With Ben Ikin long since departing the host’s chair and former co-host Paul Kent’s fall from grace playing out very publicly, NRL 360 has devolved further into an hour-long show of jibes and banter, occasionally interrupted by analysis of rugby league.
Season 2025 marks former playmaker Braith Anasta’s fourth year as host with Gorden Tallis joining him most nights, with a rotating cast of NewsCorp journos on the panel, as well as current and former players.
Ikin brought a cerebral perspective to the program and Kent, at least when he wasn’t looking down the barrel with a viscous attack on whoever had drawn his ire that night, complemented the former Bronco well.
But over time the show has taken a turn into easily clippable and digested segments that rarely come off as genuine, more like theatre rather than serious attempts at breaking down the key issues affecting the NRL.
Subjective preference for hosts aside, there’s one big issue with Anasta being the main man: he is also a registered agent with Searoo Sports, with a small stable of rugby league clients headed by premiership winner Cameron Munster under his watch.
This presents an obvious conflict of interest that has gone unchecked by NRL brass and the administration seem to be continually unconcerned with the state of play.
How can Anasta possibly be impartial when discussing Lachlan Ilias’ career rival at the Dragons or Jonah Pezet trying to break through in Melbourne?
The next time Munster gets in trouble on or off the field – and it probably won’t take that long – you can be pretty confident there will be plenty of excuses and justifications thrown around on 360 as to why his latest indiscretion occurred, how he’s making up for it by avoiding alcohol, and so on.
There’s no doubt the former Australian representative brings plenty of charisma and first-hand experience to the Fox broadcast, but if he has a clear fiduciary motive when speaking about specific players, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the camera, let alone given three hours of prime time national TV per week to boost the profiles of his clients.
Cameron Munster speaks to referee Ashley Klein. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Diehard league fans are undoubtedly aware of Anasta’s role as an agent but the more casual supporter might not be. Each show’s agenda should be set by the pertinent news of the day, not whatever will raise the value of a Searoo player.
The NRL allow Phil Gould to hold dual roles at Canterbury and Channel Nine, presumably out of reverence and to help improve ratings as the 67-year-old is one of the shrewdest operators around, but it’s another clear conflict that never should have been allowed.
Gould should be busy enough running the football department at Belmore, yet he still finds time to appear on Monday night show 100% Footy and live match coverage. Again, Gould is at right at home under the bright studio lights and walks the line between intelligent analysis and salaciousness – but he should really pick a lane and stay in it.
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Footy broadcasting doesn’t – and doesn’t need to – meet the journalistic standards of Stan Grant interviewing corrupt government officials on the national broadcaster but there should at least be a base level of editorial independence met by Fox and Nine suits.
Although, standards at Nine’s Sydney Morning Herald have slipped so far that reporters from the ‘independent always’ paper were partially compensated by the NRL for their coverage of the Vegas trip.
