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As I am writing this, Australia have just defeated England 28-20 in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup opener.
After trailing 10-0 early in the match, the Aussies came back to lead at halftime and withheld a spirited English fightback at the end.
The match has been tight and the contest absorbing, and England ought to lose no admirers with their performance.
The shining light of this opening match, however, has been Channel 7’s commentary.
After years of Channel 9, with the agenda-driven negativity of Phil Gould and the boys’ club mentality exemplified by Brad Fittler, the Channel 7 crew led by Andrew Voss were a breath of fresh air.
What we have heard and experienced was a celebration of rugby league.
The commentators have been professional, international, and even their national biases have been, if it is possible to say, somewhat neutral.
If the production crew of Channel 9 are secretly watching this coverage and wondering how they can improve their control over rugby league in Australia, they could do a lot worse than take their cue from this match.
Keep your commentary enjoyable, professional and neutral, and you’ll go a long way to earning the right to be appreciated by the legion of fans that follow the game.
Well done Channel 7. Bring on the remaining matches.
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