Channel 9 snub Ray Warren from Broncos-Eels NRL blockbuster
Viewers hoping to welcome back rugby league with the game’s most iconic voice were left disappointed when legendary caller Ray Warren was absent from Channel 9’s coverage.
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Someone forgot to tell Channel Nine that last night’s premiership relaunch was the most anticipated game of football in any code for years.
Footy-starved viewers switching on to watch the Parramatta Eels thuump the Brisbane Broncos 34-6 would no doubt have been expecting to hear the beautiful dulcet tones of Ray ‘Rabs’ Warren, a household name and the voice of rugby league.
Not so. The great man watched from home.
Instead, Nine used little-known lower-grade caller Peter Psaltis to commentate out of Suncorp Stadium, a shock choice considering the magnitude of the game.
This was much bigger than Burleigh Bears v Redcliffe.
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Fox Sports had the more recognisable voice of Andrew Voss calling and even a crowd noise in the background to add to the atmosphere.
Rabs has a well-known dislike for aeroplanes plus the Queensland borders are still closed, courtesy of COVID-19 and a stubborn premier.
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Still, surely the great man could have called off the big screens from Nine’s Sydney studios.
We are talking about the first media man to be included in the NRL’s Hall of Fame, alongside our late and great mate Peter ‘Chippy’ Frilingos.
He is the face of rugby league at a network that confirmed its commitment to NRL broadcasts yesterday with a new three-season deal.
Even Rabs’ legendary side-kick – the great Phil ‘Gus’ Gould – was not at Suncorp.
They sure missed a ripper game of football.
A spokesman for Channel 9 said Warren is working Friday night instead on the Rabbitohs v Roosters blockbuster.
A faster pace than what we’ve been used to. Only two penalties in the first half.
The new six-again rule for ruck infringements kept the game flowing. Extraordinary speed.
Parramatta scored twice in the first half from tackle count restarts.
Surely the danger of conceding tries is going to be enough to stop the wrestle as the season progresses.
By the end the Eels were far too strong. It was a performance that shows why the bookies rate them so highly.
They dominated possession and territory and eventually the Broncos cracked.
In the end the pace and workload in defence took its toll.
Originally published as Channel 9 snub Ray Warren from Broncos-Eels NRL blockbuster