• Welcome to the forums of Green & Gold Rugby.
    We have recently made some changes to the amount of discussions boards on the forum.
    Over the coming months we will continue to make more changes to make the forum more user friendly for all to use.
    Thanks, Admin.

Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

Wilson

Tim Horan (67)
There seems to be a real reluctance to tactics in any real depth, as if it will just scare the fans off or something. It's the only explanation I can see for it, these guys have been too deeply involved with the top levels of the game in the past decade to understand what's happening behind the scenes.

I guess it might be partially due to the way 91/99 wallabies have dominated the commentary for so long, setting the style that the others now follow, but those aren't the guys running the show anymore so it's not much of an excuse.
 

Major Tom

Desmond Connor (43)
Sure, but has Stan ever gone into the pod structure that Schmidt uses with the Wallabies in any format?

The commentators give the impression that rugby at this level is all eyes up reacting to the opposition, when in reality, it's all planned to the smallest detail (and can be analysised, if you so chose)
Bare minimum, at half time the commentators should be explaining why the scoreline is the way it is (not they scored and they didn't), how the teams are trying to play the game and what should teams be looking to do after the break. Instead, the coverage includes 1. chatting to a player coming off (they're buggered or haven't really seen the vision or stats to make a good comment) and 2. interview the coach right when the play has restarted. Personally, I hate it.
 

Ignoto

Geoff Shaw (53)
these guys have been too deeply involved with the top levels of the game in the past decade to understand what's happening behind the scenes.
I do wonder whether this is similar to the condrum of, great players don't necessarily make great coaches as they struggle to convey messages to others for something that came natural to them as a player.

Realistically speaking, it only seems to be the NFL where we see broadcasters placing an emphasis on explaining the tactics. Seems like every big play they'll whip out the pen and mark up on screen what happened and why. That only seems to be reserved for hall time tactics in Union.
 

Major Tom

Desmond Connor (43)
Yeah nfl has the time to explore tactics. Stop start nature, 4 quarters, timeouts. It would be hard for rugby to replicate it to that level. Half time just needs to get so much better. AFL will have player focus at halftime. They will talk about pressure ratings and kicking efficiency and they bring it back to the afl average so the average punter can go yeah wow my team is on top! Would be great if we could do something like that. Again, I haven’t watched a halftime show for rugby for a while so maybe it does occur. But I think the panel of commentators should each be made to take a punt on who could change the game or where the game could be won. I don’t even care if they’re wrong.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

John Eales (66)
I do wonder whether this is similar to the condrum of, great players don't necessarily make great coaches as they struggle to convey messages to others for something that came natural to them as a player.

Realistically speaking, it only seems to be the NFL where we see broadcasters placing an emphasis on explaining the tactics. Seems like every big play they'll whip out the pen and mark up on screen what happened and why. That only seems to be reserved for hall time tactics in Union.
Your'e right its the slower games. Cricket is another where you hear them lay all the pieces out for the viewer.

I do think the League experts do it well. Guys like Johns, Smith will point out what the target it, who looks exposed etc then bam the play happens like they say. It does engage you more as a spectator. I think the relationship and pre game between coaches and media can have a lot to do with it as well. In American football they meet with the teams days before and talk about the games. No doubt helps.

Until Rugby is a staple on a broadcasters list I don't think we'll see change though. If someone was shit on the NRL broadcast on 9 you bet regardless of status some producer would have the shifted out. Not enough focus on Rugby for it to matter so let Horan be Horan. His name still holds importance even though as an expert commentator he's not very good.
 

Tomikin

Michael Lynagh (62)
Your'e right its the slower games. Cricket is another where you hear them lay all the pieces out for the viewer.

I do think the League experts do it well. Guys like Johns, Smith will point out what the target it, who looks exposed etc then bam the play happens like they say. It does engage you more as a spectator. I think the relationship and pre game between coaches and media can have a lot to do with it as well. In American football they meet with the teams days before and talk about the games. No doubt helps.

Until Rugby is a staple on a broadcasters list I don't think we'll see change though. If someone was shit on the NRL broadcast on 9 you bet regardless of status some producer would have the shifted out. Not enough focus on Rugby for it to matter so let Horan be Horan. His name still holds importance even though as an expert commentator he's not very good.
Horan be the second-worst I've seen, Gregan, takes worst, he did an intro once, stuff up the positions and then got the names wrong. Harrisons voice is like the dullest thing on this side of the sun.
 

