I’ve come to notice over the last year or so that many of the supposed best commentators in our game are, in my opinion, not doing their job. The main culprit I’m referring to is the Channel Nine rugby league commentary team.
The Nine team are supposedly the best analytical judges of the game and offer the average league fan extra insight to the game.
However, I often find myself muting the television to escape their painful mediocrity.
I have a particular issue with Ray Warren or ‘Rabs’. I understand that he is a great of the game and has given years of quality service to the TV audience, however some one really needs to give him a tap on the shoulder and let him know he should leave now instead of getting to the point where the names he calls out are more often wrong than right.
It’s become custom for a game with ‘Rabs’ to hear at least two or three names of players that either don’t exist or haven’t played the game in a considerable amount of time, such as Mark Horo (Rabs spent the entire game calling Justin Horo his Dad’s name).
However, the most ridiculous things I have noticed is that commentators such as the ‘Great Gus Gould’ (in his own mind) don’t seem to even bother to learn the players’ names nor what they look like.
One would think that this is a crucial factor to be able to commentate a game.
An example of this was when the Brisbane Broncos changed fullback after round five. Corey Norman was replaced by Josh Hoffman. Apparently no one told them that it was a different player despite the different name. To quote Gus, “I hear this kids an even better five-eighth” (that was Corey Norman).
This actually went on for a couple of rounds.
But the greatest issue I have with Channel 9 is its recruiting of Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler. One can only hope they are never allowed to commentate a whole game as they both fail to add anything interesting from their sideline quips. Sure they were both great players of the game, but their ability to articulate that to the masses in a coherent manner leaves a lot to be desired.
To highlight the ability of one Brad Fittler, one can YouTube to hear Fittler telling Rabs that he told the sick Cameron Ciraldo to “harden the ***k up!”
While that may be all good to say in a private conversation, when you’re being recorded on TV one has to know to choose their words better.
An example of a good sideline commentator I heard recently was Brett Kimmorely. In a sideline quip he actually added something of relevance to the game to give the viewer a better understanding of what was going on.
It is my belief Channel 9 needs to go away from recruiting the best retired players and instead recruit the best-articulated retired players.
An example of where they failed to do this was when they stuck by Andrew Johns and shafted his brother Matthew, while there is little doubt Andrew was the better player but Matthew was defiantly the better commentator.
cherog
Guest
Last night we turned off the match between the Broncos and the Cowboys - the commentary was infuriating. Considering we are Cowboys fans it was not something we did lightly - but while you have big mouth Fatty there I wont watch it ever again. He dragged Wally Lewis down to his level and I have lost respect for Wally. Is there any way you can have commentators that are not ex players - OR if they are ex players have them commenting on a match that DOES NOT involve a team they used to play for. We "the mob up here" to use Fatty's terms, are fed up with Brisbane Vegas. The prima donnas and the Broncos team. As soon as Wally comes on the News with the sports report I am walking out. Completely lost respect. Will never watch or listen to him again -
Klaw
Guest
Gus is off again on his high horse about the 2 ref system and now I am watching the rest of the game muted. So annoying.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
RJ, the majority of the FOX guys do not do their homework and Wendell, Whizz and Wayne Pearce are clearly out of their depth, while Daley tries to talk to us like he is a school teacher and we are playing in <12s. Brandy makes Laurie look sick. Not one of the panelists understands the betting yet they all comment on the odds. If betting is going to be part of the show then they should have a genuine expert on as the ex footy players imbecile themselves.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Well said Waterboy, agree 100%. I have found his analysis by far the best. My 2 big hates is that most footy callers SCREAM as opposed to call which is unprofessional and irks me big time, and the other is that we are NEVER informed of changes as they happen and importantly, what is the likely impact. Also id say and right centre is injured we are never told who has replaced him and what they has done to the overall team line up. We have to wait and try and work it out ourselves.
Andrew
Guest
The difference between radio and TV is such that Radio broadcasters have to paint a picture of what is happening on the field, while TV broadcasters are just adding to what you can already see. Why the NRL allows an exclusive radio broadcast of the games in beyond me. I loved it when I had so many choices of commentators and games to listen to.
Bill Baxter
Guest
Sterlo is the best, give me the Foxtel commentators anytime over the rest of the Channel 9 crowd. Gould irritates because he is pig headed one moment, condescending the next, and indulges in too much small talk with Warren. Also he insists on pronouncing 'something' and 'nothing' as if the words end in a 'k'!!!.
