Fans lash Triple M as Anthony Maroon quits Sunday Sin Bin show

Angry Triple M listeners have questioned station owner Southern Cross Austereo over the departure of much loved sports broadcaster Anthony Maroon.

Angry Triple M listeners have questioned station owner Southern Cross Austereo over the departure of much loved sports broadcaster Anthony Maroon.

Maroon announced at the weekend that he had quit Triple M’s Sunday Sin Bin show a week after an on air blow up with co-hosts James Hooper, Gorden Tallis and Paul Kent.

NRL fan Daniel Watson Hayes wrote on Twitter he was sad to see Maroon leave the show.

“He was the show,” Hayes wrote. “As an NRL fan, you’ve lost me as a listener. I’m sure I’m not the only one. It should have been the (others) resigning not Maroon.”

Dozens of comments mirrored Hayes statement, including Dave Cooper, who wrote: “I turned off today when I realised that they were still on air without any ramifications.

Tony O’Mara responded: “What a great example and who said there isn’t a culture problem in the NRL — this behaviour is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Anthony Maroon quits Sunday Sin Bin radio show after on-air blow up.

Largely fans questioned Maroon’s departure and the lack of perceived action against his co-hosts.

On Sunday May 1, Maroon stormed out of the Triple M studio after being ribbed by his co-hosts and took particular umbrage when Hooper jokingly questioned the anchor over cash jobs and the Australian Taxation Office.

Gorden Tallis, Anthony Maroon and James Hooper.

He said he had raised the issue on air and with management off air. Management has remained quiet other than to say it was looking at “the issue internally”.

The latest Twitter outcry was in response to Maroon’s departure announcement on Sunday and Hooper’s on air apology on Sunday, in which he said the ugly exchange had “ended a mateship”.

“Maroon took offence at what we only ever thought was a joke and as a result, that’s ended a mateship,” sports journalist Hooper said.

“With the benefit of hindsight, and I can only speak for myself, I am happy to say that I pushed the envelope too far. You don’t like to see one of your mates fizzing over the edge like that. And if Anthony took offence at what was only ever intended to be banter, then I regret that and I’m sorry that we’re not mates anymore.”

Sports journalist Paul Kent.

Liam Flanagan replacing Anthony Maroon on Triple M Sunday Sin Bin.

In response, Twitter user Case wrote:

“Just listened to the Hooper explanation and excuses for the change in host. What he didn’t say was yes there was banter, but none of the 3 clowns read the room. It took me a while to warm to Maroon, but he was actually the star of the show, enjoyed his humour. All the best Maroon.”

Veteran broadcaster Ray Hadley has also been critical of Triple M management’s handling of the issue.

In his announcement yesterday, Maroon said: “After seven or eight years on the show I’ve decided that’s it for me,” Maroon said in a prerecorded segment that played at the beginning of the show.

“I’m going to start having Sundays off and concentrate a little bit more on the commentary side of my career. Thanks so much to everybody for their support through the week, it’s just been absolutely not only wonderful but certainly overwhelming. The show will continue as normal. I won’t be on it but you will still get all your rugby league information and as it happens you will hear it right here first on the Sunday Sin Bin.”

In last week’s uncomfortable incident, Maroon warned his co-hosts that he would share stories about them that they don’t want made public if they continued to push the issue.

As they continued, he detailed that Hooper is unable to drive after losing his licence and made reference to Tallis.

Maroon said he had raised the issue with management but had heard “crickets”.

“Lets keep going boys because when it comes to you three, I live a very boring life,” Maroon said.

“I am blowing up because I am sick to death of it. I have been on air for 32 years, I am a professional. This particular issue I have probably raised on air and off air I don’t know 100 times. I have even sent emails to the powers that be … nothing. It never stops.”

Further in his apology, Hooper said: “The Sunday Sin Bin has always been a robust show where there’s a lot of strong opinions, laughter, and I think most importantly, we all take the mickey out of each other. Maroon was often captain/coach of that and of having a good laugh. Gordie was always dubbed ‘Uncle Fester’, it was always ‘happy hour’ whenever Kenty left and I was ‘triceps’.

And that’s all this show has ever been designed to do is have fun, banter and have a good time but last Sunday it obviously tipped over the edge.”

Originally published as Fans lash Triple M as Anthony Maroon quits Sunday Sin Bin show