believe that Bevo's post match blow up was disproportionate to the leak that was seemingly at the centre of his rage.

However, I also believe that this blow up was a long time coming and was a reaction to the type of journalism that Morris specialised in and a type that the game is currently infected with. The Hunter leak was just the ripping off of the band aid exposing a sore of click bait gutter journalism that has been festering with Bevo and indeed the wider football following community for very a long time. One only has to look at the two known public dustups that Bevo has with journalists in Barrett and Morris to understand where he is coming from, as they are exemplars of the type of journalism that clearly gets under Bevo skin and who he considers to be a pox on the game.

When you look back at the presser and see him fussing with the football placed in front of him, its easy to see that he was primed and ready for his tirade. Then Tom Morris blithely asked his first question and Bevo levelled the verbal shotgun and laid waste to the gormless fool. In my view Bevo was speaking to the wider AFLMedia industry as much as he was to Morris. That Morris was publicly outed by a third party as a quintessential brodude in the fallout was mere serendipity.

Its no surprise that this one has been squared away with so quickly. Its in the AFL's interests not to have anybody take too close a look at the central argument of beverages ire. This is especially so given the symbiotic nature and control that the AFL have over the accredited media charged with reporting on the game. Move along... nothing to see here and for ****s sake don't any of you media hacks do any self reflection, we have a season that needs to get back on the rails and a narrative that we alone get to gate keep and protect.

 

[In Repair]

I don't suppose you're the same David Mitchell who played 4 games for Fitzroy back in 19 mumble mumble? If so, you were one of my favourite players to watch as a kid. Kicked the best two goals I've ever seen.

I think he is David Mitchell of ‘Peep Show’ (one of the best and most underrated shows ever) and ‘Would I lie to you’

 

[NBates]

Finally a truthful view on the press and they sheltered little club

The media's silence on Tom Morris is deafening

The last couple of days in the AFL world have been very telling, in a way no one should be happy about. By now…

www.theroar.com.au

Great article. Spot on.

 

[Wetdog]

Reasonable questions. I made the same point a couple of days ago about us being happy to get inside info on selections ahead of the official release.

As for what's wrong with Morris reporting a selection decision, that's a trickier question. He's certainly within his rights legally. Bevo has implied there was more behind it (that's my reading anyway) and pretty much accused Morris of a double standard in that he was happy to chip away at our club but did nothing to Melbourne FC, the club that Morris allegedly supports. Even that comment is at odds with a tweet on the subject where Jesse Hogan claimed Morris had leaked info about Melbourne for his own benefit.

I think there might have been a spillover from the treatment of Bailey Smith too, but I don't know if that was Morris, nor do I know exactly what was said. I'm only going on references to it here. Again, that would be Bevo being fiercely protective of his charges (who according to Caro he might not be fit to lead!)

Bevo was also trying to set an expectation of an ethical standard for such leaks, i.e. do what journos like Sam Edmund do and ring the club first.
Not a legal issue but a moral one.

If a footy journo receives a leak from an inside source that he/she knows is legitimate and reliable, and it relates to footy news (I.E. not personal affairs), I don’t see why the footy journo should need to call the club.

In my view, it is perfectly legitimate for the footy journo to run with the story and his/her reputation “lives/dies” by whether the story is found to be accurate.

I don’t see why a call to the club is required. The AFL and the clubs record on transparency for selection and injury news is extremely poor, our club included. If the footy journo rang the club, they would have given some non-answer or general answer.

I’m not defending Morris, generally. I don’t know him from a bar of soap and his recently disclosed comments got him what he deserved.

 

[Testekill]

If a footy journo receives a leak from an inside source that he/she knows is legitimate and reliable, and it relates to footy news (I.E. not personal affairs), I don’t see why the footy journo should need to call the club.

In my view, it is perfectly legitimate for the footy journo to run with the story and his/her reputation “lives/dies” by whether the story is found to be accurate.

I don’t see why a call to the club is required. The AFL and the clubs record on transparency for selection and injury news is extremely poor, our club included. If the footy journo rang the club, they would have given some non-answer or general answer.