RJ
Guest
Bring back Graeme 'Trout' Hughes and the State Bank Big Game with sideline comments from Billy Anderson and all the FootyTab latest with Professor John Croucher. As dreadful as the Channel Nine call is they are not as bad as Fox - Smith, Raymond, Daley, Tallis etc. Triple M's Monday Night call deserves special mention for being particularly crap also.
JamesG
Guest
Ray Warren is hopeless, when referring to player weights he speaks in stone. Im 36 and I was raised to speak in kilograms. Sterlo is decent Andrew Voss is decent Phil Gould is decent when he keeps his temper under control
Fly on the Wall
Guest
Agreed the Ch 9 gang are crap - but by far the worst is the MMM call of the Monday night game and their call of Swans games. Rank amateurs who know nothing. Fittler and Johns are too dumb to be human.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Simple answer,Warren Boland,Warren Smith(Fox),Rabbits(when he is not twisting the Englsh language and reminiscing, and Andrew Voss. Whenever I hear Gould yell WOW, I wonder if he is looking at a girlie magazine. Certainly not Gordon Bray if he ever became a rl commentator(pray, pray not). I hate him shouting a player's name ,and describing a team well beaten and playing ordinarily, as being: courageous. Send Fittler and A Johns to the sin bin, their voices grate, and they sound like a couple of well oiled yobbos.Make them both cameramen, just keep them away from a mike, please 9.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Bone the entire team and replace them with Billy Birmingham.
waterboy
Guest
Greg Alexander is the best analyst in the game bar none. He is equal to Sterlo on the technical element of the game, but unlike Sterlo's fence sitting will definitively express an opinion and criticise a player, coach or referee if he considers it warranted. Who ever gets the next NRL rights deal would be mad not to get Alexnder signed up before anyone else and on a long term deal.
Junior
Guest
i think jim commentates on sport in between putting tonic in his gin and sniffing around for the depleted stash of tawny port in his triple garage. just a hunch, you know.
Junior
Guest
1989? i thought i'd erased that horrendous afternoon from my memory bank and you go and drag it back. thanks for that champ. as for morrow, i agree. he doesn't hide his support for st george illawarra which is a credit to him, but his bias during their games permeates all the way through. eg with 50/50 decisions he more often than not leans to his team. that's fine if you've paid for your gen admission ticket but not if you're paid to commentate. as for other abc league people, the wok is alright. he offers some insight but i reckon he's lost the plot a little. also, craig whatshisname from newcastle and matt rodwell can be annoying. and my vote for worst current league commentator goes to andy raymond. he offers nothing in the box or on the touchline. his sycophant behaviour is sickening. his favourite press conference question is either " pleased with the win wayne?" or "disappointed with the loss craig?" you want insight? then i'm afraid you don't want andy,
Junior
Guest
mate, i don't normally point out people's spelling and grammatical errors. i'm guilty myself sometimes. some people just struggle with it all or english is not their first language or whatever. it's a blog right? who cares as long as you get your point across? that said, i wasn't too sure what you said the first time i read your post because i was too busy trying to spot the next error. perhaps it's a tactic to get people to read your posts more than once. if so, then that's very clever. i can't get the image of "gooses who are riding the gravey train" out of my head.
BigAl
Guest
Dennis Cometti 1 - daylight second, in all aspects - grammar, voice quality, knowledge of what he's commentating, and of course legendary quick wit and sense of humour
Lucas
Guest
I'm both a Swans and Knights member and agree that broadly speaking television commentators have steadily gotten worse and worse. I would hand it to Fox however as opposed to Nine/Seven(AFL) but feel that if the radio broadcast is aligned with the Free to Air schedule then it's heaven. ABC Grandstand does a great job and I fear for the day when they no longer broadcast. If hazarding a guess why the Radio is superior to television I would put it down to ABC 1233 and the likes need to maintain interest. Your already watching the Tv so I think their is leeway for their commentators to slack off whereas radio requires a steady stream of rationality otherwise it just becomes the obsolete box in the corner and you return to some drongoes who can't hold a mic properly on the telly.
Lorry
Guest
Best Commentator is Jim 'Leather Elbow Patches' Maxwell The smooth mellifluous tones of the North Shore Why isn't he on ABC sydney club rugby anymore? What happened to him? Anyway, they replaced him with a guy who sounds very similar, so it's ok!
berra boy
Guest
agree - just because you are in the ABC doesn't make you good - Morrow is terrible.
Jammy
Guest
I cannot stand David Morrow, he thinks that Warren Ryan is a god and never wrong (1989 grand final anyone?) and seems to think shouting as loud as you can incomprehensively is commentary. Other than him the ABC is very good in particular Ryan and Tim Gable. And Owen Wright (?) who does the expert commentary for the warriors matches is excellent too.