- Penrith face Storm in NRL grand final
- Channel Nine has removed a legend from the comments
Phil Gould has been sacked from Channel Nine commentary duties for this weekend’s NRL and NRLW Grand Finals, according to reports.
The Bulldogs general manager is arguably one of the most influential voices in the sport, having made 103 first grade appearances as a player for four clubs before enjoying a successful coaching career with Canterbury, Penrith and the Roosters.
The 66-year-old broadcaster, who also writes for the Sydney Morning Herald, signed an exclusive television deal with Nine in 2017 and regularly calls matches on the broadcaster.
On Sunday, the Storm will look to ruin Penrith’s hopes of clinching their fourth consecutive premiership in the NRL Grand Final starting at Accor Stadium at 6.30pm. Before that, the Roosters will take on the Sharks for the NRLW Grand Final at 2.55pm, and Gould will not appear in the communications for either clash.
According courier mailGould, who is affectionately known as ‘Gus’, will move down the pecking order for the main event, with New South Wales legend Andrew Johns and Queensland boss Billy Slater set to take the dock.
Mat Thompson is expected to call the game for the broadcaster, while Brad Fittler and Danika Mason will scout for stories and conduct touchline interviews.
Instead, Gould will be on deck to cover the NRL State Championship clash between Newtown Jets and Norths Devils at 12:20 p.m.
Gould had received criticism for ‘biased comments’ towards his former club Penrith during the 2020 Grand Final.
The Panthers lost to the Storm 26-20, but had staged a thrilling comeback to fight back after trailing 22-0 at halftime, putting pressure on Melbourne until the final whistle.
Former Penrith player and coach Phil Gould will not comment on this weekend’s NRL grand final.
Storm looks to prevent Panthers from clinching fourth consecutive first-place finish
But Gould had insisted that the Panthers were the better team, and some criticized him for perceived favoritism toward his former club.
“I honestly feel like the Panthers are on top,” he said.
“I feel like they are doing better than the Melbourne Storm, but the Storm have been able to keep the score going with a penalty try and a penalty goal and now intercept.”
Some rugby league fans proceeded to attack him on social media, with one asking: “Why does he hate Melbourne so much?”
But the former Penrith coach subsequently dismissed accusations of bias, insisting fans “only hear what they want to hear”.
“They need to go back and listen to it (the comment) again,” Gould told 2GB in response to his detractors.
‘They only hear what they want to hear.
Instead, Gould will call the NRL State Championship clash between Newtown Jets and Norths Devils.
Gould had received criticism for ‘biased comments’ towards his former club Penrith during the 2020 Grand Final.
“There is a difference between bias and honesty, I am always honest.”
He will now be joined by Peter Psaltis, Cameron Smith, Darren Lockyer and Marlee Silva for the State Championship showpiece.