I noticed at the time that it was all a bit downbeat considering the magnitude of the occasion.
I have just watched it again after reading the original post and it really is unbelievable. If the presenters' job is to sell the game and give an unbiased opinion then they are failing miserably. We all know it so why can't the powers that be see it and do something? Stevo looked like he just didn't want to be there and the only sign of genuine enthusiasm was from Phil Clarke when talking about how close/unlucky Saints were. Impartial? Yeah ok

They lost mate, just like Wigan, end of! Get over it.

[iShould have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty....Should have been a penalty[/i

Rant over!

watched the beebs highlights on sunday and brian noble was totally different in his views on waterhouse try where eddie was sobbing like a baby for minutes after..also the offside against briers noble said we were hard done to again totally the opposite to those clowns on sky..get rid and get noble on sky..

Watching the NRL Grand final shows how unprofessional Eddie and Stevo have become.

The Aussie guy just concentrates on the game rather than trying to be funny, controversial or drone on about an incident for 10 minutes after it has happened.

Didnt Lomax actually have hands on Waterhouse after Atkins ran through so no obstruction. Not VR's fualt Lomax tackle like his Nan

There was a moment in the NRL final where a knock on was called and scrum given, yet the replay showed quite clearly the ball was deliberately knocked/stripped out by a tackler.

Eddie & Stevo would have ranted on and on about that for at least 2/3 minutes, the guys on the NRL commentary? "Well he's got a bit unlucky there" - and continued to call the action as it happened.

Totally, totally different approaches.

I'll go on record and say I'm not remotely moved one way or t'other by the Sky commentary. I am sure there must be more evils in our world to worry about.

I've no real problem with Eddie and Stevo, bar their sensationalism, over some events.

I've said this before, so bear with me, those who have seen it before
In the days of old, one telly in a house, and my dad being a fan of both RL and RU, I saw both codes. I find Union dull, unimaginative, and vastly over-rated. BUT, take their commentator of yesteryear, and he'd make the most dull 12-9 game (all kicks, naturally) seem like an event.
RL has a game that's a bit scrappy, and E&S are having non-stop digs "this is shocking", "I can't believe top class players can play this bad" etc. YOU'D NEVER HEAR BILL McLAREN COME OUT WITH THAT, and he was classed as a commentating legend.

A fracas happens in open play, in either code
E&S "This is disgusting" "There's no need for this in our game" "Appalling. They'll be looking at that, at Red Hall on Monday morning, let me tell you"
Bill McLaren "Little bit of argy-bargy there, but let's go back to that BEAUTIFUL dummy scissors between Jerry Guscott and Micky Skinner, a few moments ago. Sublime play"

E&S HAVE to sensationalise EVERYTHING.
Basically, they are bloody good broadcasters. If they weren't, Sky wouldn't employ them.
I just wish they'd commentate in a normal manner.

Going back to GMR, I was unable to go to the Wires Wigan game at the HJ a few months back, so listened to the game on GMR. Never again.

Dearden nearly had a seizure over the forward pass that led to one of our tries, and didn't shut up about it for 15 minutes (in fact he was probably still going on about it in the press box on his own after everyone had gone home), during which time nothing that was actually going on on the pitch was mentioned. The other thing I hate about GMR is the football obsession. If Rochdale Red Lion B Sunday team are playing Oldham Methodists in the first round of the FA tankard trophy at the same time as a super league or challenge cup game, they're back and to like a Wigan fan in Greggs.

"We're going over for some major news at the football where a member of the crowd has gone to buy a hot dog and a bag of crisps for his dad, but AMAZINGLY they've only got ready salted left. What can you tell us Bill?"

Idiots.

Yeah, I agree. I thought it was unprofessional of Hemmings to get cross at Briers when he whined about Sky giving us a short turnaround but yeah, it doesn't bother me either.

Having said that, Sky have got to consider moving Stephenson and O'Connor on soon, surely. They offer no insight whatsoever and I'd sooner hear the RL views of Harry Connick JR than those two.

I'd like to hook Dearden up to an electrical current and send a small electric shock to his nipples every time he says "to be perfectly truthful with you" or "to be honest with you".

Jack - until you tell us otherwise, we will assume you're being truthful and honest, ok pal?

Stevo was running down the game again on Backchat last night. Becomes a bit tiresome..maybe he needs a break from the sport?

They all do my nut in. Just mute the tele...

Or do your best Gould and Rabbits impression if you need some sound.

People get too hung up on the subject but I do often wonder what new or passing fans of our sport must think.
They could be forgiven for thinking they've stumbled on a gameshow at times. It's very pantomime, but not very amusing.

what i notice about their commentary (and this game was a very good example) is the general negativity about the way the game turns out, they dont actually say it out loud but i felt there was dissapointment that saints were not winning,( mainly from hemmings) and then as the game went on it was obvious that saints were defo gonna lose they started saying , they havent got a sean long or a kieron cunningham or a . it wasnt the fact that warrington were playing them of the park, oh no it couldnt be that , we finally get another team in the final apart from wigan, saints or bradford and they just seem downbeat about it to me, they should be screaming about it , they talk about expansion and trying to get a more competitive super league , but then when someone does infiltrate the ranks of the so called big four the start feeling sorry for them, hemmings was even bemoaning the fact that kieron cunningham had never won man of steel, whats that got to do with the semi final between saints and warrington, someone had a bandage on his face in a game the other week and hemmigs started talking about andy farrell!!
i turned the game off as soon as the whistle went because i was sick of the commentary, so i didnt hear what was said after, but to me the focus was on the dissapointment for saints loss and not on the fact that there might be new name on the cup this year which there definately should of been, by the way i am a widnes supporter and i am just sick of the bias towards the so called big four

Considering 50% of Sky Sports RL viewers live in the South of England they must be doing something right. If you want pantomime, search Eddie Waring on YouTube. Hemmings and Stephenson have done a brilliant job of promoting our game over the past 21 years. I don't quite get why people are saying Stevo didn't want us to win, he has been saying we will win for years!