Friday night NRL broadcasts are set to sound significantly different in 2022, with confirmation legendary broadcaster Ray ‘Rabs’ Warren will no longer be involved on a regular basis.
TV Blackbox can reveal Channel 9 have opted to allow the 78-year-old broadcaster the freedom to select which matches he will commentate on throughout the 2022 season.
The confirmation of the reduced role comes after Phil Rothfield at The Daily Telegraph recently reported Warren was not rostered to appear on-air over the first six weeks of the upcoming NRL season.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster signed a five-year contract with Channel 9 in 2017 which will expire at the end of this season. This new arrangement will see Warren advise the network on what matches he wishes to cover.
When asked if he had any retirement plans before last year’s Grand Final, Warren told News Corp;
“Don’t ask me if I’ll retire. I don’t want to talk about it,”
“Put it this way, I’m not going into the game as though it’s my last.”
Known as ‘The Voice of Rugby League‘, Ray Warren has called 45 NRL Grand Finals throughout his career, and the network remains hopeful he will call his 100th State of Origin match this year.
The reduced workload from Warren comes at a time of significant change at Channel 9. Highly respected broadcaster Peter Sterling retired last season, while broadcast host Erin Molan departed the network at the end of 2021.
The network is now expected to rely more heavily on play-by-play commentators Matt Thompson and Peter Psaltis.
Drury Forbes is the best Sports Commentator to replace Ray Warren.
Currently working with QLD Rugby League.