The League Media

[terry j]

I do enjoy League having issues but we can't be so naive that this type of thing can't or doesn't occur in Rugby

not enough money being bet and so that much harder to hide?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

On the subject of the league media y Mike coleman's piece on the SOO is very good, IMO:

t was a changing of the Origin guard. Debutante’s all over the park. How would they handle the pressure?

​

The answer wasn’t long in coming. Yvonne Sampson made a rookie error early, calling Sterlo “Peter”.​

It was something Rabs would never do. Neither would Gus, Freddy, Joey or Fatty, but a quick pat on the back and she was right back into it.

Other than the shock selection of the first female anchor in Origin history, it soon became obvious that the producers had gone back in time to replace former Channel 9 boss of sport Steve Crawley, who in the off-season had made the biggest switch since Bozo left Manly to go to the Roosters.​

Crawley, a wordsmith par excellence, had made it his business to write Origin introductions for Rabs that would have brought a tear to Sir John Gielgud’s eye.​

With Crawley now running out for Fox, the Nine bosses signed up Rex Mossop’s old scriptwriter.​

It’s intense, it’s relentless, it’s uncompromising,” boomed Rabs, ensuring enshrinement into the Tautology Hall of Fame.​

Meanwhile, back up in the central commentary position Yvonne (or “Youvon” as Rabs called her) was having trouble controlling Freddy who had obviously been getting stuck into the red frogs in the green room.​

“I love it, how good? Can’t wait. I’m excited,” he said, bouncing up and down in his seat. Happily the producer cut down to the field for the coin-toss before Freddy tried to get King Wally and Billy the Kid involved in a chorus of, ‘If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.’​

he coin toss went well except for one small problem. Well, two actually. Erin Molan is taller than both Cameron Smith and Paul Gallen, which made a lie of Rabs’s, “Big men, even bigger collisions” line in his preamble.​

No doubt by next game the producers will have built a little platform for the captains to stand on ala Alan Ladd.​

You-von then broke some news. Lozza was starting with Tamou and putting Birdy back on the bench.​

“What’s the reason behind that Sterlo?” she asked the man who is paid a motza to provide expert analysis.​

“Well, I don’t want to get too technical,” he said. Gee thanks.​

It was now time for the pictures of the players, above the names of their junior clubs — in the Maroons’ case the likes of Mugeeraba Redbacks, Townsville Brothers and, of course, that most famous of all Queensland clubs, the mighty Bowraville Tigers.​

Billy then gave let us into the secret of the Queensland game plan, “don’t let your mate down, don’t let your state down”. Lucky they didn’t leave that lying around on a white board.​

And then it was over to Rabs and the boys for the call, each carefully chosen to give a biased view: Sterlo for NSW, Fatty for Queensland and Gus for Matt Moylan.​

For Rabs, as always, it was bordering on a religious experience.​

“Darius Boyd almost genuflects as he takes the ball,” he said, while Gus took a while to get into the game. It wasn’t until the sixth minute that we got the first “dear oh dear oh dear” after Josh Morris spilt a sitter.​

It was just a preamble to the hour mark when the bunker overruled a Blues try and then reversed a knock-on decision. It sounded like he had swallowed his mouthguard, and he wasn’t wearing one.​

We’d heard something similar in the first half when the game was halted after Justin O’Neill copped an innocuous bump to the head.​

“Why did they stop play?” he spluttered.​

“It’s 2016,” explained Vautin. “The game is different.”​

Maybe down on the field Fatty, but in our loungerooms, as Rex Mossop’s speech writer would say, it was deju vu all over again.​

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...e/news-story/5ad7d3b0c5211ca89d55d816c779b67a

 

[Antony]

On the subject of the league media y Mike coleman's piece on the SOO is very good, IMO:

That article reminds me of the Geoff Lemon piece on the Channel 9 cricket commentary team. It's hands down the best article on Australian sport I've ever read:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/13/channel-nine-destroying-cricket-legacy

 

[Inside Shoulder]

That article reminds me of the Geoff Lemon piece on the Channel 9 cricket commentary team. It's hands down the best article on Australian sport I've ever read:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/13/channel-nine-destroying-cricket-legacy

Very good.
Is it merely a coincidence that both concern the way Ch 9 dishes up sport?

 

[Antony]

Very good.
Is it merely a coincidence that both concern the way Ch 9 dishes up sport?

Good point. I don't watch any AFL on 7, but what is their commentary team like?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Good point. I don't watch any AFL on 7, but what is their commentary team like?

I don't watch AFL full stop.

 

[Braveheart81]

He's retiring at the end of the year but Dennis Cometti is just the best. A voice like velvet and the ability to drop puns like it is no one's business.

 

[Highlander35]

Good point. I don't watch any AFL on 7, but what is their commentary team like?

Not fantastic.

Cometti is a class above. Basil is good also, but I find his voice annoying. A number of others are average to good.

BT is awful, for some reason he goes from a quality Radio commentator to a Moloney with half the intelligence and 10 times the enthusiasm.

