Phil Gould overlooked for NRL Grand Final coverage after ‘bias’ claims
Rugby league supremo Phil Gould has been demoted by Channel 9 for the grand final after years of being called out by irate fans.
Phil Gould may be one of the most influential voices in the NRL, but the rugby league supremo won’t be heard during the coverage of the NRL Grand Final.
The Courier Mail is reporting the 66-year-old has been overlooked by Channel 9 for Sunday’s grand final clash between the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm.
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Not only will Gould not be proving expert commentary for the big game, he has been bumped down the pecking order to the State Championship Grand Final between Newtown Jets and Norths Devils earlier in the day.
Channel 9 has instead elected to go with Andrew Johns and Billy Slater as its expert commentators alongside Mat Thompson for the grand final with Brad Fittler and Danika Mason on sideline duties.
The move to leave Gould out of the booth for the Panthers v Storm contest comes after he sparked fierce backlash with his commentary, especially in grand finals, in recent years.
The former Panthers coach and general manager has been accused by viewers of displaying blatant bias towards his former club.
During the 2020 grand final, he was called out after he suggested the Panthers were “on top” against the Storm despite trailing 22-0 in the first half.
Aussie tennis star Dylan Alcott wrote on Twitter at the time: “22-0 to the Storm but ALL the momentum with the Panthers according to big Gus Gould. Give it a rest.”
He was back in the spotlight during the 2021 grand final when the Panthers defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a nailbiting contest.
Gould was left fired up after a questionable decision initially went against the Panthers when an Adam Reynolds kick went into touch and saw the referee rule six again.
The Panthers challenged the call and the decision was called back, but Gould was left furious at the decision.
Gould’s questionable commentary hasn’t just been confined to the Panthers with fans calling out his State of Origin coverage in years gone by.
The rugby league heavyweight coached the Panthers to their first premiership in 1991 and was the club’s head of football for many years until stepping down from his post in 2019.
Since then the Panthers have been the toast of the NRL world, competing in the past four grand finals and winning three in a row.
On Sunday night against the Storm they’ll be chasing a historic fourth-straight NRL crown and will be seeking revenge from their 2020 loss.
As the Panthers attempt to make history, Gould will be watching on like the rest of us.
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