By Andrew Sutherland -
November 17th 2009 @ 1:57am
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Four Nations brings One Eyed commentary
After watching the first Four Nations encounter between Australia and England in Wigan, I started to wonder if BBC stood for Bl@#dy Biased Commentary. Knowing that the final was to be telecast on Sky Sports, I was expecting it to get worse.
And I was right.
On Inglis’s first-half try we had a “There’s a BIG question mark on that. A BIG question mark on that!”
It was palpitating with loathing, dread, and wishful thinking.
Now these chaps sounded exactly like the ones calling the Wigan match. Perhaps they were the same, but with the accent, it’s hard to tell.
It was also difficult to tell how many were commentating.
There was definitely Sky’s main league commentator Eddie Hemmings, known for his biased commentary on Super League. There was also ex-players, Phil Clarke, and, I think, Mike ‘Stevo’ Stephenson, who apparently at times has to have the “sense knocked into him” by his fellow commentators.
What is it with this spectator commentary? What is it that makes them carry on with such unashamed barracking?
And any opportunities for humour were ignored: no comments on Inglis cutting himself in half on a Gillette hoarding and Hayne decapitating himself on a Valvoline one.
Throughout, England was referred to as “we” with plenty of: “Australia was VERY, VERY lucky to get away with that”, and a “did Slater knock on there?”, with a “was Thurston hanging on then?” thrown in.
During England’s strong showing up to the 56th minute there was much childlike rejoicing and patriotic fervour: “Look out Australia I’m coming. Sheer celebrations from England!”
But, of course, this annoying bias is a symptom of their AWE (not as bad though as the embarrassing awe middle aged Australian men have for Tiger Woods: “He signed my cap, I think I’m going to cry!”)
So when they established a lead, lost it, and then regained it the nervous excitement was tempered by an awful dread of what Australia’s backs could do to them: “They’ve got the POWER, they’ve got the SPEED!”
As soon as Slater scored in the 56th minute: “It’s not over yet we’re just two points down”. Of course, it wasn’t over yet. Unless deep down you believed you weren’t good enough.
And over the next 24 minutes that proved to be correct.
To their credit they’re not anti Australian, just pro and anti-England at the same time. You feel sorry for them and for a moment almost wish they would win, until you realise what nauseating patriotic celebrations that would bring on.
There sitting looking at us, after the live coverage, were the smirking faces of Peter Sterling and Phil Gould, the men who, with Ray Warren, should have been calling this match.
Perhaps in the future Sky Sports can just give us the visuals and we’ll supply our own professional (ie passionate, insightful and ultimately – even for Storm supporters- objective) commentary.
Referring to the English team, one of the Sky commentators said: “We’ve still got a long way to go. Sadly we thought we had made up”.
He could easily have been talking about himself.
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(33)
jus de couchon said | November 17th 2009 @ 2:30am | Report comment
Eddie and Stevo have been an embaressment for a while now . Them being biased may be forgiveable perhaps but they also represent Leagues unrelenting ability to over hype and shoot itself in the foot .
Mick from Giralang said | November 17th 2009 @ 5:37am | Report comment
Fair dinkum mate, haven’t you got another record in your collection?
Firestarter Bob said | November 17th 2009 @ 5:31am | Report comment
What dribble Andrew. Do you expect the home fans to not boo the opposition as well?
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:26am | Report comment
No, firestarter but I don’t expect the commentators to boo as well!
Mick from Giralang said | November 17th 2009 @ 5:33am | Report comment
Andrew: I agree they’re terribly biased but I kinda like it. They’ve done it for so long know it just wouldn’t seemlike a proper England v Australia test match without that sort of commentary. And they do give Australia credit when it’s called for. Eddie Hemmings is the voice of of English rugby league and it wouldn’t be the same without hearing his anguished tones as the Kangaroos romp home to yet another victory over his team!
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:37am | Report comment
You’re right Mick, the “anguished tones” are entertaining. And you do feel for them a bit. They’re obviously sick and tired of being competitive but losing every time. And their not always biased. They fluctuate constantly from over excitement (and blatant prejudice) to maudlin self criticism (and over praise for Australia).
Paul J said | November 17th 2009 @ 7:19am | Report comment
When the Aussie backline had broken the poms spirit during their amazing last 10 minute rampage Brian Carney said “i know it’s disapointing for English fans but this Australian backline are a joy to watch”. Eddie then responded with “No i’m sick of it. I ‘m just really sick of it”.
I can not blame the guy because he has spent years watching the poms either get close to a series win but not close enough or get schalacked.
Andrew you are right in saying hes not anti Australian. I’m ok for him to show the pain now and then because he and pommie league fans have suffered at the hands of the Kangaroos for so long.
