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NRL Footy Show loses “The Chief”

'Tis the season for revamps. After 14 years Paul "The Chief" Harragon departs the NRL Footy Show.

After 7 years Paul “The Chief” Harragon has quit Channel Nine’s NRL Footy Show.

Harragon (pictured, right) says a revamp of the program has given him little choice but to move on, notes the Daily Telegraph.

The Footy Show, like any business is undergoing big changes for its future success,” the former Newcastle captain said yesterday.

“I was very pleased to be offered a role as a part of that future, however after some careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that the time is right for me to move on.”

A revamp of the NRL Footy Show follows an overhaul of Nine’s AFL Footy Show which have seen the end of comedian Trevor Marmalade’s role, following contract negotiations with the network. In December Nine’s Executive Producer of Entertainment Tim Cleary announced the signing of former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas to Footy Classified which “completed” a revamp of its three AFL shows.

But the NRL had a difficult year, losing viewers and finishing the year on a low.

Nine’s director of event television Gary Burns said Harragon’s lively personality and humour would be missed.

“While Paul’s decision is understandable it is still sad,” he said.

“He was one of the prime-time originals and is much loved by not only the audience but his fellow hosts and all of the production staff.”

Source: Daily Telegraph

Amended.

50 Responses

  1. Basically the rugby league footy show abandoned its target audience of males and its primary function or previewing the upcoming weekends fixtures, to occupy too much time with games and stunts to try to appeal to a wider audience. With very little time spent discussing the previous or the upcoming round of matches, and said goodbye to their original audience. The filp when the ratings were hitting all time lows to a very serious format was not widely recieved either. Say what you like about the personalities that are involved with the AFL footy show but the end of the day that is what a footy show should be. Serious issues being discuss with the right ammount of seriousness. The whole Sonny Bill Williams was carried on like a death in rugby league. It should have been made a lighter issue. The only death that occurred with his departure for the greatest game of all was the death of his earning potential. Yes he did get a big contract for two years but he will not be worth half of what his contract with the bulldogs was after 2 years of playing poorly in a poor competition and will not find the sponsorship dollars that he could have earned after a long successful league career. However back to the point, the footyshow needs to get back to the people lets see some shows hosted at rugby league clubs. What a shame it was the Century of Rugby League and no one had the thought of getting the show to the original clubs and celebrating where the game has come from

  2. The problem all started when they hired Mathew Johns. Get rid of him bring in Gus, Sterlo & Geyer that would be great to watch I haven`t watched for about 4 yrs talking alittle fotty wouldn`t hurt ethier

  3. Wow thats pretty sad for us footy show lovers.Im mean we have already lost Peter Sterling and now we are gonna miss the Chief.Please dont tell me that Matty is going too next year coz Im gonna smash my TV when its footy show time.Please if Matty leaves just dont do footy shw anymore.And please get some QLD guys to replace Sterlo and the Chief coz we had enough of the guys from NSW.

    Cheers.max NZ

  4. Wow plenty of hate for the footy show – geez. It’s not to everyone’s taste granted, but what do you expect when it’s run by ex-players just trying to have some fun?

    As for the bring back Blocker rubbish – he doesn’t want to come back. He left because he didn’t like the tone of the show, and unless there is some massive shakeup he’s probably not interested. Even then, it would look a bit lame – he would look like a whinger who got his way and then came crawling back for a gig.

  5. Incredible how 9 keeps pumping out this garbage week after week but any quality show that dips in the ratings is punted immediately..probably never to be seen again or maybe after 10.30pm if your lucky.

    Vautin has been the lamest host for years.

