Daisy Pearce banned by another AFL club in furore over Channel 7 and Geelong roles

The Brisbane Lions have reportedly informed Channel 7 that Daisy Pearce won't be allowed into their rooms after Thursday night's clash with the Western Bulldogs. Pearce, who retired from AFLW in January, is now working as an assistant coach with the Geelong men's team, as well as continuing her commentary duties with Channel 7.

However the dual roles have sparked some friction amongst rival AFL clubs, with Richmond banning Pearce from their change-rooms after their draw with Carlton in round one. Channel 7 are normally given access to the rooms after games to conduct interviews with players and coaches.

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However the Tigers weren't comfortable with Pearce being inside their rooms due to her new role at Geelong. On Monday, SEN reported that the Brisbane Lions will also bar Pearce from their change rooms on Thursday night.

Carlton were happy for Pearce to interview their players in round one, while the Bulldogs have also reportedly informed Channel 7 that they have no qualms with her. But according to Richmond senior advisor Neil Balme, it wasn't appropriate for a Geelong coach to be in the Tigers rooms.

“It probably seems a bit unkind but...you don’t really want assistant coaches from other clubs hanging around your rooms after the game to see what they can find out,” he said on SEN radio last week. “I trust her to the point that that’s not what she’s there for, but you can’t do both jobs. I think it’s reasonable of us to say that. It’s certainly not personal.”

Balme said it was a "sign of respect" that Geelong had offered Pearce an assistant coaching role this year, but expressed doubts that she could perform both roles properly. He added: “She could figure something out, she’s got a lovely footy mind and Geelong are very lucky to have her. But to be able to do both jobs is a bit difficult sometimes.”

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Pearce was formally on Friday night footy with Channel 7 in the role of special comments. However she moved to Thursday nights this year due to her commitments with Geelong.

The dual roles still resulted in a commitment clash for Pearce in round two, with Geelong playing on Thursday night against Carlton. It meant Pearce was absent from Channel 7 due to her duties with the Cats.

Pearce played 55 games in AFLW and capped her career with the 2022 premiership with the Melbourne Demons. She has been employed by Channel 7 for a number of years and is widely regarded for her astute footy brain.

However Channel 7's decision to replace Wayne Carey with her on Friday nights last year sparked some backlash, with AFL icons Rex Hunt and Dermott Brereton both claiming that Carey was the superior analyst. Hawthorn great Brereton denied that his opinion had anything to do with their genders, writing on social media: "Gender quotas aside, side-by-side against Daisy for football analysis, Wayne is by far the better analyst."

Carey was bumped to Saturday nights last year when Pearce took the Friday night role. However Channel 7 opted not renew Carey's contract in 2023.

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