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Matt Shirvington to head Fox Sports' rugby league coverage
Phil Rothfield
The Sunday Telegraph
January 27, 2013 12:00AM
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FOX Sports has gone left field and appointed former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington to head up their rugby league coverage.
A heart throb athlete with huge female appeal, the network is hoping Shirvo expands its audience from hard-core footy fanatics and attracts more women.
Shirvington will step into the hosting duties, replacing the axed Ryan Phelan for the Super Saturday coverage and Monday night football.
A slick performance at the London Olympics convinced chief executive Patrick Delany and sports director Gary Burns that he was the man for the job, despite lacking league experience.
"Matt had been a growing and maturing talent for some time," Burns said. "His performance in London convinced us he was the sort of person we wanted to be one of the faces of Fox Sports.
"As for his rugby league knowledge, the punters are in for a pleasant surprise. He knows the game and has a real passion for it.
"He's on the Dragons' coaching staff doing speed and agility two days a week and is a lifelong Manly supporter."
As for his appeal with women, Burns admits that it won't hurt.
"He's a good-looking clean-cut young man," Burns said.
"If he brings more female viewers, that's another bonus.
"Ray Martin used to say to me viewers won't let anyone they don't like into their living room.
"I'm convinced everyone will let Matt in."
This columnist shared a coffee with Shirvo at Fox Sports headquarters and it was obvious that he knows his rugby league.
"I'm pumped and I feel very privileged and blessed to be given this opportunity," Shirvington said.
"This is a dream job. I've been very passionate about rugby league as a fan and as a punter. The biggest thing for me is shrugging off the 'he's a former athlete' feeling that might exist.
"Eventually I'd rather them think, 'gee, he's a good broadcaster - didn't he used to run a bit?' That's one of my goals."
Shirvington's previous experiences were covering the Olympics and Commonwealth Games for Fox Sports and working as a sports newsreader on Sky News.
"I get nervous but there's nothing wrong with that," he said. "You ask any elite athlete going into competition.
"If you're not nervous, you don't get the best out of yourself.
"This opportunity has really established the drive in me to do really well in this industry. I want to continue to build and progress.
"I know the hardest thing for any broadcaster is winning credibility."
The Shirvington appointment is part of huge changes at Fox Sports. Channel 9's Peter Sterling has been signed up for a live hour-long weekly show at 7.30pm on Thursdays..
He will be finishing as the Footy Show is about to start on Nine in its new live timeslot at 8.30pm.
Fox Sports has also signed Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh as a match-day commentator to replace Laurie Daley, who quit because of his Origin commitments.
Phil Rothfield
The Sunday Telegraph
January 27, 2013 12:00AM
\
\
FOX Sports has gone left field and appointed former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington to head up their rugby league coverage.
A heart throb athlete with huge female appeal, the network is hoping Shirvo expands its audience from hard-core footy fanatics and attracts more women.
Shirvington will step into the hosting duties, replacing the axed Ryan Phelan for the Super Saturday coverage and Monday night football.
A slick performance at the London Olympics convinced chief executive Patrick Delany and sports director Gary Burns that he was the man for the job, despite lacking league experience.
"Matt had been a growing and maturing talent for some time," Burns said. "His performance in London convinced us he was the sort of person we wanted to be one of the faces of Fox Sports.
"As for his rugby league knowledge, the punters are in for a pleasant surprise. He knows the game and has a real passion for it.
"He's on the Dragons' coaching staff doing speed and agility two days a week and is a lifelong Manly supporter."
As for his appeal with women, Burns admits that it won't hurt.
"He's a good-looking clean-cut young man," Burns said.
"If he brings more female viewers, that's another bonus.
"Ray Martin used to say to me viewers won't let anyone they don't like into their living room.
"I'm convinced everyone will let Matt in."
This columnist shared a coffee with Shirvo at Fox Sports headquarters and it was obvious that he knows his rugby league.
"I'm pumped and I feel very privileged and blessed to be given this opportunity," Shirvington said.
"This is a dream job. I've been very passionate about rugby league as a fan and as a punter. The biggest thing for me is shrugging off the 'he's a former athlete' feeling that might exist.
"Eventually I'd rather them think, 'gee, he's a good broadcaster - didn't he used to run a bit?' That's one of my goals."
Shirvington's previous experiences were covering the Olympics and Commonwealth Games for Fox Sports and working as a sports newsreader on Sky News.
"I get nervous but there's nothing wrong with that," he said. "You ask any elite athlete going into competition.
"If you're not nervous, you don't get the best out of yourself.
"This opportunity has really established the drive in me to do really well in this industry. I want to continue to build and progress.
"I know the hardest thing for any broadcaster is winning credibility."
The Shirvington appointment is part of huge changes at Fox Sports. Channel 9's Peter Sterling has been signed up for a live hour-long weekly show at 7.30pm on Thursdays..
He will be finishing as the Footy Show is about to start on Nine in its new live timeslot at 8.30pm.
Fox Sports has also signed Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh as a match-day commentator to replace Laurie Daley, who quit because of his Origin commitments.
