AFL news: Latest media news and whispers, Nathan Buckley coaching, SEN latest

Gerard Whateley took his manager on a tour of US sporting events, but is he preparing to take “the voice” global?

Jeff Browne and Nathan Buckley.

SEN has moved quickly to fill the void left by Anthony Hudson’s shock departure.

Afternoon host Dwayne Russell will take over Hudson’s seat on SEN’s Friday night football coverage alongside Gerard Whateley.

Russell is one of the best callers in the business with Fox Footy and had previously covered games on SEN’s AFL Nation.

The defection of Hudson, who had been at the sports network for almost two decades, to arch rival 3AW was a major blow for station boss Craig Hutchison.

However, Hutchison has locked in former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley for another two years.

He will again feature on the breakfast show on Monday mornings throughout the AFL season although who he will be with is yet to be figured out.

This year it has been next to Garry Lyon but the former Melbourne great is looking at cutting back to three days a week next year to fall in line with his co-host Tim Watson.

Anthony Hudson in SEN commentary box.

Kane Cornes and David King had been mentioned as possible Monday morning co-hosts but both have other commitments with the station which would most likely rule them out.

Cornes is starting as the new co-host with Gerard Healy on Sportsday. The long-running show was previously on 3AW but will be heard from November 1 on SEN from 5.30pm.

Buckley will also continue to do his Tuesday morning slot on Whateley’s morning show.

In other moves at SEN, highly respected Western Australian newspaper reporter Mark Duffield is joining SEN WA, hosting his own weekly morning program from 8am three days a week.

Nathan Buckley won’t be coaching for at least another two years after extending his radio deal.

WATCH THIS SPACE: WAS THERE MORE TO WHATELEY’S US TRIP?

Gerard Whateley in the USA. Picture: Twitter.

Is Gerard Whateley going global?

Australia’s leading broadcaster has just come back from a whirlwind tour of the United States where he took in all of the major sports NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA and College Football.

Whateley was calling the dream trip a “professional development” exercise but we’re told he held high-level talks with some heavy hitters in the NFL media space.

The SEN and Fox Footy host is a serious NFL fan and in recent years has travelled over to the States to call a number of Super Bowls.

During the trip Whateley was a guest on a NFL Network show with NFL legends Willie McGinest and Emmanuel Sanders where he pushed the idea of a game in Australia.

He also sat in the Fox commentary booth alongside callers Kevin Burkhardt and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen for a LA Rams game.

Whately has met with the NFL’s new general manager of Australia, Charlotte Offord, whose job is to drive awareness Down Under.

Could an Australian voice on America’s Game of the Week help promote the sport back here?

That’s what Whateley would be suggesting and interestingly he took his manager, Jason Bakker, along with him on the trip.

Watch this space.

Meanwhile, Whateley’s absence from the commentary table at Sunday’s boxing re-match between George Kambosos and American Devin Hanley at Rod Laver Arena raised eyebrows.

Whately had hosted and called the original fight for Main Event on Fox back in June but we hear a proposed reduction in role saw him give the re-match a miss.

We’re not sure if having just returned from overseas was a factor but the ever-reliable Kath Loughnan impressively filled in at the last minute.

Originally published as AFL news: Latest media news and whispers, Nathan Buckley coaching, SEN latest