- Leigh Matthews is leaving Channel 9
- Footy great is calling time on his TV career
- His exit follows fellow stars’ departure for Channel 7
Leigh Matthews has joined the mass exodus at Nine, with the titanic footy pundit calling it quits after an illustrious career behind the microphone.
According to news.com.au, Matthews’s appearance on Channel 9’s Footy Furnace on Sunday night was his last, with the 72-year-old walking away from AFL media.
He will not join fellow Nine colleagues Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson in jumping ship to rival broadcaster Seven, moves which have rocked powerbrokers at Nine.
The media shakeup has been one of the most dominant stories during the finals series, with Eddie McGuire hitting out at those who have left Nine’s flagship show Footy Classified – which he created 18 years ago.
‘End of the season, you get rid of the list-cloggers, and you move the new superstars in,’ McGuire said on the Today show this week.
Leigh Matthews is set to leave Channel 9, in another blow for the broadcaster
His exit follows the departures of Kane Cornes (left) and Caroline Wilson (right)
‘And that’s what we’re doing. We commissioned it when I was up in Sydney, actually. And it’s been fantastic. And it’s great that Channel Copycat is just taking something we’ve done for 18 years and putting it on air.’
Bombers legend Matthew Lloyd remains the only surviving member of the Footy Classified line up, with host Craig Hutchinson also leaving the show.
Matthews presented the Premiership Cup to Lions coach Chris Fagan at the Grand Final on Saturday and had appeared on Seven during the 90s, where he was a panellist on analysis show Talking Footy.
He also commentated on select AFL matches for the network, before being lured away by Nine.
Matthews is part of the 3AW commentary team, and News Corp reports that he will not appear on television next year.
His departure from TV screens will be a big loss for footy fans, with Matthews one of the most revered voices in the game.
He won four premierships as a coach, and another four as a player.
