Chris Jones has always had an eye for talent and for cultivating relationships. As a cadet reporter with Leader Newspapers in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, he struck up a friendship with a young local player, Sam Mitchell. He introduced Mitchell to his future wife. Their respective careers blossomed, and Jones was last year appointed director of network sport at Seven West Media, with a mandate to overhaul its footy coverage.
It’s a change that is long overdue. Seven’s coverage has been pretty dire in recent years. The additions of Jason Bennett, Alister Nicholson and Matthew Hill – the latter arguably the best race-caller in the world – were all well received. But all too often, their colleagues have reverted to witless, mind-numbing prattle, to hyperventilating when nothing’s really happening, and to dozing when someone pulls down the mark of the year.
