After a month that has made NRL fans feel like they’ve gone from being a wide-eyed rookie to a tired, busted-up old journeyman with a dodgy back, last night’s game took one look at its weak and huddled masses and inquired, “Why so serious?”
As the horrible Ben Barba happenings and the shemozzle of the Sharks dodgy Doc took their toll, it’s fair to say I was grumpier than Luke O’Donnell with a hangover doing the grocery shopping by the time I retired to the couch for a Thursday night footy fix.
This mood did not improve when I realised that being a hostage in the land of the 4:30am sunrise and year-round Origin victors had earned me a delayed telecast of the match, and that the interesting program called The Block preceding it was not actually a documentary on the temperamental former Lowes and Balmain front-rower.
After an hour resisting all forms of social media and learning the difference between metal stucco lath and carbon-fiber stucco lath it was finally time for the footy, and geez, didn’t it lift the mood like a 65th-minute streaker at a wet Monday night match!
I don’t really know where to begin. Perhaps sensing the league fraternity’s fowler, the powers that be piled on the laughs early on with Karl Stefanovic giving a hilarious Ken Sutcliffe impersonation, some shots from the new spew cam before Joey Johns showed he still had it by stepping a couple of chunky blokes who won the world’s most embarrassing Easts Leagues raffle.
All of this though was just a series of hors d’oeuvres before the three=course meal that is S-B-W.
Channel Nine had followed the bloke round like a psychotic Justin Bieber fan ever since he returned to the country, but how could they capitalise on the great one when there were 33 other blokes getting their un-sculpted mugs in the way of the cameras?
Cue hushed tones: “I wonder what he’s thinking now…..”
What followed by way of Sonny Bill’s stumbling internal monologue was hands down, cross my heart hope to die, stick a Les Boyd finger in my eye, the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in sports coverage.
After picking myself up off the floor the first time, next go round I just stood up and applauded. How could the blokes making the same crappy fart jokes on the Footy Show for a decade come up with this comedy gold?
I was half expecting an Anthony Mundine hologram to spring up next to him and start pointing out gaps in the defence!
Often rugby league takes itself so gosh darn seriously, yet here it was, after a crappy week, just trying to make us smile again.
Even the Roosters wingers got in on the act in the second half.
Personally I felt refreshed post match, and greatly enjoyed the mix of light-heartedness with my NRL big hits… well, until my brother in downtown Ethiopia texted me the score at half time, but things like that can’t be helped.
Keep up the laughs I say!
Oh… sorry… what’s that? It… wasn’t meant to be a joke? The whole SBW talking to himself thing was serious? SERIOUS!
Oh dear God…
Follow Chris on Twitter @Vic_Arious
Damn Straight
Roar Rookie
Here's an idea. Next time turn down the volume and commentate yourself mushi. My mates and I do it whilst drinking stubbies and some of the material that comes out is priceless. With your dry, acid tongue I'm sure that not only would it be way more entertaining than the barrage of verbal diarrhea of gus and rabs, but you would probably make the wife p*ss herself laughing as well. Just a disposable thought. :)
Bazzio
Roar Guru
Channel 9 cost saving has now shown it's true face ~ more adverts, more drivel, less coverage http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-30/jobs-on-the-line-as-nine-flags-cost-cuts/4491746
Baloo
Guest
Sonny would get 12mths jail (would stage a break-out after 10)
Baloo
Guest
Just one game, but so many questions: *Just how good was Karl's Suthcliffe impersonation? Did he know who Cougar Cronk was? *What rugby league scholar is going to be sharing their thoughts with us next week? *how can Ch9 outdo Spider-Cam? Is Bat-Cam just around the corner? Questions, questions...
Damn Straight
Roar Rookie
I guess they(the networks) are also thoroughly aware that you are really limited with choices when it comes to NRL coverage. There really is only 2 choices...and one choice if you don't see the value in pay tv. In my opinion, the NRL is just as much to blame for this as the networks.
