‘Don’t do that’: Munster rejects Gould on live TV amid Channel 9 Origin shake-up

Phil Gould tried his best to needle Queensland but Cameron Munster wasn’t having a bar of it during his post-Origin TV interview.

There was no pre-match “final word” from Phil Gould but he still managed to irk Queensland’s best — even after the Maroons had sealed a dramatic 16-10 win in Wednesday’s State of Origin series opener.

The retirement of legendary caller Ray Warren meant Channel 9 had to shake things up in the commentary box and Gould tried his best to needle Cameron Munster in a post-match interview after the five-eighth’s masterclass in Sydney.

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Munster was the best player on the ground but despite his team’s ability to score a rare win in enemy territory, he wasn’t looking too far ahead at games two and three in Perth and Brisbane.

Former NSW coach Gould — who looked despondent at the Nine desk and was referred to by some on social media as the “saddest man on the planet” following the result — wasn’t part of the play-by-by commentary team this year, but instead was kept for special comments at halftime and fulltime.

He tried to lure Munster into a false sense of security after the six-point victory but the Storm star wasn’t taking the bait.

Gould: “In terms of the series, that’s a massive victory to win here in Sydney in game one. You now win game three (in Brisbane) regardless of the game two result and you’ve got that in Queensland.”

Munster: “Come on, Gus. Come on, Gus.”

Gus looked like the saddest man in the world.

Gould: “I’m just being serious. It’s a massive win in terms of the series.”

Munster: “It’s a leg in the door but I remember when we did that, I think a couple of years ago, we won the first game and then lost two in a row so we know the Blues are going to come out there in Perth and play a really good style of footy and chance their arm in the game because they’re obviously down 1-0.”

Gould: “Alright, I’ll say it a different way. How good is it to win game one?”

Munster: “Yeah it’s outstanding, we needed to do it.”

Gould: “Thank you.”

Later in the post-match chat, Munster had a stunned reaction upon learning he was named man of the match, then delivered a parting message for Gould as he walked off to join his teammates.

“Don’t do that to us, Gus,” Munster said as both men had a chuckle.

Viewers irked as Nine misses the mark

There were a couple of elements of Nine’s broadcast that irked footy fans on Wednesday night. NSW coach Brad Fittler and Queensland mentor Billy Slater are both contracted to the broadcaster and on a couple of occasions, were probed with mid-match questions by Mathew Thompson, who did an admirable job calling his first Origin as Warren’s replacement.

However, speaking to Fittler in the second half when the Blues were down 12-4, Thompson asked the Blues boss: “Are you concerned about the scoreline at this stage?”

To most, the answer would have been obvious.

“We’re not winning, mate. We just need to generate some speed (in the ruck) and get the ball down the other end,” Fittler replied, prompting Nine to cut its conversation.

“We will leave it there, Brad. It is a tense time in the game. Thank you,” Thompson said.

Interesting choice of question - ‘so Freddie are you worried about the score line’. What do they expect him to say? 😂😂

— LadiesWhoLeague (@LadiesWhoLeague) June 8, 2022

Please ban the segments where they talk to Fittler and Slater while they're clearly trying to focus on the game. #Origin

— Kieran Rooney (@KieranRooneyCM) June 8, 2022

Some viewers were also put off by Nine’s decision to focus on a close-up of Jeremiah Nanai for so long, when the Queensland young gun rolled his ankle and went down in agony, looking visibly distressed as he was attended to by medical staff.

The constant appearance of Katy Perry’s new Menulog ad during breaks wasn’t well received either.

Perhaps a little more respect from the broadcast when a player is screaming in agony.

— LadiesWhoLeague (@LadiesWhoLeague) June 8, 2022

Any chance the Katy Perry Menulog commercial can do an ankle as well? #origin

— Matt Baseley (@MattBaseley) June 8, 2022

PLEASE MAKE THESE KATY PERRY ADS STOP #Origin

— BlueBet Australia (@BlueBetAu) June 8, 2022

Apparently Katy Perry’s Menulog ads also count as the #Origin halftime show. #StateOfOrigin

— Niko Pajarillo (@NikoPajarillo) June 8, 2022

Cam smitten with Munster, Joey is all class

But it wasn’t all negative. As well as Thompson’s largely impressive Origin debut behind the microphone, the broadcaster did a great job of capturing the crowd noise and atmosphere at Accor Stadium for its TV viewers.

Queensland champion Cameron Smith added some colour to the event too by taking over from Paul Vautin as the Maroons’ number one supporter in the Nine commentary box.

Cam Smith wasn’t hiding anything. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

He cheered loudly for Ben Hunt after making a break and did the same for Munster when he sprinted through a hole.

“Go Munster!” Smith yelled, showing the passion for Origin doesn’t dim, even in retirement.

Cam Smith cheering Munster home like he’s backed him in the last at Randwick #Origin

— TAB (@tabcomau) June 8, 2022

The role of Fatty Vautin being played by Cam Smith tonight "GO MUNSTER" #Origin

— LeagueUnlimited.com (@LeagueUnlimited) June 8, 2022

Even NSW icon Andrew Johns was in awe of Munster for coming up with some enormous plays, including a strip on Stephen Crichton and dancing past several Blues defenders through a gap he had no right to find.

As Munster sunk to his haunches in the in-goal area after the final whistle, Johns summed it up perfectly. “Look at that freak,” he said.

It was nice to hear a legend of NSW be so open with his admiration for a Queenslander, who can do things other players only dream of.

Speaking to Munster after fulltime, Vautin said: “Andrew Johns, the Immortal, he sits there in commentary and he is bamboozled and amazed by what you do. It’s a massive compliment. He can’t believe some of the things you do on the footy field.”

Munster replied: “I really appreciate that from Joey, obviously an Immortal of the game.”