Dan said | November 18th 2009 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
The English have no one but themselves to blame unfortunately. They don’t have the depth that Australia do, but then we have nothing like their depth in Union (in terms of sheer player numbers) but still manage to compete. The poms are simply too short sighted and too badly organised to put together truly good representative sides… and that goes for all their sports. They showed what they could do in 2003 when they got a coach who was able to control the club egos in Union, but they quickly dumped that highly successful formula through what seemed a nostalgia for losing :S .
MyGeneration said | November 18th 2009 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
I thought that cry of pain and anguish from Hemmings was one of the most refreshingly honest bits of commentary I’ve heard in years. It’s when it colours his judgment of some of the 50/50 calls that he lets himself down. Even Stevo, a perennial blowhard, was being fair on those calls (in his case, this means he was getting ‘em wrong without bias).
Chad said | November 17th 2009 @ 7:36am | Report comment
Yeah as if we aernt biased. Typical of us new breed of whinging aussies, no longer the whinging poms. We complain about everything, the score, the ref, the crowd, the opposition, the footballs and now the commentatotrs. Lets see, we won the penalty counts, we got the 50/50 decisions, we got away with being offside relentlessly on the last tackle and we even won over the pommy commentators who showed us too much respect again. The kiwi Hardgreaves got it right, we have two arms and two legs like everyone, show respect but belt us and you have a chance! Remember its footy, its meant to be tough, not soft full of whingers!
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
Yes, Chad I’ll agree with you on some of the aussie whingeing in this tournament, especially on the refs. I had no argument with anything about the game.
And I wasn’t really whingeing about the Sky boys, just showing disbelief at how bad (and entertaining they are). I did make comments about their over praise for australia but it didn’t make the edit. They’re really spectators with mikes which is fine for an English audience. Of course it’s not their fault the coverage was coming to australia. I just think Channel 9 should do their own commentary and not just because it’s australian; it’s better.
M1tch said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:28am | Report comment
I actually loved it, Edide and Mike love the game, and whats so bad about them wanting England to win? People loathe Phil Gould, as a new south welshmen, i was saying the exact same him in game 3 of the 2006 origin series..OH NO!
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:54am | Report comment
M1tch, your right about Gould. In the early days he was a shocker with Storm games. He’s less biased now but still describes them as ‘clinical’ with a curled lip.
M1tch said | November 17th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
He is a sydneysider and wants Sydney teams to win, remember the Storm are the ’southern team’ lol
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 9:09am | Report comment
And I can understand that. Down here people still can’t get to grips with the fact that one of the greatest AFL teams of the modern era came from Brisbane!
Firestarter Bob said | November 17th 2009 @ 9:12am | Report comment
They were based in Brisbane. Wouldn’t most of the team have been Vics, SAs & WAs?
Mick from Giralang said | November 17th 2009 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
You’re right there, FB
Andrew Sutherland said | November 17th 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
Yes, I think a couple were Qld born but brought up in aussie rules states. It’s the same with Storm – only one vic born has played for them.
People here hate seeing their kids wearing Lions jumpers.
JimC said | November 17th 2009 @ 2:16pm | Report comment
Aussie commentators are biased too. I remember the 2006 Tr-nations when Phil Gould was insufferable.
Nothing matches the bias of Nisbo and Mexted in NZ rugby union though. The opposition, referee can do no right in their eyes.
Darwin hammer said | November 17th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
Don’t get Foxsports rugby commentary then JC – marto and Kearns are appalling
ScottWoodward.me said | November 17th 2009 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
Have to be honest, I love listening to Eddie and Stevo.
Firestarter Bob said | November 17th 2009 @ 3:26pm | Report comment
No matter how biased they are, listening to the English commentators on a game played in England is far better than having some Aussies sit in a studio in Sydney and call the Wallabies UK games off the tv screen.
Rhino said | November 17th 2009 @ 8:54pm | Report comment
I prefer Sky’s excess of passion to the BBC’s excess of “grandiose magnanimity” (as one NZ journalist brilliantly described it). Tbh, we know that the commentators only praise the opposition because they think it’s the done thing and want to look good – they are still sick inside! Better to drop the pretence and say what you think than peddle some pompous claptrap about “rugby league being the winner”.
I like the four blokes calling the game. The one commentator/one pundit model is looking a bit tired, imo – especially when the commentators nowadays seem more interest in soliloquies than actually calling the match.
Btw, the fourth guy was Bryan Carney, the ex-GB and Munster player.
Ian Noble said | November 18th 2009 @ 2:41am | Report comment
Sky have invested alot of money in RL and if the commentators and pundits started to overcricitise the England performance danger that the number of viewers would fall away. They quite rightly accentuated the positive albeit that England were literally blown away by the Kangeroos in the last 20 mins ” Self preservation society”. By the way I thought Stevenson’s comments were spot on, he called a couple of the Kangeroo’s tries correctly when the others were calling “no try”.
