He may have hung up the TV microphone more than 30 years ago but that hasn’t stopped former Channel Nine footy commentator Ian Maurice from lashing out at Fox Sports’ veteran caller Warren Smith.
Maurice was one of the voices of rugby league in the 1980s when he commentated alongside the late, great Darrell Eastlake.
The former Wide World of Sports host enjoyed stints as a rugby league caller across the Nine and Ten networks and an extensive career in radio with 4BC before retiring in 2014.
He has recently launched a range of attacks on current broadcasters Channel Nine and Fox Sports on social media, with the most personal of those aimed at Smith, who has been calling games for the network since 1995.
Smith (pictured left with Laurie Daley and Steve Mortimer in 2002) has a long and distinguished broadcasting career
Maurice first slammed Smith during the 2023 NRL pre-season, posting: ‘I was watching one of the NRL trials and note that Fox caller Warren Smith has continued where he left off.The man never shuts up!!’
Then he doubled down on that attack with a recent post on Facebook.
‘If I switch on Fox League to watch an NRL game and I hear Warren Smith commentating I have to turn off.It doesn’t matter how good the game might be, I can’t listen to his incessant drivel. Will someone PLEASE tell him to shut up and let the picture tell the story. It’s TV not radio,’ he posted.
Some footy fans backed Maurice’s rant.
‘Totally agree with you.If I hear his voice I turn it down. I think it’s time hang up the [microphone emoji] give it someone else,’ one replied.
One of Maurice’s social media rants aimed at Warren Smith, attacking him for his ‘incessant drivel’
One fan suggested that Maurice should throw his hat back in the ring and do better than Smith.
‘You should jump back in and show em how it’s done then mate,’ they posted.
‘Not me mate.I knew when it was time to call time,’ Maurice replied.
Several footy fans leapt to the defence of Smith.
‘In my opinion I think he does a great job. You also have a choice not to watch it or turn the volume down,’ one replied.
‘I will disagree with you on that one,’ said another.
‘No chance.Warren has been commentating for 20+ years,’ added another.
Ian Maurice had a long career calling rugby league for Channel Nine and Network Ten, and also featured on radio station 4BC
The former commentator also took aim at his former network along with the Fox Sports network for cutting back costs.
‘They don’t send commentators to NZ because they are cheap.You will see more and more games here in Australia being called from the studio. Saves air fares, accommodation and tech setup. Nine is doing it more too,’ he said.
Maurice’s post-retirement social media rants have also extended to attacks on Darryl Braithwaite’s hit song The Horses, NRL contracts, homeowners complaining about interest rate rises, and Australian Idol.