- Penrith will take on Storm in the NRL Grand Final
- Channel Nine has dropped one legend from its commentary
Phil Gould has been relieved of Channel Nine’s commentary duties for this weekend’s NRL and NRLW Grand Finals, according to reports.
The Bulldogs’ general manager may be one of the most influential voices in sports. He made 103 first division appearances as a player for four clubs before enjoying a successful coaching career at Canterbury, Penrith and the Roosters.
The 66-year-old broadcaster, who also writes for the Sydney Morning Herald, signed an exclusive television contract with Nine in 2017 and regularly calls matches on the broadcaster.
On Sunday, Storm will look to throw a spanner in the works of Penrith’s hopes of winning a fourth straight title in the NRL Grand Final, which kicks off at Accor Stadium at 6.30pm. Before that, the Roosters will take on the Sharks for the NRLW Grand Final at 2.55pm, with Gould not appearing on the comms for either clash.
According to The courier postGould, affectionately known as ‘Gus’, will be moved down the pecking order for the showpiece event, with NSW legend Andrew Johns and Queensland boss Billy Slater set to step into the hot seat.
Mat Thompson is expected to call the match for the broadcaster, while Brad Fittler and Danika Mason will explore stories and conduct interviews from the sidelines.
Instead, Gould will be on deck at 12.20pm to cover the NRL State Championship match between Newtown Jets and Norths Devils.
Gould was criticized for ‘biased commentary’ about his former club Penrith during the 2020 grand final.
The Panthers lost to Storm 26-20 but had staged an exciting comeback to fight back after trailing 22-0 at half-time, forcing Melbourne to the final whistle.
Former Penrith player and coach Phil Gould will not comment on this weekend’s NRL Grand final
Storm wants to prevent the Panthers from capturing their fourth premiership in a row
But Gould had insisted the Panthers were the better side, with some criticizing him for perceived favoritism towards his old club.
“I really feel like the Panthers are on top,” he said.
“I feel like they are doing better than the Melbourne Storm, but the Storm have managed to keep the scoreboard going with penalties and penalties and interceptions now.”
Some rugby league fans began to challenge him on social media, with one asking: ‘Why does he hate Melbourne so much?’
But the former Penrith coach subsequently dismissed claims of bias, insisting fans ‘only hear what they want to hear’.
“They need to go back and listen to it again,” Gould told 2GB in response to his detractors.
‘They only hear what they want to hear.
Gould will instead call the NRL State Championship clash between Newtown Jets and Norths Devils
Gould was criticized for ‘biased commentary’ on his former club Penrith during the 2020 grand final
‘There is a difference between bias and honesty, I am always honest.’
He is now joined by Peter Psaltis, Cameron Smith, Darren Lockyer and Marlee Silva for the State Championship showpiece.