Thoughts on Channel 9's commentators

[Brutus]

My personal opinion, respecting yours of course.



Voice is superb - knowledge of the game atrocious - hopelessly inadequate in keeping up with the play.

He's definitely no RL doyen. Maybe doyen caller tho.

 

[sharknows]

The ch 9 commentary is very biased. They only call what they like or want and not necessarily what is actually happening. I've often listened to a game on ABC radio and then watched the 4pm sunday delayed telecast and the opinions and calls are totally opposite. Rabs has lost the plot, Voss is a vindictive little bitch, Gould is just a bitter & twisted whinger although sometimes he talks a bit of sense and Sterlo is more worried about being politically correct than giving an honest commentary & appraisal of the game. They take the pleasure out of watching the game.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Andrew Voss is a class one f**kwit. I can't stand the bloke. Gould is not far behind

Hear hear, like the bloke in the footy show, but as a commentator terrible.

And dont get me started on Gould dont I think I am clever by baiting Rabs the entire broadcast. Grade A f**kwit.

 

[Jono1987]

Rabs - Stick to calling the play please. If you didn't have 'the voice' I'd hope that people in charge would be looking somewhere else.

Sterlo - Fine.

Gould - When he's commentating on a game that he is genuinely interested in he's great. When he's not interested he reverts to non-stop bagging of refs or trying to be a funny man. When he's like this there's no worse commentator anywhere.

Voss - Undecided. His passion and knowledge is appealing but like Gould when he starts to try and be a comedian he falls flat...very flat.

Johns - Not a commentator full-stop.

Lewis - Definitely has potential imo. He only lacks when he's infront of the camera, then he looks awkward.

In general my biggest gripe would be the overall professionalism in the presentation that the commentators produce, Sterling not included. I know no-one wants to hear that the NFL for example is miles ahead in this regard but it's true. There broadcasters don't try and crack jokes every two minutes, or continually bag the men in the middle to the point that it becomes frustrating, and they analyze their game thoroughly. Our boys need to wake up and realise this is professional rugby league and as such deserves to be called in such a manner. End rant.

 

[petetheileet]

Sterling only one i have time for!

 

[Marshall_magic]

Rabs: the voice of league on 9. While he doesn't have the greatest knowledge of the game, he does a decent call regardless. Get his excitement across to the viewer.

Gus: Him and Rabs have good chemistry. Gus has a good knowledge of the game but can be a bit too opinionated. I do enjoy his insight and passion though.

Sterlo: best analyser of the game. Every time a try is scored, he breaks it right down for the people who never watch league. Puts a circle around a poor bastard, and says exactly what they do wrong.

Voss: Very opinionated like gus, but also seems to whinge for the sake of whinging at times. Does a good call though.

Joey: dribbler

Lewis: marginally better than Joey

Fatty: worse that joey

 

[Paulie Jay]

Rabs: Used to be a lot sharper in years gone by. These days he is too easily led by his co-commentators - if they start off on tangents then so does he. He's got back into the habit of calling a player's name twice when they handle the ball - once when they receive it and once when they pass it on: "Rogers to Prince, Prince passes to Campbell, Campbell on to Harrison, Harrison steps..." When you get a quick chain of passing it sounds like an echo.

Voss: A fairly good caller. He generally tells you what is happening and why.

Sterlo: Good knowledge and a restrained delivery. I like that - you can't have everyone in the box screaming their lungs out (unless it's Hollywood and Zorba)

Gould: Believes his own publicity too much. He still posseses a great footballing mind but seems more interested in whinging and trying to be funny.

Johns: Could improve and has gotten (slighty) better with time.

Lewis: Good for colour commentary, not ball by ball.

Geyer: Honest and not afraid to be. He only mucks it up by trying to be funny, which he is not good at.

My biggest gripe with commentators across the board these days is that too often they tell you what they think is going to happen rather than what actually is happening. I much preferred the Rex Mossop style of commentary where it was ok to leave pauses.

 

[typicalfan]

Johns has a good knowledge of the game he doesn't really portray it in the best way, especially when a try is scored you can see exactly how a defense gets broken down.

IMO by comparison the fox commentators are a lot more reactionary and are less likely to tell you why a try is scored but just try some over the top enthusiasm to try and engage the listener. Kind of like Warren Smith and his yelling a players name at the top of his lungs is all the information he is gonna give you as to how the try is awarded.

 

[sharko]

Ray Warren- a *edit* who calls the games like he is half cut, is making far too mnay errors now to justify his continuing contract, put him out to pasture.
Sterling-still very good and is the best reader of a game, still juvenile bias to Parra.
Vautin- ordinary caller, puts his ego before the match in progress, terrible to listen to.
Gould- has good and bad days, very good on his day, seriously ugly as he gets older so has a head for radio.

 

[LazyDreamer]

Rabs - Believes his own hype.

Sterlo - The most level-headed, even if it's the freakin' Eels.

Gould - Muzzle the prick. The most negative, whiney "it's my way or the highway" (with refs) and thinks 'no, no, no, no, no' is clever.

Voss - Hopes Gould will give him a reacharound.

Fatty - As good a commentator as he is funny. That is, not either.

Johns - A great rugby league mind, but not a great public speaking mind.

