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Veteran Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould has been demoted from the network’s coverage of Sunday’s NRL grand final, according to reports.
Gould, a former general manager and coach of the Penrith Panthers, has faced criticism over the years for his commentary bias, famously claiming the Panthers were ‘on top’ at half time of the 2020 grand final against Sunday’s opponents the Storm – despite trailing 22-0.
According to the Courier Mail, Gould will instead call Nine’s coverage of the State Championship grand final between Norths Devils and Newtown Jets on Sunday afternoon.
The big game will feature Nine’s prime play-by-play commentator Mat Thompson, as well as experts Andrew Johns and Billy Slater, with Danika Mason and Brad Fittler boundary side.
Titans’ RCG coup confirmed
Reagan Campbell-Gillard will become the latest member of Gold Coast’s big-name forward pack, after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Titans.
A month after being released by Parramatta, Campbell-Gillard settled on a new home on Friday with the Gold Coast.
After initially being linked to St George Illawarra, Campbell-Gillard opted out of that move when the Dragons baulked at going from two years to three.
That opened the door for the Titans to pounce, adding Campbell-Gillard to a pack that already includes marquee men Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika.
The Titans also have highly touted youngsters Arama Hau and Josiah Pahulu rising into their pack, with David Fifita on a big deal in the second row.
“It’s great to have Reagan join us in 2025,” Titans coach Des Hasler said.
“He’s a no-nonsense front-rower with a high work-rate and has been a mainstay in the NRL for the past decade.
“It’s not every day a 200-plus game Origin and international prop like Reagan becomes available. His experience will be a welcomed addition here at the Titans.”
$10m Eels deal not enough to lure Bellamy
Parramatta were willing to throw a $10 million deal at Craig Bellamy to lure him from the Storm after sacking Brad Arthur mid-season.
While it was publicised at the time that the Eels pursued Wayne Bennett but he had already committed to South Sydney, the revelations about the Bellamy deal in a NewsCorp report highlight the lengths the club was prepared to take to replace Arthur with a big name.
Bellamy discussed the potential of a switch with Eels officials but he chose to stay with the Storm where he has enjoyed two decades of success.
The Eels were armed with a four-year deal worth $2.5m a season which would have been a record deal for any coach in premiership history.
Bellamy’s current deal with the Storm is reportedly worth more than $1.5m a year and allows him to walk away at the end end of each year if he wants to retire.
“I’ve committed myself for the Storm next year,” said Bellamy, who claimed his seventh Dally M coach of the year honour on Wednesday night.
The Eels eventually settled on signing Bellamy’s assistant, Jason Ryles, to replace Arthur as full-time coach and the former Dragons international left the Storm mid-season to begin preparing for his first season at the helm.