Corey said | November 18th 2009 @ 9:01am | Report comment
I love the biased commentary of the English- if we Aussies win- The saying “Pride comes before a fall” comes to mind. But it is true, Sky Sports and, sometimes, BBC are doing League a favour with the money they invest and the live coverage. One thing I love about league fans is they can sometimes be the most one-eyed fans in the world and yet still have a beer with the guy who supports the team that just beat theirs. Hopefully, League attracts more fans with this style of commentating. League needs both Britain and Australia to make the game truly national.
Greg Russell said | November 18th 2009 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
There was a great bit of commentary after Hayne’s try on the end of a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Lockyer. One of the “expert” commentators – I’m pretty sure it was Brian Carney – said “If you just forget your allegiance you really have to admire the quality of Australia’s plays”. Eddie Hemmings immediately said “No you don’t – I’m thoroughly sick of losing to these guys.”
Well at least they are honest and upfront!
Stephen Smith said | November 18th 2009 @ 2:50pm | Report comment
If only you could hear Australian commentary through overseas ears!
Australian rugby commentary is nauseatingly one-eyed – and if you like being anti-English in your sport (and let’s face it, that comes with mothers milk in this country) then check out SBS’s football coverage – so badly skewed it borders on prejudice.
Leagues problem is it is not a true international sport. In both England and Australia it is horribly parochial. I doubt whether any of the commentators of either country have ever witnessed their sport played internationally outside of Sydney or St Helens (okay, one trip a year to Carcasonne or Auckland then).
It always makes me laugh that C9 call their program the “Wide World of Sport” – what, from Bankstown?? give me a break, the league commentators in the UK call the games for a UK audience – not some smart-arsed aussie. Same in reverse down here.
Mick from Giralang said | November 19th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment
Not a true international sport….yet the subject of this debate revolves around an Australia v England match!!
“International , adjective, between or among nations – The Macquarie Dictionary.”
It’s either international or it’s not….just like you can’t be a little bit pregnant.
danwighton said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:02am | Report comment
I felt a little sorry for the English commentators.
And yes, League is an international sport, even if football and union are bigger overall.
Andrew Sutherland said | November 18th 2009 @ 4:49pm | Report comment
“some smart arsed aussie” – Gee thanks Steve
Jean-Pierre LeGuerre said | November 19th 2009 @ 12:56am | Report comment
Greg Russell:
You are right – it was Brian Carney.
Ian Noble said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:54am | Report comment
Here are the viewing figures ofr week ending 8th Nov from Bard.
Sky Sports 1
w/e 8 Nov 2009
1 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 15:35) 2,217
2 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 13:00) 624
3 GILLETTE SOCCER SATURDAY (Sat 15:02) 507
4 SHEFFIELD UTD V NEWCASTLE-LIVE (Mon 19:30) 480
5 SUPER SUNDAY – THE LAST WORD (Sun 18:30) 438
6 SWANSEA CITY V CARDIFF CITY-LIVE (Sat 12:30) 424
7 SOCCER AM (Sat 09:00) 242
8 GILLETTE SOCCER SATURDAY (Sat 12:00) 227
9 HAYE V VALUEV COUNTDOWN (Sat 17:15) 212
10 DERBY COUNTY V COVENTRY CITY-LIVE (Fri 19:30) 209
Sky Sports 2
w/e 8 Nov 2009
000’s
1 MAN UTD V CSKA MOSCOW-LIVE (Tue 19:00) 991
2 LIVE ENG V AUS RUGBY UNION (Sat 14:00) 532
3 ARSENAL V AZ ALKMAAR-LIVE (Wed 19:30) 413
4 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS (Tue 22:00) 339
5 RUBIN KAZAN V BARCELONA-LIVE (Wed 17:00) 242
6 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS (Wed 22:00) 183
7 RUGBY UNION (Fri 19:00) 175
8 LIVE ANGLO-WELSH RUGBY UNION (Sun 13:30) 78
9 HAYE V VALUEV COUNTDOWN (Fri 21:30) 63
10 ATLETICO MADRID V REAL MADRID-LIVE (Sat 20:57) 63
Viewing figures for 4 Nations game Eng v NZ on Nov 7th don’t feature at all. Eng v Aus union international 4th highest, the highest was I think was the Man U game v Chelsea. Paley/Steffy if you are posting explanation please. France v Aus was on BBC (FTA) again doesn’t feature when compared to Wales v AB’s which was circa 2M. RL must be worried as obviously the figures potentially indicate that the 4 Nations hasn’t caught the eye of the viewing public, anyway those who watch from home.
jus de couchon said | November 23rd 2009 @ 3:31am | Report comment
By the dictionaries description International means between Nations , no argument there. The recent 4 Nations could be included in this broad umbrella of what constitutes an “international”. However the English language is constantly evolving and to describe this last manifestation of the Greatest game in the world to be an International Sport is an exageration at best and an abberation to anyone who follows sport and can read .