Fox Footy presenter and presenter Gerard Whateley confirmed that his long-term broadcast partnership with co-presenter Mark ‘Robbo’ Robinson on AFL 360 has officially ended.
Reports from News Corp had claimed that Robinson would make his final appearance on the show’s broadcast on Monday night, with the pair expected to complete their annual Grand Final review.
The duo launched AFL 360 in 2010 and over the years have entertained viewers with analysis, humor and in-depth discussions on some of the biggest talking points in the competition.
Robinson was not present on Monday’s episode of AFL 360, with Whateley instead joined by Jack Riewoldt.
But before the credits rolled, Whateley saved his final words for his former colleague Robinson, issuing a heartfelt message of thanks to the Herald Sun writer.
“Tonight our big thanks go to Robbo,” Whateley said at the end of the show. ‘We worked at the agency together for fifteen years.
‘We were brought together and had almost nothing in common, except football.
‘It was the passion that connected us, and also with you [the audience].
Gerard Whateley (pictured) has confirmed his AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson will be leaving the show
Mark Robinson (right) was not present at the Fox Footy show on Monday evening
‘Robbo’ has been hosting the successful TV program with Gerard Whateley (left) for 14 years.
“In television terms, it’s an astonishingly long time to spend together and I will always have a sense of gratitude for the almost 1,500 shows we did together.
“Robbo, it was great.”
There’s no word yet on who could replace him next year.
Before the show was axed, Whateley seemingly confirmed that despite the shake-up at the organisation, he would stay on to present AFL 360 next season.
He said, ‘I’ll see you next year for 360.’
Speculation had arisen in recent weeks about Whateley’s future at Fox, amid what has been a huge shake-up in the media landscape in recent weeks.
According to The Age, a source told the network that Whateley “would likely call matches for Fox next season.”
It comes as both Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson recently jumped from Nine to Seven.
Last week it was also announced that Seven had secured St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt as expert commentator for the 2025 season and beyond.
The St Kilda legend, 41, left his successful TV career with Fox Sports in 2022 to move his family of five to Houston, Texas, as his wife’s family are from the area.
Footy fans have missed Riewoldt’s insight and personality, with the former striker building strong chemistry with Jonathan Brown, Kath Loughnan and Nathan Buckley.
As a result, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the Saints Great’s return date, and he can now confirm he will be back on TV screens in Australia a few times a week.
“After two years living in Cath’s hometown of Houston and working full-time in stadium and event technology at PMY, we are all very much looking forward to returning to Melbourne and joining the Seven family,” said Riewoldt prior to his arrival.
AFL 360’s big final review episode on Monday night will be the duo’s last together
“I am excited to join 7AFL and be part of the new vision for the network’s football coverage and programming in 2025 and beyond.
“Seven has put together a great team and I can’t wait to get started and work with the team to bring the game directly to football fans across Australia.”
Chris Jones, managing director of Network Sport, said: “We are extremely excited to welcome Nick to the Seven family in 2025.
‘Nick is one of football’s greatest modern players and an elite football analyst. He will be a perfect addition to our already star-studded team of 7AFL experts, callers and hosts.
‘As we expand our AFL programming, there will be more opportunities for industry talent to join football’s No. 1 commentary team, and we can’t wait to see how Nick’s expertise adds to our already excellent reporting 2025 will uplift and replenish.”