Channel Seven has locked in its substitute for Wayne Carey.
The community on Tuesday confirmed three-time Essendon greatest and fairest winner Jobe Watson has been promoted to function extra commonly because the designated skilled commentator for Saturday night time video games.
The free-to-air-network has continued to tinker with the Saturday night time function following the choice to advertise Daisy Pearce to the Friday night time prime time broadcasts, bumping Carey to the Saturday slot.
With Carey’s contract with the community not being prolonged past 2022, it was reported in February Seven was dedicated to rotating a variety of star commentators within the Saturday night time function, together with Watson and Jimmy Bartel.
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Now the community has confirmed Watson would be the major possibility and also will make appearances on Thursday nights and is rising as the following huge star.
Carey was dumped from Seven’s soccer protection earlier this yr following a scandal exterior Perth’s Crown on line casino involving a bag of a white powdered substance.
Watson has crammed smaller roles on Seven’s commentary group over the previous few years after he began as a boundary rider throughout his yr off in 2014.
Watson’s father Tim, himself a legend of the game having been inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and having gained three premierships with Essendon, has been one of many nation’s main soccer commentators since his retirement within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, and is about to commentate alongside his son this yr.
Former All-Australian Dale Thomas will tackle boundary using duties in prime time after Pearce triggered a commentary shake up when accepting an assistant teaching function at Geelong that may see her change into Seven’s Thursday night time skilled commentator.
Those adjustments are a few of many such strikes Seven has introduced throughout its AFL division.
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield may also proceed to make appearances as a member of the commentary group.
The community’s squad of star commentators contains Pearce, Watson, Luke Hodge, Matthew Richardson, Shaun Burgoyne, Erin Phillips, Leigh Matthews, Tim Watson, Cameron Ling, Nathan Jones, Chris Johnson, Abbey Holmes, Jude Bolton, Mark Soderstrom, Ryan Daniels, Nigel Carmody and Campbell Brown.
Seven is sticking with play-by-play callers Brian Taylor, James Brayshaw, Hamish McLachlan, Alister Nicholson, Jason Bennett and Luke Darcy.
Seven has axed the Game Day and Talking Footy reveals, however new initiatives have now been introduced, together with:
— Retired Geelong premiership hero Joel Selwood will conduct interviews with AFL membership captains in a “Leaders” phase to function in pre-game protection.
— A “Saturday Scoop” present will function journalists Nat Edwards and Mitch Cleary.
Seven’s Head of Network Sport Lewis Martin mentioned: “Jobe Watson is a champion player and a champion person, and we look forward to hearing him more on Seven’s AFL coverage in 2023 on key matches across Thursday nights, Saturday nights and Sundays.”
Martin described the squad as “football’s best, most talented and most experienced commentary line-up”.
All 9 matches of each spherical of the 2023 season will stay reside on Fox Footy.
The Foxtel community has responded to the departure of Saints legend Nick Riewoldt with one other star-studded group for 2023.
Fox’s group will embody Garry Lyon Nathan Buckley, Jonathan Brown, Anthony Hudson, Dwayne Russell, Mark Howard, Kelli Underwood, Adam Papalia, Jason Dunstall, Gerard Healy, David King, Jordan Lewis, Nick Dal Santo, Mark Ricciuto, Matthew Pavlich, Brad Johnson and Cameron Mooney.
Source: www.news.com.au
