Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Dear me - twist the facts and deliberately misquote.......I hope I didn't make a mistake with the sequence of events: I'm sure you'd correct me if they were wrong.
Cringeworthy Kearns/Martin moments.....minutes......hours......
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SouthernX
John Thornett (49)
Guys like Kafe & Marto have carved out some nice little jobs for themselves in their post rugby career.. It's just a shame that other retired players with more relevance coming through the ranks aren't getting the opportunities with FOX SPORTS.
How many matches did Kafe/Marto get for the Wallabies? Not a lot I'm guessing (Do you even get caps for carrying the water bottles & slicing up the half time oranges?)
If your ever out on the roads in Brisbane on a Saturday night & the Reds are playing at Lang Park tune into 612AM & have a listen to former QLD REDS captain John Roe doing a good job on the colour commentary.
How many matches did Kafe/Marto get for the Wallabies? Not a lot I'm guessing (Do you even get caps for carrying the water bottles & slicing up the half time oranges?)
If your ever out on the roads in Brisbane on a Saturday night & the Reds are playing at Lang Park tune into 612AM & have a listen to former QLD REDS captain John Roe doing a good job on the colour commentary.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
with Longman(?)?
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
SouthernX, I don't think it is Kafe or Marto's lack of tests that is the problem. Look how popular Kearns & Horan are as commentators. For that matter, how many tests did Gordon Bray play?
It doesn't seem that there are very many popular commentators, across all sports for that matter. But success on the field is not a prerequisite. My favourite commentary teams are the ABCs cricket team and, off the top of my head, the most successful cricketer amongst the regular team is Kerry O'Keefe.
It doesn't seem that there are very many popular commentators, across all sports for that matter. But success on the field is not a prerequisite. My favourite commentary teams are the ABCs cricket team and, off the top of my head, the most successful cricketer amongst the regular team is Kerry O'Keefe.
SouthernX
John Thornett (49)
Well Gordon Bray is the worst PLAY BY PLAY commentator going around. (I don't rate him)
In regards to your comments of success on the field not being a perquisite, I think you'll find that there is a correlation of the people who hang onto the jobs as colour commentators across all different codes & the success they had playing in their respective sports. The only guy whom I think is way out of his depth & doesn't deserve a job based on the merit of his playing career in Australia's various Football codes is Ben Ikin. (he is like the Marto of league)
BTW.. I did not know Marto had cancer & that cut his career short... He was a little before my time & I always figured that the lack of test caps was because he was basically a fringe wallaby player.
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
Actually he had cancer and came back and played for the Wallabies again afterwards. Also famous for being the guy Campo tried to pass to in the in goal against the British Lions and allowing Evans to score THAT try. I think I got all that right, but I was rather younger at the time it happened. But I digress.
I didn't mean to imply I don't agree that top players can make great commentators - they are experts in the game after all. I just meant it wasn't neccesarily a pre-requisite or that it automatically translated. Again - refer Horan & Kearns who some rate, but many don't.
I didn't mean to imply I don't agree that top players can make great commentators - they are experts in the game after all. I just meant it wasn't neccesarily a pre-requisite or that it automatically translated. Again - refer Horan & Kearns who some rate, but many don't.
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
Ok, so now I am questioning myself. After posting this I googled it to double check. He was the fullback when Campo passed, but I can't find any reference to him having cancer. From memory, I thought he had a brain tumour at some point - (no, I'm not confused with Julian Huxley, but possibly with someone else???) Just wonderring if anyone else can confirm/dispute?
numbertwo
Peter Burge (5)
This thread is really interesting because it shows how much preferences differ in relation to sports commentary. For example, TSR rates Kerry O'Keefe and can't stand Gordon Bray; whereas I am the exact opposite. I don't think the broadcasters have much chance of ever pleasing a majority of viewers.
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Totally disagree. We will all have preferences, however this thread is about competence, not likeability. And as a very long term watcher and viewer of the game, here and elsewhere, (and as a former executive in a very successful organisation involved in a major sport - not in Oz by the way) I know that there are certain basic rules that all good commentators should follow.
For example, commentators are not there to tell us what might happen, or what should happen (unless they have something useful to say about tactics, very occasionally), they are there to add value to the pictures and sounds that we can see and hear with our own faculties as they unfold before us. They are there to tell us facts that we do not know, or might not know, especially things that are happening off the field, or out of camera range.
They are not there to whoop and holler like schoolboys, they are not there to continually criticise the officials, they are not there to criticise the rules, they are not there to inject their own personalities (limited as they usually are) continuously into the telecast.
