Everyone loves a rating out of 10 on the day after a State of Origin, but every decent media outlet and moderately successful rugby league website and pundit will have the players ratings. Why not rate the people who make the reap the rewards of the TV ratings.
Having become a Fox Sports snob since the pay TV provider was allowed to cover all NRL this season, the State of Origin was always circled as the time where I’d have to come back to Channel Nine to sample the big clashes. And wasn’t I looking forward to it.
Sure, we could have avoided the game and the result and hooked into the Fox Sports coverage at 10pm (and it was tempting but later found out it still featured Channel Nine commentary.,so lucky for us we didn’t wait) but some sleep is required for a midweek at work.
Was it as bad as we thought it had become in the pre-Fox Sports era? The ratings are below, for the coverage and commentators that is.
Pre-match hype
Rating (out of 10): N/A
Couldn’t be arsed as I knew from previous year it would be full of clichéd slow mos and other rubbish. And the wheeling out of that great Queensland junior club Bowraville Tigers under Greg Inglis’ name, as he somehow keeps a straight face as he announces it. That is if they still do that. Don’t forget the plethora of ads and endless The Voice promos too, but that is expected on commercial TV. It gives you the Madden brothers and Delta to distract you from your distaste for the commentary team.
Having guessed correctly that the actual kick off would be 8:23pm we can’t rate something we didn’t see.
From the word on the Street on social media, it may not have scored much higher than N/A.
Match coverage
Rating: 3
The coverage can be summed up by the start and the finish. First up, courtesy of Spider cam, we missed all the excitement and impact of Origin’s first tackle/hit up, always of the great moments of any series. And to cap it off, with NSW attempting a short drop out to win the ball back quickly in the dying moment, apparently Dane Gagai pulled off what Gus described as “one of the moments of the night”. How would we know? Nine were still showing a replay of the previous moment.
On more than a few occasions they appeared to be unable to keep up with the game, and overall there was too much of the over-hyped Spider Cam which adds as much to State of Origin as Dylan Walker. Given they couldn’t keep up with such a slow game, it must be slightly worrying for them.
Rabs Warren
Rating: 5
At least other commentators don’t hide their allegiances. Rabs barely got out of first gear when Queensland did anything, yet found another level of more for when NSW threatened to do something excitement. Always keen to point out any negative in Maroon, and equally quiet when a NSW 50-50 goes their way.
Rabs has been great, and a true great of Australian broadcasting, but he hasn’t been great for a while now and Channel Nine really need to look to a new Voice. Not that kind of Voice though. Nor Ray Hadley’s unless they want to really annoy league fans.
Peter Sterling
Rating: 8.5
A voice of reason, and by far the best in the box. They simply don’t allow him to talk much, or enough in our book. Sure you know he supports NSW, but given his additions to the coverage you would barely know.
We also now know he hits a nine iron that sits down on the green.
Gus Gould
Rating: 7
Gus must be getting sick of sitting though a Queensland victory, and does well not to lose it completely. He has plenty of good to be said, and most of it is the most common of sense. The routine with Rabs like two ladies arguing over the 161 Bus is getting tedious, but wasn’t so bad tonight.
Paul Vautin
Rating: 6
A surprise addition given he’s been on the outer on game day for a while, or have I just not noticed him in the box this year with my Fox Sports snobbery, but still so superior to the dross or white noise on offer from Wally Lewis. Still unsure why we need to have a Queenslander just to even it up, just have the best commentators and be done with it. Or in fact why they need four in the box plus a cast on the sidelines.
He was too quick to not sound too much in favour Queenslander to attempt to look partial.
Sideline/panel
Rating: 4
Rarely do you hear anything worthwhile. Great when we flash to a shot of Freddy talking instead of what’s going on. And of all the retired players who have tried to get into the media, di Brett Finch really put forward the best edition?
May have rated this section higher, but those half time interview with players coming off for half time that asked and receive the most clichéd questions need to go. Leave them alone and let them get off the field. The questions add zero to the coverage.
Post-match
N/A
Went to bed as soon as I had served my time under Channel Nine. No need for any more analysis, promos or Brad Fittler until next time.
Unfortunately I missed a ball-tearer from Sam Thaiday.
It is easy to criticise Channel Nine, especially if you have been treated to Fox Sports coverage all season, but they make it so easy to do so, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
Put it into perspective though, it could be worse. It is only 3, three-hour broadcasts a year. Come the summer, there’s endless days of drivel from the very worst sporting commentary team in Australia.
