With the NRL season almost over (or over by the time you read this) attention turns to the new season, and as ever the Wooden Spooners try to get the exclusives and we can announce we have a leaked copy of the Fox League 2022 Shows Lineup for next season.
Our Fox League 2022 Shows Lineup exclusive has the list of show that will be served up for rugby league fans, and we can reveal it is a mix of old and new, and with a few old dogs with new tricks.
Fox League appear to be trying to take their 2022 programming to the next level of entertainment in 2022. And lucky rugby league fans.
So here is the Fox League 2022 Shows Lineup with a small description on each show for some 2022 sizzle.
NRL 360-7-52
NRL 360 has become the Fox League flagship show, and the backbone of their programming in 2021. To ensure that Fox League have enough content to replay instead of showing actual rugby league, NRL 360 will now be aired seven days a week and on every week of the year, hence the 7-52 being added to the 360.
Our Fox League insider explained, “Given that most of the rugby league content on our Fox Sports website is transcribing most of what is said on NRL 360, it males sense to kill two birds with one stone and have more NRL 360.”
He added “…and since we’ve replaced the combustible Ben Ikin with a referee it has given the regular talking heads even more time to hate everything”.
MATTY JOHNS AND FRIENDS PODCAST
Podcasts are so cheap to do, so Fox League intend to stretch out the current podcast series to seven nights a week.
Each day will see the same Fox League pundits you see from other shows talking rugby league.
FLETCH AND HINDY
With Matthew Johns busy doing his five-nights-a-week podcast, Fox League have decided to promote Fletch and Hindy to take over the duties of light entertainment.
It is essentially the old Matty Johns Shows, but revamped just with less rugby league and more references to their own careers and in-jokes.
HINDY AND FLETCH
This is basically the same format as above except the name has changed and the two former players swap positions on the lounge chair.
FLETCH PRESENTS THE BEST OF HINDY
A simple clip show on the Sunday night where Fletch highlights the best of Hindy’s work from the week that was from their own show.
HINDY PRESENTS THE BEST OF FLETCH
A simple clip show on the Sunday night where Hindy highlights the best of Fletch’s work from the week that was from their own show.
PAUL KENT HATES EVERYTHING
Another show from the gang at NRL 360-7-52, but this time is just Paul Kent sitting in a pub and various locals are allowed to come up and ask him a question.
Each week the Fox Sports website will have a Kent Bingo card for fans to follow at home, crossing off the subjects as they are discussed on the show.
BUZZ’S BEST MOANS
Phil Rothfield (aka Buzz aka That Grumpy Old F—er from NRL 360-7-52) has his own spin off for 2022.
Taking the best of his work from NRL 260-7-52, he will first critique his own work from the week’s worth of shows and provide criticism on his own work.
From there a Chocolate Wheel is wheeled out where a range of rugby league topics from the week is on the wheel.
Buzz gets his assistant (TBA) to spin the wheel and then provides theories, inside whispers or cranky rants on each selected subjects.
JAMES HOOPER Q AND A UP LATE
Another show that is trying to wring more content out of NRL 360-7-52.
This show follows the ABC’s flagship show with a Q & A forum about rugby league.
But it does break into some side entertainment: like guessing games where rugby league fans can ring in, much like the long forgotten but outstanding late night TV Show Up Late with Hotdogs. show.
Questions can come from the audience or via Twitter.
COOPER CRONK BORES US TO DEATH
Cooper Cronk knows a lot about the game, and he will use all that insight to comment for his new Fox League Series for 2022.
But he does tend to get bogged down in the technical ‘X’s and O’s’ of footy, and bores a few not ready for that level of detail.
Some certainly do enjoy the detail though.
So every midweek night from 12am until 5am Cooper Cronk will cast his keen analytic eye over every game and every player to deliver a five-hour masterclass for all the sad rugby league nerds who like as much detail as possible.
The Best of show will be aired in prime time once a week and will be carefully edited so the general audience doesn’t fall asleep two minutes in.
COACH WANTS A TEAM
Having spent most of 2021 undermining under-pressure coaches by having former NRL Coach Shane Flanagan in on commentaries, Fox League decided to get rid of the subtlety for the Fox League 2022 shows.
Much like Farmer Wants a Wife, this Fox League show features Shane Flanagan in his search for a new team.
The new for 2022 TV show on Fox League will focus on Shane Flanagan and will see him in the commentary box bad mouthing any team’s performance where the current head coach is in trouble. Much like 2021.
GUESS THE BUNKER DECISION
The NRL has reportedly grown tired of having to defend The Bunker, so they have embraced its incompetence with an all new show for 2021.
The new Guess The Bunker Decision is essentially a rip off of the RBT show on Channel Nein.
A piece of rugby league from the last five seasons of the NRL will be played, from as many possible angles, and then like RBT the audience at home will be given a few seconds to guess what decision The Bunker came up with.
Scorecards for friends and family will be available from the Fox League website.
Hosted by – and apologies from – Graham Annesley.
BRAITH ANASTA’S GREAT SYDNEY RAILWAY JOURNEYS
Train-based shows are delightfully dull and are exploding in popularity. Or at least exploding in content on a lot of TV channels these days.
So who better out of the Fox League team than Braith Anasta to host something delightfully dull?
Although that is being unfair to Braith on one count. He isn’t very delightful.
Given lockdown status in Sydney and the lack of International travel and lack of confidence any of those will change, this Great Railways Journeys will focus on only local Sydney transportation.
This includes every line and light rail, and Braith will sit and chat with rugby league fans along the way.
AN EVENING WITH CRAIG BELLAMY
Fresh from the success of Wild Wests: Tales From Tiger Town, this season will be focused on the Melbourne Storm head coach Craig Bellamy.
Instead of having a look into all the working of a club like Tiger Town did, this will focus in the coach and the coach only.
Episodes will be basically just a camera pointed at Craig Bellamy for the entire game, with only his infamous sprays being the entertainment.
Of course this will be played late at night for the full uncut version and will probably attract an R rating. There will be a HEAVILY EDITED highlights version that’ll air at prime time once a week: like Craig Ferguson’s old late night talk show, the swears will be covered with funny noises and different flags over Bellyache’s mouth.
HEY HEY IT’S THE NRL
Looking to capitalise on the nostalgia of Hey Hey it’s Saturday (and the light entertainment vibe of Channel Nein’s The Footy Show), this Saturday night variety show – hosted by Matty Johns, Fletch, and Hindy – will air at 10pm Saturday nights, with a combination of footy analysis, a Red Faces-style talent show featuring players, musical acts, and general buffoonery. The late timeslot (with each episode to finish about 1am Sunday morning) allows Matty, Fletch, and Hindy to be a bit raunchier than they normally would.
In unrelated news, Daryl Somers has already contacted his lawyers.