Richo has the Gregans. Nothing that he says is wrong, it's just obvious and mono-tonal, which makes it boring.

Bruce is ordinary. Watson and Darcy let their bias come across far too often. Lethal was good for 3 or 4 years, but every year he gets worse as he's another year outside the game/

Commetti, Eddie, Sandy Roberts, Spud Frawley and Dunstall would be my dream team.

 

[wamberal]

He's retiring at the end of the year but Dennis Cometti is just the best. A voice like velvet and the ability to drop puns like it is no one's business.

Aaah. I lived in Melbourne during the years of Captain Blood (Jack Dyer) and Lou Richards. They were bloody hard to top. Sandy Roberts was pretty good, in a lowkey way.


Rex Mossop has to be up there in the echelons of Australian commentators. Rex Messup, as he was known at Channel 7 (my sister worked there).

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Rex paved the way for the current crop of boofheads and with each new boofhead Rex looks better and better

 

[Lindommer]

Rex Mossop has to be up there in the echelons of Australian commentators language manglers/blokey boofheads/tautologers extraordinaire.

corrected

Played a match against his son once, in the late 60s. Couldn't even attend a schoolboy rugby match without bunging on the prize boofheadery. It was embarrassing, we all felt for the kid.

 

[papabear]

Lol this thread. Any notion that the commentary in afl is more entertsining and better then league is a borderline joke.
1 - cometti afl commentators have whiney whiney voices
2 - they are commentating an afl game which inevitably has blown out scorelines... so when they do get a good strong game they over do it, and when they have a shit game they dont go off topic enough like league and cricket commentators due to the arrogance of the sport and those involved in it.

Also back on topic. Reading fitzys articles these days, fitzy himself spends more time/words ripping.league then what league journos do to union. In fact with rothfield and bec wilson, both afl ambassadors ripping league, league journos are ripping league more then any sport.

The only league journo who cracks at other sports in print is the old bloke whose name escapes me who keeps the afl honest regarding tv viewing figures and other afl type issues.

 

[Pfitzy]

Yeah should maybe sit this one out PB, because Gus Gould

 

[liquor box]

He's retiring at the end of the year but Dennis Cometti is just the best. A voice like velvet and the ability to drop puns like it is no one's business.

more metaphors than you can poke a stick at?

 

[Antony]

Lol this thread. Any notion that the commentary in afl is more entertsining and better then league is a borderline joke.

At no point in this thread did anyone say that.

 

[wamberal]

At no point in this thread did anyone say that.

Even if it is true, by any reasonable test.


The only decent boganball commentator ever is Warren Ryan.

 

[Antony]

Even if it is true, by any reasonable test.

I don't watch much/any AFL, so can't comment there. I will say though that I think the league guys are miles ahead of cricket, and most rugby commentators. You at least get the sense that the league team watches a lot of league - they know all the players and can make a couple of interesting-ish points, where needed.

With the entire Channel 9 cricket bunch (other than Mark Nicholas) and most of the rugby guys, you get the sense they only really follow their own teams. Every kiwi commentator's lack of knowledge about anyone outside of SANZAR is embarrassing. To say nothing of Phil Kearns.

Maloney is growing on me. He at least does his research.

 

[Pfitzy]

You at least get the sense that the league team watches a lot of league - they know all the players and can make a couple of interesting-ish points, where needed.

Watch one game, and you've pretty much covered 90% of the sport.

Some of the analysis from Sterling is insightful, but mostly the tactics in league boil down to: just keep smashing the other bloke until he gives up first, or make a kick that bounces funny.

Wonderful attrition. Hardly tactical, strategic, or even entertaining beyond that.

Some awesome skills on show, but like a goal in soccer, they're rare.

 

[Sully]

Surely this thread has run it's course? Everything has been said.

 

[papabear]

I dont know if u gents have ever played risk or settlers of katan.

But generally speaking, if u just sit back and respect the guy whose winning and take on the guy u think is an easier target. The guy who is winning will romp home and u will surely lose.

When it comes to the aus sporting arena.

You have
1 - AFL
2 - league
3/4 - union /soccer

The resources the afl have dwarfs league let alone rugby or soccer.. any gap in the market is going to be filled by afl more likely then league or soccer.

Rugby league is not unions biggest enemy. League is for the most part trying to just hold its own and grow in the small percentages in its already held market share.

Afl will stick 3 teams in nz and 4 in sa spend 25 m a yr on them if they think they can convert more to their religion. And thats there right they are the bigger and stronger business that should try and grow bigger and stronger.

Union in aus, to grow needs to focus on its own strengths moreso then its threats. But when its house is improving and it looks at threats... league is certainly not the threat the afl is.

Tbh i watch a fair bit of sport i enjoy all football codes but afl commentary is way way worse then leagues.

If you dont like the / appreciate the cultural differences between union and league commentary it more be the cultural thing as opposed to their insight that annoys you.

Ftr i think unions commentary is fine