Lewis - Joey might one day be as good, but not better.

Geyer - Tries to play the goose too much.

IMHO, Sterlo with Voss (if Voss could cease his Gould fixation), and Rabs with his feet back on the ground would be a great team.

 

[Gaba]

But when gould says and writes something who he has a vendetta against for example towards staurt it makes you :lol::lol:

 

[Loudstrat]

Ray Warren- a *edit* who calls the games like he is half cut, is making far too mnay errors now to justify his continuing contract, put him out to pasture.
Sterling-still very good and is the best reader of a game, still juvenile bias to Parra.

Sterlo actually sh*ts me because, with bias twats like Lewis, Ikin, Fatty and a thousand others -us Eels fans miss out because our rep in the media works like hell to show no bias.

Sometimes I wish Ray Price was a C9 commentator

Gould- has good and bad days, very good on his day, seriously ugly as he gets older so has a head for radio.

Wow - if only the cameras faced the players and the field instead of showing footage of Gus calling the game.... :roll:

I tell ya what, when i hear these deranged hated voices on telly, IO race in front of it. Ikin aside, none of them really annoy me. I can put up with Gus's rants because his knowledge of the game is so goo. I can put up with Fatty's bias because of his quick wit. I can tolerate Joey's monotone because of his knowledge of how plays are constructed, and his knowledge of current players. Wally is good in Origin, because he doesn't carry on with the Queenslander crap like Ikin.

Voss I am dissapointed in. He's talkented - but the smart arse meter is too high up.

Comparing him to Rabs - Rabs makes each game sound like it has great atmosphere.

Personally I prefer Morrow and the Wok on ABC radio, but these guys will do me fine.

 

[Newcastlerabbit]

Channel 9 reached its lowest ebb,when the two Johns boys were on air together.

 

[Mr Saab]

Channel 9 reached its lowest ebb,when the two Johns boys were on air together.

The f**ked off one...now for the other and the planets will align again.

 

[Brutus]

Harrogan gone too.

Another bonus.

 

[saint pebba]

Ray Warren - The best lead commentator in the country. Great passion for the game and knowledge of the game is actually very good unlike most people suggest. Seemingly because Sterlo and Gus do most of the analysis they think he doesn't know anything. (See the Century of Rugby League documentary)

Peter Sterling - Completely unbiased in his calling. Although his Eels/NSW bias shines through in the pre-match and halftime shows. Brilliant knowledge and memory of the game. Should never have been kicked off the Footy Show.

Gus Gould - Brilliant although bias commentating. A bit egotistical as well. His passion for the game though is unmatched, plus great arguments with Rabbits over referees. Dislike him whenever Australia is playing England, as his bias against the English (although not necessarily for Australia) is terrible, but he gives credit where credits due. Bias for NSW is great though, a counter to Fatty.

Andrew Voss - His egocentric mind can get in the way of his calling occasionally, especially when a ref makes a bad call, his superior knowledge of the rules won't let it go. Terrible on the Footy Show, great on the Roast.

Andrew Johns - Doesn't add anything to either commentary or the Footy Show. Probably why he gets all the lesser games and sideline duties.

Wally Lewis - Fills in on the QLD games, no need to do anything else.

Fatty - Great. Especially in Origin. His quotes are fantastic, like when someone beat a thousand players to score. His bias towards QLD and Manly is good, in a different way than Goulds.

Now Fox Sports commentators, I could go on about...

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Doug2234]

Channel 9 is the sheltered workshop of Rugby League.

Fox or nothing for me.

f**k i agree with Fein on something!! lol

Ch9 is f**king the game big time and stut around like there sh*t dont stink. I hope the new deal f**ks them royally.

o as for the commentators not a fan of any. Rabs is past it and has to get out of the game..


EDIT - Ch9 have got to have the ugliest looking commentary team around havent they.... Ray Warren, MG, Gus and Sterlo arent the best looking tools in the shed

 

[Weels]

Saw this a few pages back, but I couldn't help but reply

Is the other bit of your certainty concerned with just how do they record the match on REPLAY when you cannot replay a match if it hasn't already been RECORDED.

Does that make it DEFINITELY certain for you?? "Of course they're all recorded LIVE"

 

[woodley_11]

Ray Warren is the greatest rugby league commentator in my view. My problem with channel 9 is that they tend to have commentators with alleigances to teams (worst is Fatty during Origin). They also take legends of the game such as Joey or Wally Lewis regardless of whether they can actually call a game well. I don't mind that sort of thing with in the opinion/variety shows like the Sunday Roast or the Footy Show. Emotive analysis is good but not bias. Sterling (does well to distance himself from his love of Parra) and Vossy are good as well.

 

[Big Pete]

Ray Warren is the greatest rugby league commentator in my view. My problem with channel 9 is that they tend to have commentators with alleigances to teams (worst is Fatty during Origin). They also take legends of the game such as Joey or Wally Lewis regardless of whether they can actually call a game well. I don't mind that sort of thing with in the opinion/variety shows like the Sunday Roast or the Footy Show. Emotive analysis is good but not bias. Sterling (does well to distance himself from his love of Parra) and Vossy are good as well.

Aye, Fatty has to make up for Rabs and Gould when it comes to the Origin coverage.