State of Origin - TV Broadcast Review

The once popular State of Origin series has viewers outside of NSW turning off in their droves. Spectators at the final game of the 2016 series were its lowest in 20 years with even lower television viewer numbers.

While the NRL would have Australian's believe the competition is widely popular, attendance at games is by hardcore NRL fans, falling television numbers in the 3 competing states and poor numbers in other states.

With RUGBY dying a slow death across the eastern states, Channel Nine and the NRL have colluded to showcase its interstate competition as a "fierce rivalry"when its nothing more than marketing spin.

In the concluding game of 2016, NSW won a one-sided biased game heavily favouring the NSW team that received 17 penalties compared to 4 for Queensland. As the Queensland captain (Smith) remarked to the offending referee, we might be bad but we're not that bad.

NINE Coverage

The commentary team led by Warren produced a heavily one-sided bias to the NSW players, team, referee decisions and play, typical of games over the past years.

From a viewer perspective, it's frustrating and unprofessional.

One wonders whether NINE and the NRL conclude the biased commentary creates some form of rivalry to entice viewers but the opposite happens. Australian sports fans are educated, passionate and aware. A biased commentary stands out like a fart at a funeral, and just as embarrassing.

2020 Channel 9 Commentary

Channel 9's staggering NRL Grand Final oversight mars epic finale. Phil Gould copped a torrent of abuse for his staggering one-sided comments, but it's what he didn't say that was truly disgraceful.

'Disgrace': Australia blasts Phil Gould's commentary in NRL Grand Final

Social media absolutely obliterated Channel 9's Phil Gould, accusing the NRL icon of one-eyed commentary that made ears bleed. Diehard rugby league fans and casual observers alike united in their dislike of Phil Gould on Sunday night.

Gould copped an absolute pasting on social media from punters who accused the Channel 9 analyst of being "biased" in his commentary of Melbourne's Grand Final win over Penrith.

Melburnians are already sensitive about what they see as an anti-Storm sentiment north of the Victorian border, and they were given some extra ammunition from Gould's work behind the microphone in the early exchanges of the season's biggest game, convinced he was favouring the Panthers over Craig Bellamy's troops.