Why James Brayshaw turned down the Footy Show reunion special as Eddie McGuire, Sam Newman and a host of stars revive the TV show
- Nine are filming a special tribute to the Sunday Footy Show that will air later this year
- James Brayshaw hosted the Sunday Footy Show between 2009 and 2011
- He will present Channel Seven’s new AFL show Talking Finals
James Brayshaw was conspicuously absent when some of the Footy Show’s hottest figures gathered for a special reunion show last week.
According to the Herald SunSam Newman, Eddie McGuire, Damian Barrett, Rebecca Maddern and Billy Brownless gathered in Port Melbourne last week.
Joined by former AFL great Garry Lyon, they recalled some of the show’s great moments in front of the cameras.
The footage is expected to be used for two specials to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular and the Footy Show.
Celebrations for the former are planned for this year, while a special show to mark the latter is reportedly planned for 2024.
James Brayshaw was conspicuously absent when some of the Footy Show’s hottest figures gathered for a special reunion show last week
Brayshaw (second from left) was part of the Footy Show panel alongside Trevor Marmalade (left), AFL great Garry Lyon (second from right) and Sam Newman (right)
Eddie McGuire (left) and Newman got together in Port Melbourne last week to recapture some of the show’s great moments in front of the cameras
But Brayshaw, who hosted the Sunday Footy Show from 2009 to the end of 2011 and co-hosted the prime time Footy Show for a decade until 2016, did not join his former colleagues.
Speaking on Triple M on Saturday, Brayshaw said he had been asked to join the filming but declined, believing the focus was only on the Sunday Footy Show.
The Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular was first broadcast on Channel Nine as an extension of the Sunday Footy Show, followed by the primetime Footy Show a year later.
While Channel Nine continues to broadcast the Sunday Footy Show, the midweek show was canceled in 2019 following a number of controversies.
Earlier this month, the Herald Sun revealed that Brayshaw will host Channel Seven’s new football show, Talking Finals.
The title is a nod to the flagship football show Talking Footy, which first aired in 1994 and ran for ten years before resuming between 2013 and 2020.
The show will launch during the bye week leading up to the AFL Finals and Brayshaw will be joined on the show by premiership captains Joel Selwood and Trent Cotchin.
Selwood retired last year after winning his fourth premiership at Geelong, while Cotchin, who won three flags in four seasons for Richmond, canceled career time last week.