There have been some great commentators over the years, and there are a few around now, and they all have one thing in common - they are understated, and they do not fill every moment with prattle. Recognising that some viewers are new to the sport, some explanation of the nuts and bolts is required, but on the whole we can see what is bloody well happening. And we are prepared to wait and see what happens next - we do not need to be told "which way the ball will go" -- the buggers usually get it wrong anyway. Idiots.
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
Actually, for the record I didn't say I hated Gordon Bray. I was actually using him as an example of someone who wasn't a top rugby player but was regarded by many as a good commentator - although not by SouthernX.
I agree though, I doubt any commentator has universal appeal.
(But seriously - how can you not like Kerry O'Keefe?).
I agree though, I doubt any commentator has universal appeal.
(But seriously - how can you not like Kerry O'Keefe?).
numbertwo
Peter Burge (5)
Wamberal, the duties you describe are exactly what I like in a commentator and I take and I thought Gordon Bray was an example of that.
To return to the thread discussion, What Wamberal set out above seems to me pretty good evaluation criteria and on that basis I would only rate Kafe. I may be biased I use to play against him when he played FB for Wests and used to break tackles with his huge arse. We used to call him barge arse. Some how it gives him an endearing quality.
Sorry TSR I misread your post about Gordon Bray and sorry again but Kerry O'Keefe just annoys the hell out of me!
To return to the thread discussion, What Wamberal set out above seems to me pretty good evaluation criteria and on that basis I would only rate Kafe. I may be biased I use to play against him when he played FB for Wests and used to break tackles with his huge arse. We used to call him barge arse. Some how it gives him an endearing quality.
Sorry TSR I misread your post about Gordon Bray and sorry again but Kerry O'Keefe just annoys the hell out of me!
W
Waylon
Guest
The best was the old Scottish boy who used to commentate the 5 nations on BBC 70's 80's 90's ish. I believe he is deceased but I may be wrong (just to stop I.S. getting his stats up on Google)
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I mentioned him earlier: bill mclaren.
Kerry Okeefe is a pain in the neck: he sounds like muttley from the whacky races when he laughs at his own jokes
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Kerry Okeefe is a pain in the neck: he sounds like muttley from the whacky races when he laughs at his own jokes
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Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
There is 3 a part doco on him - doesnt the Wallabies jersey colour look better from way back when?
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
For my own peice of mind (this has been bugging me since my earlier post), I finally managed to find confirmation re Greg Martin's Cancer. Although it wasn't a brain tumour, and he didn't come back from it - nor was he dropped because of it, he had already been dropped due to injury.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/...the-karma-cabbie/story-fn6ck6i3-1226128895854
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/...the-karma-cabbie/story-fn6ck6i3-1226128895854
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Like all good commentators, he was very understated, and not afraid of shutting up when he had nothing to add to that which we could see and hear. What a contrast to the overgrown, excitable, garrulous schoolboys on Fox Sports.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
I'll show my age here and say that Norman May was one of the best Oz commentators. I doubt many here would remember him but his calls for Rugby on the ABC was very good. Along the same lines as Bill McLaren who was without doubt the best, and called the games without favour for the simple love of the game regardless of who was playing.
Of the current crop the only one I really like is Hugh Bladen. Kearnsy is a great bloke and a charismatic individual but I find that he has become too much of the cheer leader for the Tahs especially and doesn't call the games as they are. Kafe is very good analysis wise but even he has slipped into non critical mode. I wonder why all Oz commentators do not offer true critique of the play, I would suggest it may well impair their access to future interviews and stories. I don't rate Marto or Horan at all as commentators and Horan has blotted his card with his misuse of his commentary position to shore up support for Graham the whole fiasco of his signing.
I dislike all the NZ commentators, though my dislike for Justin Marshal is biased but my continued disgust for the petulance he dsiplayed as a player and escaped santions, he is the best of a truly biased lot over there.
Of the current crop the only one I really like is Hugh Bladen. Kearnsy is a great bloke and a charismatic individual but I find that he has become too much of the cheer leader for the Tahs especially and doesn't call the games as they are. Kafe is very good analysis wise but even he has slipped into non critical mode. I wonder why all Oz commentators do not offer true critique of the play, I would suggest it may well impair their access to future interviews and stories. I don't rate Marto or Horan at all as commentators and Horan has blotted his card with his misuse of his commentary position to shore up support for Graham the whole fiasco of his signing.
I dislike all the NZ commentators, though my dislike for Justin Marshal is biased but my continued disgust for the petulance he dsiplayed as a player and escaped santions, he is the best of a truly biased lot over there.
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