I’m not defending Morris, generally. I don’t know him from a bar of soap and his recently disclosed comments got him what he deserved.

Okay, what about when Morris reported that Gardner was out of the grand final team before we'd even talked to Ryan about it? Finding out that you're out of the biggest match of your career from a ****ing journalist is ****ed.

That's not counting Morris leaking that Smith was taking mental health leave without consulting the club. That shit needs to be verified with the club because it is actually important shit about a players wellbeing.

 

[Wetdog]

I think there is a much bigger issue here. And it’s not about Morris. Morris is irrelevant to us.

It’s about Beveridge.

Beveridge is the most successful coach in our 100 years in the AFL.

He just came off a GF loss (which could have been different if a few things went another way in the 3rd quarter of the GF).

We have a great list which might be a couple of improved players/additions to the list away from another premiership. Our time is now.

Beveridge is universally loved by the club, the players and the fans. Me included.

It is extremely concerning to see him present that way after one round 1 loss against the reigning premiers which showed we are not far off the best again in the AFL. And to blow up about such a non-issue in such a public forum is odd.

It’s only the start of the season, but Beveridge looked very emotional and stressed.

I hope everything is okay and he is getting the support he needs. Maybe there isn’t much in it - maybe he was just having a bad day - but he did not present like a well person in that 3 minute press conference.

 

[ScragCity]

I think there is a much bigger issue here. And it’s not about Morris. Morris is irrelevant to us.

It’s about Beveridge.

Beveridge is the most successful coach in our 100 years in the AFL.

He just came off a GF loss (which could have been different if a few things went another way in the 3rd quarter of the GF).

We have a great list which might be a couple of improved players/additions to the list away from another premiership. Our time is now.

Beveridge is universally loved by the club, the players and the fans. Me included.

It is extremely concerning to see him present that way after one round 1 loss against the reigning premiers which showed we are not far off the best again in the AFL. And to blow up about such a non-issue in such a public forum is odd.

It’s only the start of the season, but Beveridge looked very emotional and stressed.

I hope everything is okay and he is getting the support he needs. Maybe there isn’t much in it - maybe he was just having a bad day - but he did not present like a well person in that 3 minute press conference.

I thought the same thing. He came across as if he's not in a great place mentally. Hopefully it was just because he took the particularly hard and there's nothing more to it.

 

[Wetdog]

Okay, what about when Morris reported that Gardner was out of the grand final team before we'd even talked to Ryan about it? Finding out that you're out of the biggest match of your career from a ******* journalist is f’ed.

That's not counting Morris leaking that Smith was taking mental health leave without consulting the club. That sh*t needs to be verified with the club because it is actually important sh*t about a players wellbeing.

I agree with you on the Smith leak. Agree 100%. That should be out of bounds and carefully managed.

I don’t agree with you on the Gardner leak. You should be directing your anger at the person who leaked the info. Poor form from whoever did it. If it came from inside the club, then that’s our fault. Not Morris. That’s a big and fair story for a journo to run with.

The fact that we are all talking about this, instead of what we need to do go the next step is indicative of the problem. We’ve taken our eye off the ball. And it could hurt our season!

 

[philmb]

Football should be about one team against another on the field. It should be a battle of strength & tactics. There should be no need for getting inside info off the opposition ahead of time - this isn’t Great Power politics!

Why can’t we (BF included) all just be content with getting the team when it’s finalised & publicly released?

Journos should report on the game itself & stop chasing ‘exclusives’. I don’t care what they do off the field, who they date, what house they’ve purchased, blah blah blah.

In that respect, Morris ‘just doing his job’ potentially gave one team a competitive edge not in the spirit of the game (at least the spirit of the game that I believe in). Credit to Bevo for having the guts to call him out.

 

[Mofra]

Why can’t a footy journo run with a selection story (I.e. Hunter dropped) after obtaining some news from an inside source? Surely, this is not unethical? Isn’t that in the job description?

