‘Right in front of me’: McGuire explodes in claim MCG tried to help Brisbane during GF
Eddie McGuire has become involved in a slanging match with ex-Geelong star Jimmy Bartel over a song choice at the MCG.
McGuire, the former Collingwood president, was in the stands for the Pies’ thrilling victory over the Brisbane Lions last Saturday.
The four-point win broke a 13-year premiership drought for the Magpies and was celebrated mightily by the club’s huge legion of fans.
But an incident from the black and white army at the start of the second quarter irked Bartel and led to a fierce defence from McGuire.
As the second quarter was just about to get underway, loud booing can be heard ringing around the ground.
At the same time, fans are also heard faintly singing along to a song, John Denver’s classic, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.
Anyone that has watched the Lions play a home match in Brisbane in recent years will instantly recognise that song as being associated with one of the club’s biggest stars, small forward Charlie Cameron.
At the Gabba, players have chosen songs to be played whenever they kick a goal.
The proper ear worm that parents around the country know off by heart, “Let It Go” from Frozen – yes, we know, you’re singing it now – is the choice of Lions spearhead Joe Daniher.
“I think that may have been a stitch up, I’m not sure how much of a say Joe had in that,” Lions head of brand and marketing Taylor Olzard told the Courier Mail last month.
The fact that the MCG decided to blare the John Denver classic out at the MCG did not sit well with McGuire.
“Why do you have to boo it?” Bartel asks on the Eddie and Jimmy podcast.
“Everyone sang along and then, there’s a big section near me, yeah, there were people booing.”
McGuire appears shocked at the question, before stating: “You must’ve been sitting near me then.”
“Why are you booing it?” Bartel tries again.
“Are you kidding?” McGuire replies. “‘Country Road’ would be the equivalent of playing ‘Good old Collingwood forever’.”
That of course is the Collingwood team song, which is sung after a team victory.
The two then debate the merits of that statement, but on this occasion, McGuire might have a point.
Quite unbelievably, within 30 seconds of the second quarter starting, Charlie Cameron kicks a goal.
Trailing by 10 points entering the second term, Brisbane’s Josh Dunkley wins a free kick and hands it off to Ryan Lester, who bombs a kick from the centre square inside 50.
Cameron is lurking and snares the ball from a marking contest, produces a trademark shimmy and kicks the goal on his left foot.
Whether it was divine John Denver inspiration or a total coincidence, it came immediately after his trademark song was heard around the ground.
“You saw what happened,” McGuire says. “We’re on top, they’re flat.
“Mate, they bounce the ball, who’s the song for? Who’s the song for?”
Bartel replies: “We associate it with Charlie.”
“And what happened 29 seconds into the, 15 seconds into the second quarter? He kicks the goal,” McGuire says.
“Mate, of all the songs, in the entire songbook of the world, don’t play that one!”
While McGuire is just about apoplectic at this point, Bartel is in hysterics.
“I love how you think that that actually played…,” Bartel says, trying to put into words McGuire’s level of superstition, before the ex-Collingwood president jumps back in.
“Didn’t matter, it happened in front of me. Right in front of me. As soon as it happened, I said ‘you watch what’s going to happen here’,” he recalls.
“They’re all lifting up, they’re all going, Charlie Cameron’s strutting back.”
For the record, Cameron kicked a second goal about seven minutes later and added a third late in the final quarter that put the Lions back in front.
Theme songs or not, the Pies then kicked two of the last three goals to seal the famous win.
