Fatty snubs pressure for Footy Show fun
Friday Mar 16 14:18 AEDT
His own health and the pressure of ratings were forgotten when Paul "Fatty" Vautin kicked-off The Footy Show's 2007 season on Thursday night.
He returned as the only foundation host after his go-to man for the past 12 years Peter Sterling quit the show in the off-season to concentrate on more serious commentary duties.
It was at his insistence, Vautin said, that Sterling returned for a final tribute from his mates during the year's first episode.
But instead of his customary suit and tie, he appeared laid-back in a T-shirt and jeans to reminisce, watch a few of the highlights and lowlights from his time on the show and prove his horsemanship as he rode off set on a donkey wearing socks in the blue and yellow of his beloved Parramatta Eels.
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"It all happened pretty suddenly during the off-season so we had to get him back to say goodbye properly on air and so the fans could as well," Vautin said.
"He's been such an important part of the show and has such an amazing football brain."
Above all, Vautin said he will miss Thursday nights hanging out with his mate.
"He wasn't a safety blanket for me but if I went too far, he'd always be there to sort it out," Vautin said.
"Mostly I enjoy his company, he's a great mate, we play golf together, so it leaves a big hole."
Vautin will be absent again this year from what has traditionally been the other half of his duties with Nine.
For 12 years since The Footy Show began, the Sterling and Vautin combination had become synonymous with Friday Night Footy.
But Vautin was axed from commentary duties for regular weekend matches last year.
"I'm still not sure why I was taken off the commentary duties but it's volatile the world of TV," he said.
"When I was negotiating with Eddie McGuire last year he said he wanted me to be pumped up for every Thursday night and I said yeah, no worries, but I miss the commentary side of things."
Vautin said the head injury he suffered during a stunt for The Footy Show segment Daredevil Dudes was not a factor in the reduction in his on-air duties.
But he admitted he was yet to recover completely.
"I don't think I'll ever be 100 per cent, but I don't want to go on about it," he said.
"There are problems which pop up from time to time and I deal with them."
Needless to say, the Daredevil Dudes segment, in which Vautin and his co-hosts Paul Harragon and Matthew Johns took on daring challenges, has been give the flick pass in favour of a new game.
Vautin will be an observer only for the one-on-one challenges between Harragon and Johns throughout the year.
It began with a high-wire challenge this week before the pair compare ventriloquism skills next week.
While reports that Vautin had been forced to take a pay cut and Sterling left the show because of a planned overhaul have been brushed off, Nine's returning Footy Shows performed well enough for the network to once again win Thursday night in the ratings.
The AFL (Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide) and NRL (Sydney, Brisbane) versions of the show didn't match the number one rating program RPA, which they replaced, but they did win their timeslots in all capital cities except for Brisbane.
Combined they were the ninth most popular show on a night in which 200,000 viewers separated the top 10 programs.
However, despite the constant talk of ratings and network pressure, Vautin, who has now been involved in rugby league for 40 years since he took the field for West Mitchelton in Brisbane as a six-year-old, continues to pinch himself that he's making a living out of what he loves.
"I retired from rugby league in 1991 and didn't have a clue about what I wanted to do," he said.
"To think that I've been in the game for 40 years and it's what I make a crust from is a dream."