Damn Straight
Roar Rookie
I agree with your sentiments Will, but I guess the whole $onny Bill Williams saga is a great example of how ad nauseum promotional hype equals more viewers and bums on seats. Which translates to more advertising revenue. The nature of the beast. :)
Ian
Guest
Channel 9 need to learn the lesson that toys like spidercam are only useful if they enhance the coverage. They overdid it - hopefully they'll wind it back several notches once the novelty wears off (but I'm not hopeful they will). The SBW voiceover was completely pointless. About as good as their regular Greg Inglis interviews on the news "mumble, mumble, mumble, something or other, mumble".
dogforlife
Guest
Wont watch any channel 9 games this year, made that decision when 9 got the rights again. Might try again in another 5 years IF another FTA station gets involved.
Australian Rules
Guest
yes good call.
derrick
Guest
Yeah but no one wants to hear a pommy accent!
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Fox covered a rather large chunk of that million..........I mean billion dollars........... Dr Evil. The difference to the end consumer is light years apart between Pay and Nein. No respect.
Australian Rules
Guest
Just bizarre that the game wasn't live into Brisbane - bizarre. I feel for the loyal NRL fans. Channel 9 paid the princely sum of (insert little finger into side of mouth) $1 Billion dollars...to do with the game what they please. And clearly what "pleases" them is a little...weird.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Here's a concept. It's called FREE MOVIES. You simply go down to your local Hoyts cinema - purchase an item from the candy bar - and receive a ticket to the film of your choice. During that FREE screening, the movie stops every three minutes for a 15 second advertisement. Would you want to sit through that ???????????? Channel Nein - I hope your taking notice. It's all about quality , and not quantity - when its comes to effective marketing.
mushi
Roar Guru
I also loved Gus' review of Taken 2 "Saw it last night, it was sensational". To which Rabs replies "where? in your hotel room?".
Renegade
Guest
Mate, i appreciate his talents but i don't want to see him on tv doing push ups on the sideline while there is actually a game on. What about all the other superstars in the game such as Inglis, Slater, Thurston, Gallen, etc....why are we not hearing voice messages of them and watching them stretch their legs (not that i want to lol) Ch 9 are going overboard with the whole SBW comeback. The Sharks will survive buddy and i suspect they will let their frustrations out on the titans this Sunday.
Vhavnal
Roar Rookie
I actually thought SBW looked more BORED than serious..probably wishing he was back playing rugby where fans cheered everytime he had ball in hand...... or he could move to the next phase, become a movie star... LOL
The Barry
Roar Guru
hahaha - I like the hungover bowls sessions as well Mushi. Another great is the darts but the amount of pints consumed in the crowd can get the stomach turning over at times.
oikee
Guest
It wont get easier either, wait till Kasiano is running over the top of him. hehe, this is game one, round one, welcome home Sonny. hehe
oikee
Guest
I think it is good. The more they talk up Sonny, the more we see our games superstars really shine. Look, lets not kid ourselves, Inglis is the most awesome athlete the world, not us, not league fans, the world has ever seen. Sonny is highlighting hoqw good he is, and the paper today said if you had a choice, who would you pick. ? No brainer. Inglis can pass, kick, run like a rabbit and his strength and palm is a weapon like mass destruction. Moon doggy, i am loving this, and lets not foget, this is game one of round one of a rugby league season we will never forget. Bugger the sharks, i hope the Titans put 50 on them. hehe, i am loving this, and all we need is a Yank to do the voice-overs, i will be in heaven. This is what i am talking about, this is stage one. Get on board or get out. Big Clive Palmer is not only raising the Titanic, he is steering the sucker as well. You guys need to lighten up. hehe.
Will Sinclair
Guest
Well - they're shooting themselves in the foot then, aren't they DS? Pushing viewers into alternate media sources by providing a second rate product. Strange business plan, that one.