Fox Sports - Sailor Out, Johns and Geyer In

[nrlnrl]

FOX Sports axe Wendell Sailor and hire Mark Geyer

Paul Kent The Daily Telegraph January 20, 2012 12:00AM

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-hire-mark-geyer/story-e6frexnr-1226248821333

FOX Sports has turned off the Dellevision. Wendell Sailor has become a casualty of rugby league's broadening TV war after being sacked by Fox Sports.

Sailor is the network's first high-profile casualty as the network looks to beef-up its NRL coverage less than eight weeks before the competition kicks off in March.

In his place, Fox Sports has signed former international and Triple M breakfast host Mark Geyer to play a major role at the network including, Geyer said, connecting with rugby league's heartland in the west.

"As ex-players on TV go, there's none who live out here and have got a connection with the west like I have, so I'm proud of it," Geyer said.

As the network gears up to make an approach to Matthew Johns, who this week knocked back an offer to rejoin Channel 9's The Footy Show, Fox Sports executives have begun reshaping their on-air talent.

While sacking the likes of Sailor - with more expected to come - is designed to reinvigorate the network's coverage, the hidden bonus is it frees up budget money to make a bid for Johns, who has confirmed he will meet with the network next week.

Geyer yesterday resigned from his regular role on Nine's The Sunday Roast to take up the wide-ranging brief with Fox Sports.

"I want my weekends free to get a bit of life back," he said last night. "My kids are getting older and I'm not getting younger and I want the weekends to watch them play sport, so it has worked out perfectly."

 

[umina panther]

RIP The Roast what a good show it was

 

[carcharias]

Surprised it took so long for them to get sick of
that tool.

Is Daley still on tv?
If so, he shouldn't be.

 

[Big Pete]

That's a huge blow for the Roast. Say what you will about Geyer but he didn't have a problem expressing himself and he certainly added something to the show.

I'm unsure of the direction NRL on Fox is going to take but if it's the semi professional show they have been running these past couple of years I don't think Geyer really brings anything to it. He's an improvement on Dell who was a one trick pony but I don't think they're going to get their moneys worth with Matty in that particular role.

 

[Ausguy]

How DELLightful i wont have to put up with this DELLuded fool on the TV anymore.
Couldnt stand his constant self promotion. Thankyou foxtel for DELLeting the merkin off my DELLevision.

 

[TheRam]

Thank f**king Christ!!! Such a useless so called footy analysing tosser.

Now for that other grating piss ant of an intellectual Daley and the world of league on fox is somewhat right again.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

That's a huge blow for the Roast. Say what you will about Geyer but he didn't have a problem expressing himself and he certainly added something to the show.

Agree.

Also didn't kiss every players a*se like the rest of the guys on Channel 9.

 

[rednblack]

Sailor is the network's first high-profile casualty as the network looks to beef-up its NRL coverage less than eight weeks before the competition kicks off in March.

They've just dropped the League Lounge. I wonder what other plans they have in mind to "beef up" their NRL coverage. Will be interesting to see what pops up over the next few weeks.

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

How DELLightful i wont have to put up with this DELLuded fool on the TV anymore.
Couldnt stand his constant self promotion. Thankyou foxtel for DELLeting the merkin off my DELLevision.

Agree was funny for a few weeks but was deadset boring arter that. Some of the greatest self-indulgence ever seen on t.v.

 

[stevie013]

finally dont have to listen him talk about himself or the 'red v is for me' tripe he rolls out every week, or his love for jamie soward even when they arent talking about the dragons.

good riddance. he will get more air time on cahnnel nine now id imagine, but i dont watch the footy show, so i dont care.

 

[POPEYE]

Finally . . . someone on Fox who looks like me. Shaved melon, protruding ears and rugged good looks.

If Daley went back to nine Austar could raise their rates and I wouldn't care

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

How is Freeman still there? Him & Dell gibbering away made Wayne Pearce & that Phelan douche sound intelligent.

Pearce is on the IC now and shouldn't be in a role comentatin on the game, especially with his bias to the Tigers & Roosters.

Axe em all and get some intelligent (are there any?) unbiased (are there any) personalities on there.

 

[adamkungl]

Anyone is better than Dell.

 

[adamkungl]

Wish it was possible to dublicate like 5 Daley's. Commentary bliss.

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

Trouble is every old footballer is going to have a bias to his old club....Fatty and Gus come to mind as two of the most blatant ones. We need some commentators that can be a bit more discreet about there bias to seem to be impartial. Guys that havn't played the game (Like Voss & T.K) dont seem to have the credability in the publics' eyes.

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

so is MG going to be a co-commentator at games also

 

[grouch]

Sailor was far from the biggest problem in Fox Sports' coverage.

It's Gorden Tallis. Surely he has to be on the chopping block. One of the worst attempted "tv personality's" rugby league has ever seen

 

[coolumsharkie]

How DELLightful i wont have to put up with this DELLuded fool on the TV anymore.
Couldnt stand his constant self promotion. Thankyou foxtel for DELLeting the merkin off my DELLevision.

haha good one Aus, couldn't have said it better either.

 

[betcats]

Surprised it took so long for them to get sick of
that tool.

Is Daley still on tv?
If so, he shouldn't be.

+1

 

[nrlnrl]

so is MG going to be a co-commentator at games also

"I want my weekends free to get a bit of life back," he said last night. "My kids are getting older and I'm not getting younger and I want the weekends to watch them play sport, so it has worked out perfectly."

That quote from MG would indicate no. I think NRL on Fox & possibly the pre-game on MNF.