Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Erin Molan to quit Nine NRL coverage

Another big name could be missing from Channel 9’s rugby league coverage next season — check out all the latest NRL chatter and more.

All the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.

SHOOSH

The rumour is getting louder and louder that footy host Erin Molan is to quit Channel 9’s rugby league coverage at the end of the season. Molan hosts Friday night games and The Sunday Footy Show but has apparently told colleagues of her plans to step aside after the grand final. Erin wants to spend more time on weekends with her dad, Senator Jim Molan, who is fighting cancer. The news comes just a fortnight after the Sunday Telegraph revealed Peter Sterling was leaving Channel 9 after 27 years as part of a major shake-up at the network. We didn’t bother ringing Nine’s head of football Simon Fordham, who has become notorious for not returning phone calls or text messages.

Erin Molan wants to spend more time with her father, Senator Jim Molan. Picture: Gary Ramage

SAINTS

Nathan Cleary, Damien Cook, Ben Hunt, Elliott Whitehead, Wade Graham, Jake Trbojevic, Adam O’Brien and a host of rugby league types who are fronting up to endorse the NRL’s campaign to encourage the community to get vaccinated.

The race to the 2021 NRL Telstra Finals Series is on and every game matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

SINNER

The closure of the famous old Golden Century restaurant in Sussex St, your humble columnist’s favourite venue for a great Chinese feed. This is devastating on the back of also losing the King Wan in the Shire two years ago.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ: NRL STAR CHECKS INTO ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

SHOOSH

Wayne Bennett will soon be unemployed once he finishes up at South Sydney at the end of the season, and he will also be back living in Queensland. This is why there is a strong rumour that he could potentially make a comeback as coach of the Maroons in State of Origin. Paul Green is still to decide if he will coach again next season. There is mail that Green has been sounded out by the Parramatta Eels.

Could Wayne Bennett return as coach of the Maroons next season? Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

SHOOSH

Two NRL names have been mentioned around executive roles on the organising committee in the build-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics — Todd Greenberg and Graham Annesley, who is now based on the Gold Coast.

SHOOSH

Gus Gould is a generous man. Canterbury is so determined to offload English prop Luke Thompson that they are offering to pay $450,000 of his $850,000 contract at a rival club next year.

SHOOSH

The NRL might have slashed $50m in costs in 12 months but Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga will keep his salary of more than $400,000, despite there being no international footy this season.

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

SPOTTED

Fox Sports NRL 360 host Yvonne Sampson and her hubby, Channel 9 reporter Chris O’Keefe, moving into their recently purchased new home in Sydney’s inner west.

IDENTITY CRISIS FOR NINE’S NRL COVERAGE

Channel 9 has a major identity problem on its rugby league commentary team, with legendary caller Ray Warren on the verge of quitting.

Check out the fan poll on The Daily Telegraph and NRL websites and you will get what we’re talking about.

Under the question ‘Who is your favourite TV play-by-play caller?’ Fox Sports personality Andrew Voss is a clear winner with 35 per cent of the popular vote. (There have been more than 21,000 votes)

The great Rabs, 78, comes in as a clear second with 30 per cent.

It’s then daylight to the next Channel 9 caller, Mathew Thompson, who gets just two per cent. Nine’s Brisbane-based caller Peter Psaltis doesn’t get a mention.

The problem is the Nine Network has never properly planned for Rabs’ retirement.

There was even an edict a couple of years ago that Thompson’s head was not to be shown on television. No one knows why. He is actually a handy caller but has had no promotion.

These figures are particularly interesting with Nine in talks with the NRL for a new free-to-air television deal.

There have been suggestions the NRL is now pushing for the return of 2GB veteran Ray Hadley, who was taken off air by director of sport Brett Thompson two years ago.

Like him or loathe him, Hadley at least has experience and a stature in the game.

And that is what Channel 9 is crying out for.

● The poll on our website closes on Monday. Final results in League Central on Thursday.

Fox League commentator Andrew Voss is a fan favourite.

