A former Penrith star has hit out at Triple M Sydney, claiming the broadcaster disrespected football great Mark Geyer after he was suddenly sacked by the broadcaster last week.
Many were shocked by Triple M’s decision to part ways with the New South Wales State of Origin legend, who had been a fan favorite on the channel’s Mick & MG in the Morning breakfast show.
Despite having been with the broadcaster for 17 years, Geyer and his co-hosts Mick Molloy and Cat Lynch will be replaced by a new cast including former NRL star and media personality Beau Ryan.
It is understood he will debut on the show on January 20, 2025 and will be joined by co-hosts Natarsha Belling and former West Tigers captain Aaron Woods. The program will be renamed Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Tarsh & Woodsy and will run on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Geyer’s axing was first reported by The Daily Telegraph last week, but the reasons why he left the station remain unclear – the former Kangaroos star has yet to speak out on the matter.
But according to former Penrith star Lou Zivanovic, who found the 56-year-old for lunch last week, Geyer is ‘devastated’ by the sudden call after being ‘blindsided’ by the channel.
Mark Geyer has been reportedly left ‘devastated’, according to a former NRL player, after being dropped from Triple M Sydney’s breakfast show
Geyer has worked for the broadcaster for the past seventeen years, but was “caught off guard” by the move, according to Lou Zivanovic.
‘MG [Mark Geyer] is one of the most loyal people you can meet and Triple M has shown him zero loyalty in return,” Zivanovic shared Yahoo Sports Australia.
‘He was blindsided by the decision and is understandably devastated. In business, decisions are made every day, but there are right and wrong ways to go about things. They completely screwed him, without warning, after 17 years of loyal service. It doesn’t suit me and it doesn’t suit many people.
“He still has to come to terms with it all, but he is a strong man,” Zivanovic added.
“MG has shown throughout his football career that you get knocked down and you get back up and that’s the way he approaches this. With the help and support of family and friends, he will recover from this. One door closes, the other opens.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Southern Cross Austereo for comment.
Geyer, who was capped three times for Australia and helped Penrith to their first premiership win in 1991, retired from professional football in 2000.
He would pursue a career in media after writing extensively for newspapers, before taking on roles at Triple M and Fox Footy.
His co-host and comedian Molloy returns to Victoria, where he will co-host the local breakfast show with Nick Riewoldt, Titus O’Reily and Rosie Walton.
Geyer (left), who was capped three times for Australia and helped Penrith to their first premiership win in 1991, retired from professional football in 2000
Geyer and Mitch Molloy have been replaced by Beau Ryan (left) Natarsha Belling (center) and former West Tigers captain Aaron Woods (right)
It comes amid a huge shake-up across Australia’s major sports broadcasting platforms, with Triple M handing Marty Sheargold a new role after he left the breakfast spot in July. He will expand his national Marty Sheargold show to the drive shift in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Meanwhile, Triple M Sydney has officially announced their line-up for the new show, with Southern Cross Audio (SCA) Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron thanking Geyer for his time with the station.
“We would like to thank MG for his incredible 17-year contribution to Triple M across many shows and NRL call-ups,” he said.
“We sincerely hope that he will be part of the Triple M family again in the future and wish him all the best.”
Woods, meanwhile, has spoken of his respect and admiration for Geyer and revealed the advice he gave him during his NRL career.
“He just told me to never stop what I was doing, not to say no to anything and to keep showing up,” Woods told Sport Con.
‘I’ve never forgotten that. MG, along with Matty Johns and Gus Worland, helped me a lot.
Woods, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 270 NRL appearances, added: “He was the first person I texted this morning.”