The way reporters actually broadcast the leak is the issue, not the fact he got it. Hence other journos were praised for it while Morris wasn't.
Bevo explained it pretty well, you might want to have another listen.

 

[Wetdog]

Football should be about one team against another on the field. It should be a battle of strength & tactics. There should be no need for getting inside info off the opposition ahead of time - this isn’t Great Power politics!

Why can’t we (BF included) all just be content with getting the team when it’s finalised & publicly released?

Journos should report on the game itself & stop chasing ‘exclusives’. I don’t care what they do off the field, who they date, what house they’ve purchased, blah blah blah.

In that respect, Morris ‘just doing his job’ potentially gave one team a competitive edge not in the spirit of the game (at least the spirit of the game that I believe in). Credit to Bevo for having the guts to call him out.

I agree with what you say about the personal/off-field news, but completely disagree on the rest.

This sort of stuff has been happening for the last 100 years and will continue for the next 100 years in sport.

BTW - just being devils advocate - but maybe it gave us the competitive advantage? Melbourne thought Hunter wasn’t playing - but he ended up playing.

At the end of the day - the best team won which is what occurs 99% of the time and the rest of this is white noise.

 

[Wetdog]

The way reporters actually broadcast the leak is the issue, not the fact he got it. Hence other journos were praised for it while Morris wasn't.
Bevo explained it pretty well, you might want to have another listen.

There was nothing useful in that press conference.

Our members deserve a better performance from our coach and it would be helpful to actually hear from the coach why he thought we still haven’t taken the next step and bridged the gap with MFC at the present time.

That’s what I want to know as a fully paid up member and 30 plus year supporter. I don’t care about some inane irrelevant gripe with the media.

 

[philmb]

I agree with what you say about the personal/off-field news, but completely disagree on the rest.

This sort of stuff has been happening for the last 100 years and will continue for the next 100 years in sport.

BTW - just being devils advocate - but maybe it gave us the competitive advantage? Melbourne thought Hunter wasn’t playing - but he ended up playing.

At the end of the day - the best team won which is what occurs 99% of the time and the rest of this is white noise.

No plan survives first contact. So focus on what you can control & respond to what the opposition & chance throws at you on the day. Pandering for inside info or planting false info serves no significant purpose in sport. Again, my opinion. This ‘competitive edge’ idea does not happen in local footy. It’s this grassroots clash of strength & tactics that the game needs to return to.

 

[D Mitchell]

I don't suppose you're the same David Mitchell who played 4 games for Fitzroy back in 19 mumble mumble? If so, you were one of my favourite players to watch as a kid. Kicked the best two goals I've ever seen.

Regretfully, no

 

[dogwatch]

If a footy journo receives a leak from an inside source that he/she knows is legitimate and reliable, and it relates to footy news (I.E. not personal affairs), I don’t see why the footy journo should need to call the club.

In my view, it is perfectly legitimate for the footy journo to run with the story and his/her reputation “lives/dies” by whether the story is found to be accurate.

I don’t see why a call to the club is required. The AFL and the clubs record on transparency for selection and injury news is extremely poor, our club included. If the footy journo rang the club, they would have given some non-answer or general answer.

I’m not defending Morris, generally. I don’t know him from a bar of soap and his recently disclosed comments got him what he deserved.

One reason a journo might want to check with the club is that if he does the decent thing then we will be more inclined to take his calls, chat with him regularly and give him stories in future.

Or you can take the confrontational style of journalism that Barrett, Morris and others adopt and end up with an icy relationship with the club. I can't imagine Barrett and Bevo spend much time shooting the breeze.

I guess some will choose one path and some choose a different one.

 

[stefcep]

There was nothing useful in that press conference.

Our members deserve a better performance from our coach and it would be helpful to actually hear from the coach why he thought we still haven’t taken the next step and bridged the gap with MFC at the present time.

That’s what I want to know as a fully paid up member and 30 plus year supporter. I don’t care about some inane irrelevant gripe with the media.

TBH I think he saw we are nowhere near Melbourne and therefore not winning a Premiership this year.