RABBITOHS PINCH ROOSTERS’ GURU

We have found one more chapter to the Sydney Roosters–South Sydney Rabbitohs book of feuds. It has been created quietly behind the scenes for several weeks.

The Roosters’ head of high performance Travis Touma recently told coach Trent Robinson he was leaving after a long association that included three premierships.

His job has been advertised for two weeks.

Touma also works for ‘Freddie’ Fittler with the NSW State of Origin team.

Although the Roosters have suffered more injuries than any other club, Touma is regarded as the best in his field.

This is why the Rabbitohs have pounced.

Touma will join the Roosters’ arch rivals in November to start pre-season training.

He already has a relationship with Damien Cook, Cody Walker, Cameron Murray, Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham from Origin.

His move to Souths is a coup and vote of confidence for incoming coach Jason Demetriou.

The Roosters’ head of high performance, Travis Touma, will join the Rabbitohs next season. Picture: AAP Image/Brendan Esposito

GYNGELL OFFERED COMMISSION ROLE

There have been some interesting business names tossed around for a vacancy on rugby league’s independent commission.

We’re told former Channel 9 chief executive and rugby league tragic David Gyngell has been approached by NRL powerbrokers. Gyngell is innovative and entrepreneurial and knows his footy as a former director of the Sydney Roosters.

The one issue is that Gyngell still has a tight relationship with Nine and, smack bang in the middle of broadcast negotiations, this might not go down well with other stakeholders.

BARRETT’S REJECT THE BUY OF THE YEAR

Kieran Foran offered to take a 70 per cent pay cut to stay at the Canterbury Bulldogs last year, yet Trent Barrett didn’t want a bar of him. He signed Kyle Flanagan instead but is now off the young half. Foran is laughing and happier than ever back home at Manly.

Good judges rate him the buy of the year, though there is plenty of competition from the likes of Isaiah Papali’i, Reece Walsh, Jason Saab and Reimis Smith.

CRONK COMBINES WITH JOHNS

Two of the NRL’s smartest footy minds Matty Johns and Cooper Cronk are to join forces for a new Fox Sports podcast in the run home to the grand final. It will be all about tactics, game plans and strategies on Tuesday nights after NRL 360.

They will look in depth into the strengths and weaknesses of all the coaches and players. Johns and Cronk go back a long way.

When Cronk was starting out as a young playmaker at Melbourne Storm, coach Craig Bellamy would often fly him to Sydney for one-on-one coach sessions with Johns. They are both regarded as two of the more modern and sharpest analysts in the game.

Cooper Cronk and Matty Johns will join forces for a new Fox Sports podcast.

GRAND FINAL MISFORTUNE

Covid-19 in Victoria is an absolute pain in the backside and a huge financial blow for the NRL. It means that it’s now unlikely there will be a bidding war for the NRL grand final.

Originally both Victoria (MCG) and Queensland (Suncorp Stadium) were prepared to throw big tourism dollars at the event. Now it’s only Queensland, which could cost the NRL more than $10m without the competitive bidding.

‘HOTEL ED’ WETS BABY’S HEAD

Modern pentathlete Ed Fernon has welcomed his third child into the world — while stuck in hotel quarantine having competed at his second Olympics in Tokyo.

Fernon came out of retirement to represent Australia at the Games and in doing so made the ultimate sacrifice of leaving heavily pregnant wife Philippa back in Sydney with their two young boys, Xavier and Lachlan.

Modern pentathlete Ed Fernon had reason to celebrate in quarantine this week.

Pip gave birth to Toby Edward on Friday with other family by her side, while Ed will be released from hotel quarantine on Monday. The proud dad was still able to celebrate, popping a bottle of bubbly from his hotel room as he counted down to being with his family.

“Competing at an Olympic Games is a great honour and something I am very proud of but being a father is life’s greatest challenge and achievement,” he said.

“I was obviously very disappointed that I couldn’t attend the birth but the most important thing is that my wife and the baby are healthy.”

Originally published as Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Erin Molan to quit Nine NRL coverage