On Friday night the Parramatta Eels will take on the
Brisbane Broncos in a game that may well determine the minor premiership, and
will certainly help determine the final premiership table.

If you want to listen live on ABC radio, or 2GB, 4BC,
or their many regional affiliates, forget it. The outrageous “blackout” of live
radio coverage of the most important game of the weekend remains in place, and
will do so until 2007.

I come to the issue of radio coverage of rugby league
with a mixture of anger and open bias.

My mother has a serious eyesight problem so radio is a
vital part of her daily life. And she is a rugby league fanatic – and about to
win the tipping competition at the retirement home where she lives for the FIFTH
year in a row. She is so far in front that not even picking seven losers this
weekend would deny her the prize. And she would love to hear the best game on
the weekend live on radio!

That’s my bias. My anger is that in no other code, or
sport, I can think of is live radio coverage prohibited because the television
coverage is delayed. But that is the outrageous agreement Nine has with the NRL,
and agreement that will only end when live Friday night football is introduced
in 2007.

The NRL showed a lack of intestinal fortitude when it
signed up to the new television deal with Nine. The first condition should have
been the ending of the blackout on radio coverage of the best match of the
weekend immediately.

The full column is on the site here.