THE bitter rugby league ratings war between 2GB and Triple M has cost former NRL player Joel Caine his job as a commentator.
Caine is employed full-time by Sportsbet to spruik the betting odds on Channel Nine, Triple M, Fox Sports and other media outlets.
He is also an outstanding young commentator who calls games for 2GB and Fox Sports on the weekends.
Trouble is Triple M saw it as a commercial conflict in that Caine was appearing on both 2GB and its own station.
Because Sportsbet is his main employer, Caine reluctantly pulled the pin on his 2GB gig.
Its difficult because Ray (Hadley) has been a big supporter of mine, Caine said.
Its unfortunate that, due to commercial conflicts, I cant call for him. The bottom line is I have a family to support and Sportsbet is my main employer.
Hadley says he is disappointed to lose Caine.
He does an exceptionally good job, he said.
But I can understand Joel has to put his main employer first.
A spokesman for Sportsbet was reluctant to comment on Triple Ms ultimatum to Caine.
Joel is an exceptional young talent and integral part of our brand, the spokesman said.
Hes in high demand and its not surprising that lots of stakeholders want him.
Triple Ms stance is an indication of how seriously it is taking the ratings battle with 2GBs Continuous Call team.
The first survey of the year was favourable for 2GB but only included four rounds of football. The rest was pre-season programming.
The survey actually showed Triple M figures had fallen from the previous music only format.
