Phil Gould has again been left out of Channel 9’s NRL Grand Final commentary box, with the network confirming Mat Thompson will call Sunday’s Roosters–Knights decider alongside experts Andrew Johns and Billy Slater.
Channel 9 has confirmed its broadcast line-up for Sunday night’s NRL Grand Final between the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights, and Phil Gould is not in the men’s main-game booth for a third straight year, according to news.com.au.
Who is calling the Grand Final
news.com.au reported Mat Thompson will call the game, with Newcastle great Andrew Johns and former Queensland coach Billy Slater as the expert commentators. Brad Fittler, Ruan Sims, Allana Ferguson, Bronte Gildea and Marlee Silva are also listed for sideline and feature roles.
Yahoo News Australia, citing the same Nine confirmation, said Fittler and Danika Mason handle sideline duties for the men’s grand final, while Gould will work the State Championship final earlier in the day with Cameron Smith and caller Peter Psaltis.
State Championship instead of the decider
Gould’s assignment is the State Championship clash between the Redcliffe Dolphins and Penrith Panthers, not the Accor Stadium night game. news.com.au framed the call as another snub after Gould was also overlooked for the past two grand finals, dating back to fan criticism of his 2020 and 2021 grand final commentary when he was accused of favouring his former club Penrith.
Those bias claims are historical context for why Nine has kept him off the main booth since 2022; they are not new allegations about this weekend’s game. Gould has not been quoted responding to this year’s line-up in the reports checked for this article.
Johns spotlight and NRLW booth
With Johns in the box for Newcastle’s first grand final in 25 years, news.com.au noted attention will fall on whether the Knights legend can stay impartial — and said Johns has so far been more critical than complimentary of Newcastle in his commentary role. Yahoo also listed Brenton Speed calling the NRLW grand final (Broncos v Roosters) with Ruan Sims and Allana Ferguson as experts.
Unconfirmed: any on-record response from Gould or Nine executives beyond the published roster; whether Gould’s State Championship role is a permanent pattern for future grand finals.
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