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Minister, who do you support? PM in hot water over footy colours

Prime Minister Scott Morrison liked sports a lot in the lead up to the last election.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison liked sports a lot in the lead up to the last election. Photo: AAP

Scott Morrison has declared he is “not a phoney” after admitting he doesn’t support any particular AFL team.

But his own social media accounts reveal the Prime Minister was previously a Western Bulldogs fan, who also flirted with Richmond and Carlton and boasted of belting out AFL team anthems.

In 2009, he took to social media, tweeting that he was “singing sons of west, red, white and blue, we’ll come out snarling bulldogs thru and thru go doggies”.

During a radio interview on Melbourne’s 3AW on Monday, host Tony Jones said he got the sense Mr Morrison might be jumping on the Collingwood bandwagon – Collingwood is Bill Shorten’s team.

“I don’t have a team. My team is the Cronulla Sharks up in Sydney,” Mr Morrison replied.

The revelation sparked shock from Jones.

“But Prime Minister, you don’t have an AFL team?” he said.

“No, I don’t,” Mr Morrison replied.

“I like AFL but I am not a phoney. I am not go to going around pretending I am something I am not. I grew up in New South Wales, a suburban boy. I have been following that code ever since I was as kid.

“I am who I am. But when I back something, I am all in. I am never going to be something I am not. I am not going to be inauthentic, what you see is what you get.”

Mr Morrison has previously claimed he supported the Western Bulldogs because he was introduced to the game by coach Rodney Eade (Eade coached the Bulldogs from 2005-2011).

“Loyalty counts,” the PM said.

Mr Morrison has also been linked with Richmond at the MCG and accepted a Carlton jumper from a radio host.

But he is not the first NSW politician to wrestle with his lack of AFL knowledge.

Malcolm Turnbull famously spent most of the 2015 AFL grand final chatting to actor Chris Hemsworth rather than watching the actual game.

In 2002, NSW premier Bob Carr didn’t even try to pretend he was interested in the game – and also ran into controversy by condemning the iconic sausage roll as “disgusting”. The remarks sparked such outrage that Mr Carr’s press secretary ordered him to eat a sausage roll in front of the television cameras.

Stung by accusations of AFL disloyalty, Mr Morrison has, in recent years, admitted his ignorance, describing his attendance at the grand final as “like an atheist turning up at the pearly gates”.

Last year, the Junkee website reported that Mr Morrison, asked which team he was backing in the grand final that pitted Collingwood against West Coast, replied that he was “supporting Perth – a team that doesn’t actually exist”.

Twitter user @Mattburke has also reviewed the Prime Minister’s social media accounts, finding even his love of rugby league is not as authentic as it first appears, with Mr Morrison admitting, “I’m more of a rugby fan, but naturally when it comes to the NRL, the Sharks have my loyalty”.

In 2012, Mr Morrison also took to Twitter to admit: “Rugby will always be my game but the #AFLGF is the greatest show in Oz.”

Mr Morrison has also previously asked comedian and host of The Project Peter Helliar to find him an AFL team.

Last year the Prime Minister was captured in an awkward exchange with an AFL fan at the MCG where the voter didn’t know who he was.

Mr Morrison asked the footy fan if Geelong would go well in the match and wished him luck.

The man replied: “What’s your name then?”

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