BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED

 Seven knew it had inherited a different beast when it got the AFL broadcast rights back in 2007.

It then became an attendance and ratings behemoth, with acclaimed commentators Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti delivering a world-class broadcast every Friday night.

“Working together they were opposites – Bruce statistically driven and Dennis with his oneliners – to the point where Dennis would sit to call and Bruce would stand,” Seven’s head of sport Lewis Martin said.

“They represent an important time that can never be replaced.

“Both men gave so much to the great game and played a crucial role as broadcasters in the evolution of Friday night football.”

It is now a four-hour production for Seven, with a comprehensive pre-game show and an hour-long post-game show that usually includes the coaches post-game media conference.

The verbal jousting between then news reporter Mark Stevens and Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse became the ‘fifth quarter’ for a time.

Having McGuire at the helm of the broadcast was controversial given he was also Collingwood president.

Packer insisted he call every game including Collingwood’s, even though it cost the network the services of the accomplished Tim Lane who felt it to be an unworkable conflict of interest.

“He (Packer) knew that if you weren’t a Collingwood supporter, you’d be willing them to lose just to hear Eddie’s reaction on the commentary,” Jones said.

“It was a bit of a challenge for Garry Lyon and Dermott Brereton doing the special comments if some umpiring decisions didn’t go Collingwood’s way. Eddie would look at them as if to say, ‘What about that?’”

And now we have ‘Roaming Brian’, 20 minutes of unscripted mayhem from the winning team’s rooms featuring long-time caller Brian Taylor, who roams the rooms looking for an interview target – be it a player, a player’s mum and dad, a player’s mate or a club official.

It has been unashamedly borrowed from Martin Brundle’s pit lane walk on the Sky Sports Formula One telecast.

“It’s rare in this age of TV,” Martin said.

“It’s loose, it’s dangerous, and as a producer you’ve got to hang on to your hat a bit because you never really know what he’s going to do next. It’s that high risk that makes it so entertaining.”

Seven’s crowning Friday night moment arguably came last season at the SCG when Lance Franklin kicked his 1000th goal. The adulation and chaos that followed captivated millions of viewers around Australia and elsewhere.