Super Saturday a feast for sports fans with Socceroos, Wallabies, NRL, AFL and cricket to choose from in one massive night
IT is set to be the biggest shootout for television ratings in Australian sport this year. Tonight will pit Paul Gallen against Tim Cahill, Glenn Maxwell versus Israel Folau. Bring it on!
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THIS will be the biggest and best five-way shootout for television ratings in Australian sport this year.
It will pit Paul Gallen against Tim Cahill, Glenn Maxwell versus Israel Folau. And you can also throw in NRL super coach Wayne Bennett and AFL superstar Jarryd Roughead.
The battle will involve Nine, Seven, TEN, Fox Sports and SBS — all this evening.
“Bring it on,” said Fox Sports head of sport, Steve Crawley.
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Pubs and clubs throughout Australia are already preparing for a public jostling match over which games will be shown on large screens.
SBS will cover the Socceroos opening World Cup against France from Kazan, Russia, at 8pm.
At exactly the same time, Folau’s Wallabies will play the second Test against Ireland at AAMI Park, Melbourne, which will be aired by on Fox Sports and TEN.
Come 8pm in the NRL, Gallen’s Sharks will be nearing halftime in a massive game against Bennett’s Broncos at Southern Cross Group Stadium. That match will also be shown on Fox Sports.
Another piece of the ratings puzzle will be a one-day cricket international where Maxwell’s Aussies play old foes England at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Nine.
Other stars on show this Saturday night include Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak for the Socceroos, David Pocock and Kurtley Beale for the Wallabies, Wade Graham and Valentine Holmes for Cronulla and Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh for our national cricketers.
And there will also be an AFL match game played between Hawthorn and Adelaide Crows at the MCG, first bounce at 7.25pm, featuring Hawks champion, Roughead. That match will be shown in NSW on Seven Mate and Fox Footy.
The Socceroos will rate strongly although NRL should attract around 300,000 viewers for the Sharks-Broncos game. The cricket could pull about 500,000 in the five-city metro ratings.
“Too much sport is never enough,” said Crawley.
“Bring it on. People who love sport will find time for everything that is worthy. We can’t wait for Saturday night”
SBS Sport Executive Producer, Stuart Randall, was also preparing for a huge sporting weekend.
“As a sports-loving nation it’s fantastic for Australians to have such a broad range of elite sport to embrace this weekend,” he said.
“SBS is proud to be broadcasting the world’s biggest and most diverse international sporting event, the 2018 FIFA World Cup live, free and in HD for all Australians, and we’re confident the nation will join us in cheering on the Socceroos as they take on France on Saturday night.”
Forestville RSL chief executive Denis Sullivan was expecting a fun yet patriotic night at his establishment.
“There will be plenty of banter,” Sullivan said. “Each sport has passionate fans. The football will be huge from Russia but so will the Wallabies and NRL. And Australia always loves to cheer on their national cricketers.”
Botany View Hotel publican Ben Johnson is excited to see the crowd that the sport brings to his pubs.
“The World Cup gets everyone out and about,” he said. “Sporting events like this create an electric atmosphere.”
“It’s just a great time to be at the pub.”
TAB Executive General Manager of Wagering Andy Wright said that this weekend is one of the biggest of the year.
“I can’t recall a weekend like this with so much fantastic sport on at once both here and abroad,” he said. The Australia v France game is on at a really friendly timeslot on a Saturday night.”
“We’ll hold over $4 million on the Socceroos and France game on Saturday night,” he said.