Fox Sports to televise all eight NRL matches each week with own commentary: Johns brothers to go head-to-head
ANDREW and Matthew Johns will go head to head on the 2016 rugby league coverage in a television war never before seen on Australian screens.
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ANDREW and Matthew Johns will go head to head on the 2016 rugby league coverage from next month in a television war never before seen on Australian screens.
The Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal that FoxSports has made a late, snap decision to televise all eight league matches each week, minus any match calls from Channel Nine.
The pay television network will pit Matthew Johns against his brother, Andrew, on the prime time Friday night game, with Matthew hosting the pre-game coverage, a half time show and a full time wrap.
The decision by FoxSports to call all of its eight games will also serve up another grudge match between former Channel Nine commentator Andrew Voss for the pay channel, up against the man who replaced him, Ray Hadley.
Matty Johns confirmed the move on Monday and said the FoxSports league of 2016 will be something never before seen in Australia: “I can’t wait,” he said.
“What we want to do is something very different from Nine. You will get your league fix, the serious stuff, but we will have a few curve balls in there, some different stuff too.”
Matty Johns was penned in as the heir apparent to front the Nine rugby league coverage before he was disgraced following revelations of a group sex session in Christchurch, New Zealand during a preseason tour in 2002 while playing for Cronulla.
He has resurrected his career in sensational style and now commands top billing on his on Monday night FoxSports program and has a burgeoning breakfast radio career.
Andrew Johns appears on the Nine Friday night game as a commentator and panellist. Matty says he will run a “Joey” segment on his new show and remains hopeful Andrew will make a guest appearance.
“I’ve spoken to Andrew and I’ve told him I’m very hopeful I will see him on the show in 2016,” he said.
Given the tension between the two league rights holders, that looks doubtful. The decision by FoxSports not to take the live Nine feed of the match, and the two other Channel Nine matches, has shocked the league world and thrown Nine off guard.
“We will call all eight games, each one will have its own pre-match, halftime and post-match coverage,” FoxSports head of league, Gary Burns said on Monday.
“There are no longer five FoxSports games and three Nine. There are five exclusive FoxSports games and three shared matches. We are in the happy position of hiring more people to fill the jobs, both on and off screen.”
Aside from the Johns family feud, the head-to-head duel between deposed Voss and Hadley promises to be another tantalising match-up.
The league matches will be commercial free, whistle to whistle, and there will be no Nine voices on any of the FoxSports coverage, leaving Voss and Warren Smith as the two primary callers. Matt Shirvington, Mark Gasnier and Braith Anasta will join veteran Greg Alexander on the commentary and panels.
Nine’s head of sport, Steve Crawley, admitted he was surprised by the decision and had not been informed officially the pay television operator would not take the Nine calls.
“I will say this, though” he said. “Ray Warren is returning to league in 2016 and nobody calls rugby league like Rabbs.”
Fox Sports boss, Patrick Delaney, said the new format represented a huge change of fortune for the network after the television negotiations went awry late last year.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for us and for league fans,” Delaney said. “You will get wall to wall programming, matches and analysis. It’s more of a commitment than even the AFL footy channel which still carries Seven’s calls of matches.”
Originally published as Fox Sports to televise all eight NRL matches each week with own commentary: Johns brothers to go head-to-head
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