Why Channel 9 won’t show rugby league caller Matt Thompson’s face
You hear him every week on Channel 9’s rugby league coverage — but according to one colleague he’s not “allowed to be shown on air” under a bizarre station edict.
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This is the face Channel 9 does not want you to see.
Network staffer Neil Breen has revealed there is an edict not to show his head on TV.
Rugby league commentator Matt Thompson calls more NRL games on station as the great Ray Warren eases toward retirement.
He has been dubbed the invisible man.
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In an extraordinary interview on the Sky Sports Radio Big Sports Breakfast weekend edition, Nine’s rugby league coverage came under attack from commentary legend Peter “Zorba” Peters, who hit out at the network’s inability to fix the feud between Andrew Johns and Erin Molan and slammed the use of Johnathan Thurston and Sam Thaiday.
And Breen, who was stand-in host, refused to defend the station while revealing the extraordinary edict that producers had been instructed not to show Thompson’s face.
“Matt Thompson is the caller they use but there’s some edict at Nine that he wasn’t allowed to be shown on air,” Breen revealed.
“No one who has listened to Channel 9’s commentary of rugby league has seen Matt Thompson’s face. I don’t know.”
Breen also questioned the station’s programming of their weekly show, 100% Footy and said they had too many commentators.
“Channel 9 doesn’t really mind if I speak my mind. I think that Channel 9 has had some structural issues,” Breen said.
“If I had $1 for every person who said to me ‘why can’t you get it on at a proper time?’ and I agree with them.
“We turn up to do 100% Footy. Myself and Gus (Phil Gould) and whoever’s on. Locky (Darren Lockyer), or whoever’s on, James Bracey. and we don’t even know what time it’s going to air.
“I don’t understand why Channel 9 doesn’t use Gem and Go better. Why don’t they put 100% Footy on at eight o’clock, right, on Gem and then you can replay it later.
“I think there’s a lot of things they can do. I don’t think that free to air TV has properly handled the transition to the digital channels, Zorba. They’re just sitting there. You can use them.
“100% Footy should be on a couple of times a week.
“I also think there’s probably too many commentators. There’s people up in the studio, there’s people down on the sideline, there’s someone over there.
“But there’s a new boss of sport now. Tom Malone has moved to radio, Zorba, and he was running sport,” Breen said. “There’s a new boss of sport, Brent Williams, out of Melbourne, and Darren Wick the news director has taken over sport under his remit.”
He also revealed former Channel 9 boss David Gyngell had been critical of their coverage.
“And, I’ll tell ya, a certain friend of ours from Byron Bay has been on the phone to the bosses at Nine saying similar things to what Zorba has been saying.”
Peters was critical of Nine for not having a plan for life after veteran caller Warren retires.
“The great Ray Warren is in his twilight years but there’s no exciting replacement on the horizon for Rabbits that I know of,” Peters said.
“Rabbits’s successor should have been groomed in the last 18 months.
“I mean Rabbits might pull the pin at anytime.”
Breen gave little assurance that there was a strategy in place, replying: “Look, there’s a certain amount of denial about Rabbits getting older. No one wants Rabbits to get older.”
A number of on-air decisions had also contributed to Nine’s struggles, according to Peters.
“Channel 9, in a two-year period, have lost this mantel as the top television station for rugby league in Australia,” Peters said.
“The empire built by sports-mad Kerry Packer is crumbling around them, particularly in rugby league.
“Great player that he was, Johnathan Thurston isn’t the analyst they hoped he’d be.
“Sam Thaiday, funny man that he was in the dressing room as a player, is as funny as a car crash.
“I wish he’d flush himself down that little toilet seat he gives away after every game.
“The Joey Johns-Erin Molan feud has been handled terribly. Nothing’s happened. Joey looks like he’s petulant. Erin is suffering badly in the background.
“Nine’s team lack real punch. Watching how they go about righting a sinking ship will be intriguing in 2020.
“The first thing they’ve got to do is stop trying to be nice to Queensland because the Queensland talent (Thurston and Thaiday) that they’ve thrown up is awful. Wouldn’t get a job at the ABC.
“Only Molan has presence in their female experts. That needs to be fixed up. The others fall way behind Vonny Sampson, Jess Yates, Lara Pitt and the team at Fox.”
Peters also slammed Nine’s failure to adequately replace Steve Crawley, now the boss of Fox Sports.
Check out the highlights, lowlights and talking points from another big weekend in sport.
HIGHLIGHT
Dave Warner’s magnificent triple century in Adelaide. Just a shame the opposition was so bad and the runs came so easily against a popgun attack.
LOWLIGHT
The Pakistan cricket team. Not up to Test match standard.
SPOTTED
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur watching the Sydney Kings play Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday as a guest of coach Will Weaver.
SPOTTED II
Sonny Bill Williams, Quade Cooper, his partner Laura Dundovic, Khoder Nasser and All Blacks prop Ofa Tuungafasi at the Anthony Mundine fight.
SHOOSH
To avoid any drama, the national anthem was played before Anthony Mundine and John Wayne Parr entered the ring.
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TIME FOR MUNDINE TO BE FAMILY MAN
Finally, after 26 years, Anthony Mundine’s remarkable sporting career is over following 134 NRL games and 58 fights.
It began at the St George Dragons at Penrith Park in 1993 and ended at 10.30pm on Saturday at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention centre.
The biggest box office success story in Australian pay-per-view history, beaten by kick-boxing legend John Wayne Parr on points in a split but probably fair decision.
With his dad’s arm over his shoulder, the 44-year-old fought back tears as he announced: “I’m going to sail into the sunset now.”
Many believe Mundine should have retired after the controversial loss to Danny Green two years ago. But he kept wanting more. Your columnist spoke to Mundine on Sunday morning.
He feels he should have been awarded the fight but has no regrets about retirement.
“I knew before the fight this was going to be my last show,” he said.
“I was in the room by myself before the fight.
“I’m thinking, ‘here we go again. Do I really still want this? Can I do it again?’ The preparation, the demands and the rituals as a fighter. It’s not easy. It never has been. I’m ready now to enjoy my family and the rest of my life.”