Greg Alexander’s commentary move after death of mum
If you want to start an argument at your next barbecue, just bring up the subject of NRL commentators. Every fan’s got an opinion on those who sit behind the microphone.
Andrew Voss, Warren Smith, Dan Ginnane, Mat Thompson, Brenton Speed, Peter Psaltis…the punters either love ’em or hate ’em. Same deal with co-commentators. Blocker Roach, Mick Ennis, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater…some hit the mute button while others hang off every word.
Fox Sports’ Greg Alexander has largely avoided the daggers, although they do come for him during Panthers games. The premiership-winning Penrith halfback has been around longer than most and is still among the best analysts in the game, as well as being a very decent bloke.
The Alexander family this week lost its matriarch Leonie – Greg’s mother and mother-in-law to fellow Panthers great Mark Geyer – and understandably rocked the close-knit Alexander clan. Being the ultra-professional he is, Brandy still fronted for work at Fox over the weekend despite being offered the chance to stand aside.
“Brandy, while we’ve got a moment, I just want to pass on my condolences to you and your family. I know it’s been a very tough week with the passing of your mum,” Ginnane said at half-time in the Cowboys-Raiders game. “We’ve been thinking of you and it’s great to have you here tonight.”
A clearly moved Alexander replied: “Thank you for your support and for the support of all the Fox Sports people. It has been touching, the amount of support we’ve had over the last week.”
Some things are more important than a game of football.
Parramatta going from bad to worse
If you’re into omens, things look pretty bleak for the Parramatta Eels. The last time they started a season 0-4 – back in 2018 – they ended up finishing last.
You have to wonder where the Eels’ first win under rookie coach Jason Ryles is coming from because they look miles off at the moment. It’s not that the effort isn’t there – there’s no doubt they are putting in – but they appear two to three players short of a quality NRL side.
Some of the basic errors they are making are inexcusable at this level and their attack is park footy stuff. They have scored just 40 points in four games.
Mitchell Moses’ expected return late next month will certainly help in that area, but his absence has really exposed Dylan Brown. The playmaker has been relatively anonymous since signing a $13m deal to join Newcastle from next year, leading to suggestions Parramatta would be better off parting ways with his now.
Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh is leading that call. But Ryles disagrees.
“That has not been discussed for a second at our club,” he said after Sunday’s loss to Manly. “I’ll let you know if it ever gets discussed. Dylan plays for Parramatta until the end of the year. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
Something will have to give soon because Brown is clearly off his game.
Whispers Manly greats aren’t happy with Daly Cherry-Evans
They say a leopard never changes its spots? We’re not sure if sea eagles have spots but the same could apply given Daly Cherry-Evans’ decision to walk out on Manly.
Nearly a decade ago, DCE had a one-way ticket booked to Coolangatta after jumping ship to the Gold Coast Titans. The move caught the Sea Eagles by surprise – sound familiar? – and angered fans, players and officials.
The club responded with a late counter-offer – again, sound familiar? – and DCE backflipped to stay at Brookvale, pissing off a whole new bunch of fans in south-east Queensland. So, the way Cherry-Evans handled this latest episode should not shock those who have been around the block a few times.
It certainly hasn’t shocked the players who were around in 2015. The Stewart brothers and Anthony Watmough sacrificed big money to stick together in a successful side and were ropeable when DCE didn’t buy into their club-first ethos.
Years later, Watmough revealed on a podcast the halfback threatened not to train after being unhappy with the deal offered to him after just one year in the NRL. “I said to him ‘mate, you know what we’ve (the senior playing group) sacrificed to stay together, to be successful,” Watmough said. “Your time will come’ and he just looked me straight in the eye and went ‘nah, not turning up’. So, I just went ‘f**k you’.”
We’d love a penny for Choc’s thoughts right now, but he’s understandably staying under radar given his role in Manly’s pathways program. Other former players have strong opinions on Cherry-Evans’ actions and they are not favourable. Many of them have been reluctant to criticise, but we hear the dam wall is about to break. Stay tuned.