Back to Fox Sports for us snobs for a few more weeks then.
Sandy
Guest
Channel 9 Melbourne is a disgrace - Oriigin 2 and 3 cut off on final siren. No post match interviews, no man of the match, no series winner presentation, nothing. Zip nada nothing. The sooner fox sports has Origin coverage the better
Edward Kelly
Roar Guru
It wasn't even in real HD! It was blurry on their HD channel. Spider-cam was a new toy so the director had to use it heaps as it cost a lot. Do we remember vomit cam? The camera that followed along the sideline, then there was goal-line cam that swept along the dead ball line. Every year Nine get something new for origin without trialing it on NRL games and then over use it to spoil the coverage. I too have become a Foxsports snob, its worth the money, even it it makes Murdoch richer (is that possible). Nine is rubbish.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
The coverage by Nine was rubbish. But as the only game in town, they can get away with it. You know, monopolies an' all...
Ian
Guest
The statement that Rabs has been great hasn't been true for at least 10, possibly closer to 20 years. I find myself wondering if he actually watches the game. But then I have my doubts about Gould watching it too.
Ian
Guest
The 30 second interview at half time is the most pointless thing ever in sport. An incoherent interviewer asking questions of an incoherent player. It's not like they're going to say anything interesting.
Bill C
Guest
I couldn't help but think the crowd noise sounded 'canned'. Each time a player received the ball, there was a brief, scratchy, crowd sound which lasted about 2 seconds and then stopped abruptly. It sounded almost identical each time and didn't matter whether it was Qld or NSW who had the ball. Definitely didn't sound natural or spontaneous.
soapit
Guest
number 3: a couple of time the commentators didnt even say what it was for and they didnt show what the ref indicated either.
McNaulty
Guest
Agreed Sampson is great while Molan is terrible. Amongst other things she has terrible posture. The problem with these league commentary teams is they are all ex players and so they form that football gang "its cool to be dumb" mentality. They need to get more non footballers in there for Origin. Or at least get in ex players who have left and done something else and gotten away from the League player environment. Get Russell Crowe, Andrew Denton or Simon Baker or Harry Trigaboff. They should get Jessica Turner from channel 10 to take over from Molan.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Rabs isn't displaying an allegiance, he matches his cadence and tone to the crowd -- the mostly NSW crowd that was going quiet every time QLD got close.
scott
Guest
The answer to 2 is because he's as red as an inflamed haemorrhoid.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
that's fine...so our team needs compensation because the Broncos get so much free publicity its a joke. you've got a fair salary cap...and an unfair broadcast schedule. So let the Raiders broadcast their own games via the net and Ch9 can go jump :)
Tom
Guest
They show teams that will rate well. Unfortunately raiders will not. So why would they show them.
Pete
Guest
turbodewd, Channel 9 will only show Canberra games when there is literally no other option, like last weekend. Check the facts. Sunday football (and doesn't channel 9 love their Sunday football) is to only be played between two Sydney teams, in a Sydney suburban ground. Check the draw! You'll be amazed how far Rabs and Co don't have to travel on a Sunday! Viva la fox sports!
Craig
Guest
Is it just me, or does anyone else hate the 30 second interview with players as they are walking off at half time? This is the worst innovation in the history of the game. I find it intrusive . The AFL does it with an assistant coach or something, this is 10000000000 times better. They can give an actual insight into what is being said and they haven't just worked their ar$e off for a half of football. I don't mind Yvonne Sampson, but Erin Molan has to go. I'm glad she had limited involvement in the coverage but she needs to have 0 involvement. Fitler is terrible. I prefer Finch to Freddy actually. Hopefully Freddy is in the coaches box next year, surely Daley can't go around again? The rest is meh.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
1. Why does Channel 9 not give us a graphic showing us who came on for who during interchanges?! 2. If an American or Bulgarian watched his first game of league last night he would ask why do we not see Ray Warren?! 3. Why cant we have a little graphic to indicate the type of penalty when its called. 4. Why are KFC computers so slow? 'Decision pending' takes ages to load even tho the info to display is TRY or NO TRY. LOL 5. Phil Gould's negative attitude occasionally surfaces during games, he drones on and on. Its painful at times. Channel 9 utterly sux. I hate them. Hated them for years. They don't like showing my Raiders, doesn't matter how good we are...instead they'll show Parra. Down with 9!