  6. I wonder if this will make NIB drop Chief from its advertising?

    I would support Voss being added to the show, although he also commentates at the weekend and hosts the Sunday Roast, so it’d be a heavy workload for him if he also became a permanent fixture on the Footy Show. (Although I guess the changes to the Thursday Footy Show will lead to a shakeup of personnel on the Roast and the Sunday Footy Show as well, so that might not be a consideration.) But please, Nine, no Danny Weidler, MG or Gus. I think Gus is an OK guy, but any time he appears on a panel show he uses it as an excuse to push his particular obsessions, and that’s not really appropriate for a light entertainment-type show. “Yeah, looks like Slater got completely crunched by Hannant, and did I mention that the video ref shouldn’t be allowed to rule on strip penalties?” Spare us.

  7. A shame as the chief was perhaps my favorite,loved “that’s gold”. First sterlo and now the chief ,get rid of fatty and they may as well axe it.

  8. oh can’t they just say that they boned him. lee123 is correct, it’s too much of a coincidence. no one quits a tv job with nowhere to go unless they are kicked out.

    telling people that they fired him is much more honorable that keeping it a secret to cover your own ass.

  9. Strange isn’t it.
    I live in Victoria, love AFL but hate AFL footy show and love NRl footy show.
    For me mix of Fatty,Sterlo,Chief & mad Matty Johns is great.
    Be interested to hear from folks in NSW & Qld why NRl does not work for them ?
    AFL footy show flops for me as it is more about the ego of Nine personnel and Sam Newman is well past use by date.they seem to forget to talk about AFL.
    NRL footy show gave me insight into Rugby League and seemed prepared to ask hard questions but till have enough humour to entertain others.

  10. I dont think that he added a lot to the show. Now is all that they have to do is get rid of Fatty and bring into in Andrew Voss and mabye a few footy players (e.g. Brett Finch and Benji Marshell) and the show would be great. A real shame though if they lost Laurie Dailey.

  11. So it’s the Fatty & Matty show then?

    you watch next we will hear Andrew Johns is joining the show.

    The Chief at least did good stuff for the show and he was funny at times, funnier than others..

  12. I also heard that Laurie Daler won’t be returning to nine, instead will be returning to Foxtel.

    I also wouldn’t mind if Blocker came back, or Ray Hadley. But i highly fdoubt that they’ll come back

  13. lee123, i would say that you are spot on. i don’t know this guy but trev deserved better.

    there are increasingly believable rumours that the same happened to nathan and kellie from hi-5. its a shame that these likeble people with talent are leaving because 9 has no money and they are still paying awful arrogant eddie up to 5mil a year to do nothing.

  14. well after trevor marmelade announced he was leaving it was announced that he “quit” which is only half true. later we found out that as part of ch9’s cost cutting they cut his pay to the point where he should try his luck at mcdonalds. and then yes he quit.

    i assume the chief got the same deal, especially as the NRL footy show is looking at a completely new look. it all seems like to much of a coincidence to me.

  15. Excellent news. I have no idea why they ever hired him. Get Vautin off, Stirlo back and Andrew Voss to host it and lets have them start talking about footy.

  16. If Nine had any balls they would bring back Blocker Roach – who was there before The Chief.

    One thing that Fatty said last year was true (I may be paraphrasing) “Well, that was the best of The Footy Show for this year. It used to last a whole episode, this year it went for a couple of minutes”.

    Not many highlights last year. I have also heard that Laurie Daley won’t be returning.

    I hope we see more of Mark Geyer and Phil Gould on The Footy Show this year.

    Maybe they should just replace The Footy Show with The Sunday Roast?

  17. In the first sentece, it says that the ”Chief” has been on the show for 14 years. That part isn’t true. He joined in either 2001 or 2002 (7 or 8 years ago).

    First it was Peter Sterling to leave. Now Paul Harragon. Sad to see them go

  18. Maybe its Vautin that should quit. Make it more like the AFL Footy Show at least they spend more time talking footy. Has not been enjoyable for years especially since Peter Sterling left. Funny though they have low ratings but survive the nine axe but anything else that rates low just disappears

  19. I used to love watching the NRL Footy Show around 5 years ago. And I’m someone who hates sports of all kinds and especially NRL.

    It used to be a great Sydney-centric general entertainment show.

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