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Seven recruits 5 new commentators to AFL team

Michael Malthouse, Brian Taylor, Luke Darcy, Cameron Ling, and Brett Kirk join Seven's 2012 AFL commentary team.

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Seven has announced five new commentators to join its AFL team in 2012.

They are Michael Malthouse, Brian Taylor, Luke Darcy, Cameron Ling, and Brett Kirk.

They join current commentators Dennis Cometti, Bruce McAvaney, Leigh Matthews, Tim Watson, Tom Harley and Matthew Richardson.

AFL Game Day host Hamish McLachlan and Seven’s Perth sports presenter Basil Zempilas will also have expanded roles as match commentators.

Under the 2012-2016 AFL broadcast agreement, Seven will show four games every weekend during the home-and-away season, as well as every final and the Brownlow Medal. Foxtel will have rights to all 9 weekly games played live in HD, plus the Brownlow Medal.

The AFL Grand Final will be shown exclusively live on Seven.

Lewis Martin, Managing Director of Seven Melbourne, said: “This is the start of a new era for AFL on Seven and we’re tremendously excited that they’ve accepted our invitation to come onboard. We reckon we’ve got the best AFL commentary team in the business, some giants of the game, and these new additions only make us stronger. They’re astute, they’re passionate, they’re connected to the game, and they’ll give viewers an insight in the footy they won’t find anywhere else.”

Seven’s Head of Sport, Saul Shtein, added: “When I look at the names on this list, I feel privileged to be a member of the Seven Sport team. It includes some of the greatest players, coaches, captains and callers of all time. Their success, on the field or in the commentary booth, speaks for itself, but it is also their personalities which will provide plenty of entertainment. It is with great anticipation and excitement here at Seven that we look forward to season 2012. We just love the footy.”

Seven is yet to confirm which games will be broadcast in HD.

Bios:
Michael Malthouse: A triple premiership coach and an icon of AFL football.

Cameron Ling: A triple premiership player who held the cup aloft as Geelong captain in 2011.

Brian Taylor: A boisterous Coleman medalist and one of the kings of football commentary.

Luke Darcy: A champion Bulldogs ruckman and AFLPA MVP winner.

Brett Kirk: The revered Swans captain and premiership player with a unique perspective on life.

17 Responses

  2. Look forward to hearing that new line up on Fox. Looks like TEN need a new netball commentator. Huddo Perhaps? Only so much swimming he can do. And with the netball, he can actually be at the matches, not in a studio back in Australia like he was at the world swimming championships in July.

  3. “I’m just gonna watch all my games on Foxtel”.

    You would assume that when Foxtel simulcast the four Seven Network games that it will include the audio, not just the vision.
    Also, who just said that Fox Sports have ‘better commentators’?
    Clearly they’ve never listened to Dwayne Russell or their All-Star WA commentators!

  4. Very good team by Seven. Taylor and Malthouse are good gains, so too Luke Darcy. Everybody loves Kirk and he knows his stuff so should be goo. Great that there’s no mention of David Schwarz cos he is terrible. Hope that means he’s gone. Cameron Ling is better suited to radio, but oh well.

    Don’t know why they persist with Hamish McLachlan. He is terrible on Game Day and everything else they put him on. Why would they add him to commentary too? He’s very lucky to be related to the right people.

  5. @ AS – I agree about Bruce but he’s not going anywhere worse luck. I’m not happy that AFL won’t be on 10 any longer as 7 are terrible both in coverage and some commentators. Although with the addition of MM,Darcy,Ling & Kirk to Lethal that area is looking better. I just wish I had foxtel so I could avoid the 7 coverage. Hopefully we’ll get the foxtel coverage of the lions games up here in bris!

  6. Saw this on Seven news last night. I would have much liked if Sandy Roberts was calling matches again, i think he would still have it in him. Dont like Brian brisstle Taylor he just irritates me. Bruce is fine have no beef with him, Dennis is still very good. Hamish i am not sure about havent heard him call any games although i dont listen to afl on the radio. Basil i definetly havent heard calling anything since the basketball tournament at the Athens Olympics, back then he was good. As far as the expert comments go Michael Malthouse is the best of them all, i just hope he is not silenced in any way, he has views which are logical and practical. I am certainly looking forward to the Footy on Seven.

  7. I wish 7 went for Anthony Hudson than Brian Taylor. Brett Kirk will be good. he has a very smart football brain. Mick Malthouse was always going to go to 7 after he finished coaching.

  10. Really disappointing to lose Brian Taylor from Foxtel, but doesn’t matter the Foxtel commentators are much better , have a better telecast so i and all my friends will be watching Foxtel coverage of the games, until the GF , but the commentators will be the broadcast from MMM.

    Who will repalce BT, surely not Eddie Maquire, I hope it’s Gerard Whately.

  13. It’s a pretty impressive lineup now. Malthouse, Taylor, Darcy and Kirk are really good pickups. Not sure about Cameron Ling. I think he’d be better suited to radio. He’s definitely got the head for it!

    Now if we could just get rid of Bruce “Mr Delicious” McAvaney.

  15. Looking forward to hearing and seeing the new line up. Malthouse showed immense knowledge in similiar stints for Ch10 during some finals and Luke Darcy was my favourite on Ch10. Ling and Kirk bring different perspectives to the game and BT will be an absolute pearler

    Just hope they can cobble together a decent footy show as they haven’t had a decent record in recent years. I still lament the passing of Talking Footy so hopefully that is given another chance.

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