Originally Posted by
Gray77
The NRL are in the great position where Fox really have to present the game brilliantly because three games every weekend are also on free TV on Nine. Fox have to be top notch for people to switch to them. It would be like the BBC having 3 games every weekend, Sky would have to really up their game to get any viewers. Of course, that isn't the case, it's Sky or nothing here, so they are free to do as they wish knowing we are a captive audience.
I think the Australians worked out a long time ago that having a half back in the commentary box or studio means you get better analysis. Nine use the likes of Johns, Sterling, Thurston because those lads read a game and can highlight the decisions taken quite well, and Fox use the likes of Cronk and Anasta for the same reason. Sky have stuck with the big blokes approach, so the emphasis is on the grind, the big hits, etc, and an overuse of cliches about hard work, energy, who wants it more, etc. You can't blame Baz and Tez for that, it's what they did as players, they played the game in the trenches and weren't the key decision makers on the field, but their analysis misses out real understanding of big moments as a result.
There was a moment during the Leigh-Wigan game last night where Leigh went for a daft kick option on the 3rd tackle near the Wigan line, it went dead for a drop out, and Tez was saying how smart it was because it kept the pressure on. It was the exact opposite, they ceded about 40 yards from the drop out because they made a bad decision to try a grubber into the in goal with tackles in the bag. A half-back in the commentary box will have critiqued the decision, but the forwards just went for the old cliches and failed to give any kind of analysis. Again, not their fault, they were both good players but never had to make those decisions on the field so have no experience of judging them. But if they are the only mouthpieces we have, it does become quite poor. Clarke was a better footballer than the other two, a genuine ball playing forward, but again, he is of the same ilk and relies on a forwards mentality when describing a game.
They need to get a half-back in there, one with real insight and ability to describe the game. It would take the impetus away from Baz and Tez (both of whom I quite like) having to talk non stop about stuff they don't really know about, and would make the coverage a lot more interesting to listen to. You'd hope that someone at Sky actually watched the Fox coverage (which Sky pay for and show every week) and took a few tips from it eh!