Alex Sharpe

Fred Wood (13)
I don't get the hate for Horan and Harrison. I'm happy to listen to both. They can both (particularly Horan) speak with some authority considering that they have been there and done it themselves.
 

Red Runner

Watty Friend (18)
I loath Harrison but have now learnt to zone out when he talks.

Horan has his moments but gets away with anything as he is a legend of the game in my eyes.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

John Eales (66)
They've all been there though. Yes, Horan has two WC and he's a legend.

I think Horan is a good pre-match guy where you hear some old stories and expectation on atmosphere etc but his in game commentary is consistently off.

Harrison is just a word salad of superlatives that say absolutely fuck all when deciphered. He lacks a directness that would help the viewer and I think part of it stems from his other roles and hesitancy to step on toes even when it's justified.
 

Strewthcobber

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
The issue with Horan is it's basically a different sport now to when he played. He never describes the actually interesting aspects of modern play

Harrison is actually pretty good with scrums and lineouts, except he uses technical terms that only rugby nerds understand without explaining them. All other phases of play are a waste of time
 

John S

Ken Catchpole (46)
And he takes so long to get his point across, by the time he's done, the games a few phases down the road. I think he's good in the pre/half/post and mid-week spots, in game he's not as good.
 

PhilClinton

Mark Ella (57)
I don't get the hate for Horan and Harrison. I'm happy to listen to both. They can both (particularly Horan) speak with some authority considering that they have been there and done it themselves.

90% of the Stan team have played top level footy and in fact outside of Horan and Harrison most of them have been at that level more recently. Even the blokes who haven’t like Atkinson were involved at a very high level (Reds manager for several years during Link era).

My main gripe with Harrison is his role with RUPA. Not sure how he can be fully impartial and do proper analysis when he’s got a corporate responsibility to literally every rugby player in Australia.
 

Major Tom

Desmond Connor (43)
The issue with Horan is it's basically a different sport now to when he played. He never describes the actually interesting aspects of modern play

Harrison is actually pretty good with scrums and lineouts, except he uses technical terms that only rugby nerds understand without explaining them. All other phases of play are a waste of time
I think he's good when talking to the players. Particularly in the sheds after the game. Sorta a Roaming Brian style. I think if he sticks to that he's fine. Sideline is where I'd keep him.
 

Slim 293

George Smith (75)
The future of popular sports website The Roar is up in the air following a year-long battle for its ownership, an alleged $1 sale of assets to a former cosmetic surgery entrepreneur and a temporary shutdown.

With no finances coming in to pay contributors owed for work done as far back as May, and current and former staff still owed unpaid superannuation, the ownership dispute has stymied a rescue deal led by Tom Hall, the Hong Kong-based owner of The Sporting News.

The protracted fight for ownership of the sports outlet culminated in The Roar going dark this month after Fan Media repeatedly failed to release funds, three sources with knowledge of the matter and not authorised to speak publicly said.

Ownership of The Roar is highly contested. It consists of a complex network of companies that own the various intellectual property rights and registered trademarks. The website itself was operated “under licence” by Fan Media. The group was purchased by online gambling firm PlayUp in 2021. Though in 2024, Daniel Simic, PlayUp’s founder and global CEO ceased being Fan Media’s sole director, appointing a mysterious figure in his place, Miro Mikrut, a 59-year-old born in Footscray.

Then, in June this year, PlayUp ceased to be a shareholder of the operating company, transferring ownership to a newly registered company named Roar Networks, which lists Mikrut as owner and sole director.

The financial relationship between PlayUP, Mikrut and Fan Media is unknown, though Mikrut is known to be a former associate of PlayUp and Simic, three sources with knowledge of the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

Simic this year sold the company that registered The Roar’s trademarks to Melbourne-based Daniel Corsello, a former cosmetic surgery clinic mogul, financial advisor and board director at Israeli-based advertising and technology firm AdRabbit. Corsello was to facilitate a deal with The Sporting News before relations soured between all parties.

This prompted a fierce legal battle between the two parties which is ongoing. Other tensions include an explosive argument between Corsello and PlayUp’s chief financial officer, Prashant Arora, in the company’s Sydney offices last year.

 
Top