In rare praise of the sky commentary team, I thought it was 100% better with Brian Carney in the commentary box last night. I've always thought he's a bit wooden as a presenter, but excellent when talking about the game.

It was good to hear a voice that won't simply tow the line. He's the only one on the sky team that isn't afraid to be critical, I found myself pleasantly surprised to hear him call out the level of gamesmanship (or cheating as it used to be called) in the sport at present. On the rare occasions he does commentate, he's not afraid to critcise the skill or product where justified.

It's so frustrating that they have articulate, knowledgable pundits like him and Tony Rea on their books that they never use. Instead we have to put up with O Connor, who seemingly thinks that every player and match no matter how average or mundane is magnificent and McDermott, who can't make a point in less than 60 seconds or refrain from explaining the same thing but in three different ways, usually leading to him trailing off or getting tongue-tied.

Why is it that the Aussies are so much more charismatic than our players?

Do they get more media training? Is it because the sport is higher profile there so they get used to the attention earlier? Is it just the culture?..

The whole SKY package is abysmal. The presentation cries out marginal sport trying to create fake or WWE style hyperbole that looks and sounds so small time. Its like SKY want to prsent rugby league in the same light as British Ice hockey, speedway and netball.

The try music is an embarrassment- what self respecting sport would feel the need for such a nonsense? Notwithstanding the ridiculousness of it all, its about three decades old and belongs in an era of Joe Bloggs Jeans and glowsticks. Garbage.

The commentary team are a nightmare - failed football commentator Hemmings holding court like a pompous monarch who seems to think he is the arbiter of whats good for the sport. His snide criticsims of the challenge cup are a disgrace.

Resident daft lads O Connor and McDermott offer little but talk over the game and appear to be the producers attempt at chuckle brothers style humour.

Angela Powers and Bill wouldnt get a job in any other sport on SKY. A grade C GCSE media studies student could do better.

Phil Clarke likes to find new and arcane ways to sound the fool than the (pseudo) intellectual he is so depserate to be. Chris Eubank and Phil would be a lovely meeting of minds. The sad thing is when Clarke first got a gig with Sky he was a reasonable pundit.

Oh and finally can someone please tell mouth full of wasps Wells that there is a a T in Catalans.

That sums the whole thing up perfectly.

Why does Sky do it? Do they not want to grow the audience?

Why impose the awful Terry O'Connor on committed RL viewers, let alone potential new viewers, especially when you compare possible alternatives, including the knowledgable, intelligent and erudite Tony Rae?

And again yesterday, you hear worse in a school playground and that's the so called prep schools round here (tbh most kids are the same no matter what the upbringing when out of earshot of the grown ups)
Either SKY simply stop listening in on what the players say or they delay the feed and bleep/mute it out.
yesterday Carney was again a breath of fresh air, Hemmings can pack it in now and as for when McDermott was in on the commentary with him the contrast to the first match was night and day, just absolutely awful.
As others have said he just waffles over the action instead of what we want which is a flowing commentary, summise during breaks in play not when it's still happening, ffs it isn't rocket science!

I don't hear much of the commentary at all - I spend all the match saying Ah Shut Up aloud whenever O'Connor is on. The wife thinks I'm mad.

I absolutely hate Jon’s “Ca’alans” BS!

And Phil tonight, what was he going on about with some van Gerwin fella from Darts and comparing him to James Roby:

“You’ll see van Gerwin on Sky sometimes throw about 180 darts a night, which is about the same amount of passes James Roby makes in a game and they are almost all as accurate at van Gerwin’s darts”

Sling yer hook Phil you weapon!

I had the sound off and listened to the next doors dogs barking, they actually sounded better.

I reckon whoever penned the line "yeah, but this goes up to eleven" had been listening to some of Seta's expert analysis.

Don't give Hemmings a voice below his paymasters.

A joke to rugby league

Please can Sky programme the coloured buttons on the remote control so that selected commentators/summarisers can be muted during rugby league coverage? A "press the red button to mute O'Connor" option would be a godsend.