I possibly loathe his commentary as much as the next person... For mine he's far better in a studio, being asked questions and giving responses. I don't watch it much these days but as an example - when he was on The Back Page, a regular there, I thought he was actually good there. Similarly Greg Alexander - same boat. Commentary is bad, but a panelist (outside of the actual game) suits them far better.
But with this thread getting bumped - I'm genuinely trying to work out why he was actually loathed as much as he was in his playing days...
I've loathed the term "over-rated" coz it's a stigma put on someone rather than something a player has earned or deserves.
Anasta was a very handy player. Possibly suffered from being pumped up to much in the media in his early career. Many have been there before. Ponga, Brooks come to mind. Not their fault though.
He wasn't a dirty player. Was he a "whinger" on the field? I cant really remember, but that is ringing bells a bit..
My funniest memory though was when Neville Costigan out and out bitch-slapped him in a Raiders Roosters Game. Costigan was marker almost on his own tryline, Anasta was playing the ball and as he stood up, Neville basically slapped him like a bear swatting salmon in a river to provoke him into a scrap... it worked...
I've searched long and hard to find footage of it but to no avail. If someone in here has it or can find it, please post a link..... I'm sure you'd be the toast of LeagueUnlimited.....