Annette Sharp: Lawrence Mooney’s future up in the air as Triple M returns to league

A question mark hangs over the future of breakfast anchor Lawrence “Moonman” Mooney as Triple M makes a move back to its NRL roots, writes Annette Sharp.

Having vanished from his Triple M breakfast program a week ago, a question mark still hangs over the future of breakfast anchor Lawrence “Moonman” Mooney in 2022.

Mooney’s recent absence from the airwaves coincided with the departure of much-loved funnyman Mick Molloy from the Triple M drive slot a week ago.

Comedian Lawrence Mooney has been off the Triple M airwaves for 10 days.

On Friday radio station bosses confirmed they were replacing Molloy in the new year with The Rush Hour program hosted by Gus Worland, Jude Bolton and ex-rugby league player Wendell Sailor.

Radio sources said it marked the radio station’s return to rugby league formats across the day, a plan that hasn’t exactly sat well with more highbrow and expansive radio star Mooney, who’s under contract for another year.

Having walked off the job 10 days ago, Mooney is said to uninspired by management’s idea he partner with former Penrith player Mark Geyer.

The rumoured partnership comes just weeks after TripleM is understood to have made an approach to Geyer’s former Grill Team co-host Matty Johns about returning to radio — and the breakfast slot — next year. Johns left The Grill Team in 2017 after eight exhausting years on the show.

Is Matty Johns set for a return to Triple M? Picture: Tim Hunter

On Friday, sources close to Fox Sports star Johns insisted he was unlikely to return to TripleM anytime soon.

For reasons that remain unclear, SCA bosses seem to be distracting themselves fixing Triple M’s breakfast show rather than addressing the gargantuan problems at breakfast on its second FM station, 2DAYFM.

In ratings released last week, 2 DAY’s breakfast show — hosted by Dave Hughes, Ed Kavalee and Erin Molan — managed only a static 2.9 per cent share against Mooney’s 4.6 share.

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