News Corp cartoonist Mark Knight claims that both Fremantle and Brisbane were very pedantic about how their clubs were represented in this year’s premiership posters.
The AFL’s premiership poster has been a long tradition in the league, starting way back in 1954 when the legendary William Ellis Green — better known simply as WEG — created the first poster for the then called Melbourne Herald.
WEG passed the baton to Knight after the 2008 grand final … and now Knight has spilled the beans on the difficulty of working with Fremantle this year.
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Knight said he had drawn “a big, beautiful wharfie Docker with his anchor” but the club wasn’t happy with his design.
“They didn’t like it. It didn’t fit with their new, ‘anti-fierce masculine nature’ feeling at the club. It was too aggressive,” Knight said.
“(They said) ‘we’d prefer something that fits with who we are now. We appeal to the hipster, man-bun, long-hair, nose-ring, latte-sipping crowd. Can you do that?’”
Knight said Fremantle made it clear his drawing didn’t fit with “the direction” of the club.
“And they said ‘they’re not celebrating uber-masculinity,’” Knight told 3AW.
Speaking on 7NEWS, Knight also revealed the Lions weren’t happy.
“I had the fingers together and the club said, ‘no, that looks like a salute from the Hunger Games.’ Are you familiar with that?” Knight told 7NEWS.
“I am. Anyway, I pulled the fingers apart and everybody was happy,” he said.
However, on Thursday morning (today) Fremantle president Chris Sutherland denied Knight’s claim that his club asked to “de-wharfie” the poster over concerns about “uber masculinity”.
“No, that’s not true,” Sutherland said on 6PR.
“What what is true is that every year, I think Mark Knight provides a draft of the cartoon for the two grand final teams to give feedback. I think we gave some feedback that we just wanted to make sure we felt it represented, you know, the broader church that we are today.
“As I understand it, I only just saw it this morning, (the poster) still depicts a wharfie and with a nice Docker tattoo on his arm.
“But yeah, I think the feedback was we just wanted to make sure the whole image represented the broader church that we are today.”
Sutherland was also asked if you had to be a “latte-sipping hipster” to be a member of Fremantle.
“Definitely not. I still like drinking at the local Fremantle pubs,” Sutherland said.
But the demands from the clubs have sparked furious debate on social media, with respected 7NEWS reporter Nick McCallum saying clubs just needed to butt out.
“Brilliant cartoonist Mark Knight tells 3AW he felt he was doing a marketing campaign, not a cartoon, trying to meet Fremantle’s demands for his famous GF cartoon,” McCallum said.
“Cartoons should be fun, lampoon and provoke a response … clubs should have NO control over Mark’s work.”
And former 7NEWS sports reporter Mark Stevens said: “Freo ditching a flag poster amid claims from the great Mark Knight that the club said it didn’t want too much ‘uber masculinity’. Shouldn’t be surprised, but … YOU CAN NOT BE SERIOUS.”
Fans were divided on the issue, with some sympathetic and others thinking Kinght was the one who was being a tad precious.
“Sounds like Mark Knight is a bit of a snowflake who got his feelings hurt,” one fan said.
And another: “Mark Knight whinging again.”
And another: “I applaud Freo’s stance btw … Anyone triggered by this news suffers from Toxic Masculinity Incel Syndrome.”
Other called Fremantle’s requests “disgraceful.”
“The arrogance of Fremantle to make Mark Knight change their potential premiership poster (twice, mind you. A complete redesign!) is lowkey disgraceful. What’s wrong with you?” one fan raged on X.
