As a fan, I'd like to call for an end to loudmouthed footy pundits making crazy claims just for the sake of controversy and to draw attention to themselves.
I'm over TV show hosts who are convinced that every word that falls from their flabby jaws is a pearl of wisdom that would leave even the Almighty Lord feeling inadequate.
I'm sick to death of match commentators who whinge and carry on so loudly that, even if you turn the volume down to zero, you can still hear them.
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Dragons' biggest fan competition And I've had enough of newspaper journalists who deliberately attempt and antagonise fans of certain teams for no reason other than to get a rise out of them.
And yes, I do have examples in mind;
1) Andrew Voss: I used to like The Footy Show co-host earlier this year, back when he'd be the only asking questions that made the guests uncomfortable. And it wasn't just the guests who were uncomfortable - several times I saw co-host Paul Vautin bristle at the temerity of Voss to ask anything other than the show's usual pillow-soft questions.
But now he's become a loudmouth boor who talks over everyone else. He also started making outrageous, over-the-top statements designed - not to express an actual opinion - but simply to draw attention to himself. It was as though, in his mind, it was called The Vossy Show.
2) Phil Gould: Like Voss, he's started moving into the attention-getting "look at me!'' territory, pitching his tent and staying there for a while. When he uses his years of coaching to deliver some sort of insight, Gould is at his best. But his bombastic rants and the "no, no, no, no, no" blabber we get in his commentary and Sunday Roast appearances almost every week now, has worn thin. Phil, I tune in for the game, not to listen to the commentary. If you're not adding anything to that experience, then shut up.
3) Phil Rothfield: For the last month and a bit or so, this sports journo has been going after the Dragons like a fat kid chasing an ice-cream truck. He's on a one-man "Dragons are crap" crusade. Though, tellingly, he was noticeably quiet the week after we beat the Eels in the last round. But of course, when we lost in week one of the finals, up he popped again to remind us that the Dragons were gone and that he predicted that weeks ago. He knows Dragons fans are easily riled and will respond like no other supporters, so he hammers the Red V over and over, like a kid whacking a bee hive with a stick. Not because they deserve it, just because he wants to whip up some controversy.
Now, I'm not suggesting pundits have to be boring. Have an opinion by all means, but make sure it's genuinely held. Don't just go with something because it's outrageous and you want people to pay attention to you. Don't change your mind when a formerly held point of view is suddenly inconvenient. And don't pretend you didn't say it when your opinion turns out to be wrong.
Rugby league's a great game. Don't turn it into a circus.
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