By Jon Pierik
Former AFL star Rory Sloane says he is excited to be the latest high-profile name to join the football media next season when he links up with Nine’s Footy Classified.
The Melbourne-born-and-raised Sloane, who retired last season after 255 games with the Crows, will become one of the faces of Nine’s football coverage in 2025.
Rory Sloane, who retired earlier this year after 255 AFL games, has joined Nine.Credit: Getty Images
He will be a key panellist on The Sunday Footy Show and on Footy Classified on Monday nights, will join the 3AW commentary team, and will also give his opinions on Nine News in Adelaide.
Sloane, 34, said he was delighted to join Nine, the owner of this masthead.
“It’s a great opportunity and I’m incredibly excited to join the team. Growing up as a kid my whole Sunday was centred around the Wide World of Sports, so to now be joining them is quite an honour and the realisation of a dream,” Sloane, the former Crows skipper and 2016 All-Australian, said.
“I’m really keen to bring my personality, thoughts and views on all things footy. Throughout my playing career I’ve spent a lot of time analysing the game, coaching the midfield and identifying where the trends and edges over the opposition are. I want to share those with the audience and some views that they may not have had previously.”
He added cheekily: “With so much media experience within the Nine Footy team, I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from them, while bringing the average age of The Footy Show down at the same time.”
Sloane’s signature comes after Nine had already made a splash, luring Essendon great James Hird back into the media fold to appear on Footy Classified and Footy Furnace in what has been an off-season of upheaval across Seven, Nine and Fox Footy.
Brent Williams, Nine’s director of sport, said Sloane will provide detailed insights.
“As a player, Rory Sloane always led by example. His courage and fearless leadership drew respect and admiration from all AFL fans, no matter who you barracked for,” Williams said.
Back in the media fold: James Hird.Credit: Getty Images
Footy Classified will air on Monday and Tuesday nights this upcoming season. The Monday edition will be hosted by The Age’s Sam McClure, with Tuesday hosted by veteran presenter Eddie McGuire. Classified will go head-to-head with Seven’s The Agenda Setters and Fox Footy’s nightly AFL 360 and weekly flagship show, On the Couch.
Craig Hutchison, who had been the Monday night host of Footy Classified, and panellists Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson have joined Seven, the sport’s free-to-air broadcaster undergoing major change under new head of sport Chris Jones.
Hutchison will host the Monday night edition of The Agenda Setters alongside Cornes and St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt.
Seven has also announced a raft of other changes, including more dynamic coverage on game day, and an interview program, Unfiltered, led by host Hamish McLachlan.
Fox Footy has also undergone change, with veteran host and commentator Garry Lyon now joining Gerard Whateley on AFL 360.
Geelong great Tom Hawkins and 400-gamer Shaun Burgoyne have joined the Fox Footy coverage as expert commentators, while former Richmond star Jack Riewoldt has replaced Lyon as host of On the Couch.
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