Thank you for sharing.
Wally Lewis in the commentary box. Mark Geyer captaining the Reds.
Fox Sports painted on the ground - it’s rare to see broadcasters logos on the pitch.
Speaking of the ground, you can see the markings from the West Coast game the week before.
I think Seven still showed the Wallabies games in Melb/Adl/Perth, but usually later at night (11pm ish).
Gordon Bray and Matthew White used to host them, before the digital multi-channel era, they’d be on Friday and Saturday nights, but yes late night after movies in AFL markets, except for World Cups or Bledisloe from memory (Bruce McAvaney anchored the famous 2003 one where the final involving Australia became the 2nd most watched program ever in OzTAM history a smidge behind the 2005 Australian Open).
I think it depended, sometimes Fox would air it live too, especially if Seven was showing movies in the southern states, or if the game was in NZ at night as it could overlap with the news. The games in South Africa always started after movies in everywhere (3pm SA time, sometimes it was 5pm SA time). NZ games they could go national with too as it started at 2.30pm NZ time then when it moved to night it posed issues the first time, Seven was going to show a movie, so the ARU allowed Fox to do it live.
Were there many Friday night matches? I always tend to remember them as being pretty purely on Saturdays back then, but it was a long time ago now haha.
Bruce hosted from i think 03-06 (didn’t have much else to do in Winter) with White taking over when 7 got the AFL back. Can’t remember if Bray was hosting in 2003 for the Tri Nations, but Bruce was there by the World Cup and those years immediately after. Maybe Bray still hosted some of the ‘smaller’ tests, but i don’t think he did
Fordham was the main studio host for the 99 World Cup with Bray hosting from the UK.
Here’s an '05 match with Bruce hosting
Here’s the '99 World Cup with Fordham/ Bray
Here’s an '02 match with Bray hosting, and one of the more surreal intro’s to a rugby match I’ve seen.
Finding White hosting is harder because Fox were in full flight by then and they tend to dominate the videos from 2007 on.
DishevelledNomad has a great youtube channel with heaps of 90’s and 00’s rugby coverage, mainly from 7.
Didn’t Fordham do matches here and there for Seven/Fox on the Super 12 like when Bray can’t be in two places at one time, they send Fordham and Handy to the other match. Usually early in the year when daylight savings was going on in NSW but not QLD. Tony Johnson from Sky in NZ would do that too when Greg Clark can’t be in two places at one time, they’d fly Tony and either Phil Kearns or Greg Martin to Queensland. Nick Farr-Jones did a game or 2 for Fox too. Martin did a few S12 matches for Seven with Bray or Fordham sometimes.
yeah, nearly all Saturday night games
Fordham called the 03 game against South Africa with Tim Horan and Dan Crowley. Chris Handy had retired before 03 (can’t remember if he was there in 02).
Games in South Africa typically started after movies everywhere, since those were a 11pm AEST/3pm SA kickoffs, or sometimes 1am AEST/5pm SA time). I could see the AFL states showing movies if it was someone like Argentina or Scotland who usually got dominated anyway, but World Cups or Bledisloe would be a bigger deal. Fox would show those games live if Seven was showing movies in AFL states (not sure, but i think they might have done that to ensure every Wallabies match was live everywhere).
Super 12 was Live on Fox, delayed after movie for sure in NSW and QLD. Seven team did it for both till 01. Does anyone remember what Seven’s rugby graphics looked like then? I always liked the one they used in 2000 with 99 being a close second.
The U-matic master tape of Ch7’s 1977 program “V.F.L 80th Year” has been found.
It was rescued from about to be put in landfill some 20 years ago and given to me two weeks ago.
I then gave the tape to Rhys (FlemishDog) last week and he has amazingly successfully digitised it.
I will upload it onto my YT channel tomorrow.
The program is posted by David Hill of all people!
https://x.com/rhettrospective/status/1872598805125964022
Here it is folks. VFL 80 Years.
Not screened since its initial broadcast in April 1977.
Detais of how the tape survived etc in the description of the YT video
Ahhh yes. Dale Sheerer on TV Australia. Rowdy only kicked three from seven that day.
Good call with Graham ‘champagne football’ Hughes and Bear (before he went to WWOS)… they made a good team.
And immediately following the league:
It sounded like Billy J Smith, not Graeme Hughes? I seem to recall that TVQ had their own call team for Broncos games back then?
Great find. Thank you very much for sharing. Wonderful to be able to watch something that hasn’t been seen in close to five decades. Loved seeing Allen Aylett arrive at VFL Park in the helicopter and for it to be described as the equal of any football stadium anywhere in the world.
My favorite bit though was seeing the post-doco Lou Richards prize draw for the 12 Datsun 180Bs. Television gold.
Yes… that’s true. But if you listen closely enough you’ll notice the smooth tones of Hughes.
Plus he presents little Alfie with the State Bank man of the match award.
I remember TVO running ads featuring ‘Bluey’ (from Bill Healy’s FM104 breakfast show) promoting their coverage of Broncos games. The local call continued in 1989 as well. But yeah, after that…
As for Billy J Smith… he later became host of the Footy Show!
after years of searching i finally have a copy of the 1994 AFL Grand Final broadcast here is the news report from that night uploaded by me:
