Media personalities have defended a former controversial Triple M radio segment that encouraged its talent to vote for the worst three players in each AFL game.<\/p>\n
The segment, which was abolished nearly 10 years ago, would see the hosts of Triple M's AFL coverage hand out 3-2-1 votes to the player crowned worst on ground.<\/p>\n
Former St Kilda star Fraser Gehrig, also known by his nickname 'G-Train', was a guest on Triple M last Friday when things took a sudden turn after host James Brayshaw re-told a famous story about how he and former AFL star Garry Lyon had a confrontation with the ex-Saint.<\/p>\n
Brayshaw was on the wrong end of Gehrig's frustrations that night, who was unhappy with Triple M's 3-2-1 segment.<\/p>\n
"He wasn't seeing the humorous side of anything we were going with on-air that season," Brayshaw said. "And I was trying to explain to him that all that came from (Sam Newman) and I'd had nothing to do with it.<\/p>\n
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"And he was saying, 'We can make this easy or hard. I can just take you outside and snap you in half \u2013 how does that sound?'"<\/p>\n
Responding on Friday to the night in question, Gehrig said the segment did no favours to players' mental health.<\/p>\n
"Triple M, to be honest, in their heyday, and I'm not trying to be rude saying this – when you did your 3-2-1 worst players on ground, it had an effect on things like depression," Gehrig said.<\/p>\n
"And a lot of the guys who were doing those calls have had depression in their lives \u2014 and I don't think it helped.<\/p>\n
"Brayshaw, Lyon and these sorts of blokes, at the time I thought, 'Go get stuffed'. You know, they've had a few beers and they want to come up and try to be heroes and I told them (where to go). So I'll stand by that."<\/p>\n
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However, AFL journalist Damien Barrett, who still works for Triple M and is a part of Nine, defended the former segment, but said he understood Gehrig's view and admitted he was "glad" the station ultimately abandoned the 3-2-1 voting.<\/p>\n
"It was an irreverent way of covering a game of footy. I can 100 per cent tell you a lot of footballers loved the negative 3-2-1s," Barrett told The Sounding Board<\/em>.<\/p>\n "They would finish a game of footy, get in the car and sometimes they would love it if their mates were in the 3-2-1s.<\/p>\n "I don't think it was ever done in a vindictive, malicious way.<\/p>\n "Having said that you need to factor in that Fraser Gehrig thought it was and on top of that, I reckon it's seven or eight years now that it hasn't been done.<\/p>\n "I remember at the time \u2026 when we were told at Triple M to stop it, I didn't say anything, but I remember thinking, 'That's a shame'. But I'm so glad we did make that decision seven or eight years ago."<\/p>\n Barrett was speaking alongside former Triple M presenter Craig Hutchison, who also defended the station, while understanding the views stressed by Gehrig.<\/p>\n "I feel that team spent a lot of time talking players up and getting people excited about them and never really talked down to them. I just wanted to defend those mentioned," he said.<\/p>\n "If you listened to Fraser you'd think they were sitting there talking the game down. They weren't. It was always a bit of fun, tongue in cheek.<\/p>\n "I take what Fraser's saying to be true, I just wanted to defend that it was intended to be lighthearted and when we got a little bit more awareness, it was left behind.<\/p>\n "As time goes on there are things you do you realise weren't pitch-perfect at the time and that's one of the evolutions of the world."<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n