Cult hero footy great Paul 'Fatty' Vautin reveals the sad reason he'll never call matches for Channel Nine again

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

NRL icon Paul 'Fatty' Vautin has revealed the sad reason why he doesn't miss calling rugby league matches ahead of State of Origin Game 2 in Perth.
One of Australian television's most beloved personalities, Vautin announced his retirement from TV in December, bringing to an end a remarkable broadcasting career with Channel 9.
The former Queensland Maroons coach will be watching Wednesday's match from his couch - and says that's the way he prefers it nowadays.
His biggest complaint about the game at the moment is the 'confusing' new rules.
'After 33 years, I thought last year was the perfect time to finish up. I didn't want to turn into the crusty old bloke on the panel who's always talking about how it was better in the '80s – and it was better in the '80s,' Vautin told The Sydney Morning Herald.
'But at the moment, with the way the rules are going, everyone is confused.
'One week they're targeting head-highs, the next week they're targeting play the balls, the following week it's something else.
'I really feel for the referees, I feel they're a bit confused. They're just doing their best.'
Vautin described the uptick in six-again calls as a blight on the game.
'The thing that's most annoying to rugby league to everyone I talk to is the six-agains,' Vautin said.
'They are annoying because no one ever knows what they're for. Even on your television, up comes 'ruck infringement' – you know what, there are 747 different ruck infringements.
'No one knows, that's the problem. Our game has never been in a better position – the money is flowing in, [NRL boss] Peter V'landys has done a great job, and the players have never looked bigger and fitter and stronger.
'It's just a few little things around the rules, and the Bunker drives me mad as well.'
The footy legend also referred to the NRL's crackdown on high tackles as 'ridiculous'.
'This is a high-level body contact game. If you're going to play rugby league for a living, you have to realise that at some stage your head's going to get hit,' he said.
'I played 14 years of first-grade, I reckon I got hit 100 times in the head. Five of them were from blokes going 'f**k you, get this', others were all accidents, sometimes caused by myself.'
Vautin was the face of the popular sports talk show The Footy Show for the better part of 24 years before he was unceremoniously dismissed in 2017 after ratings dwindled.
The Manly legend said when he retired that it was a privilege to work with so many talented people throughout his career at Channel 9.
'I still love Nine, and all the great people there, and I still love the game, I really do – it gave me everything,' he said.
'The players are unbelievable, but there are things about it now that irritate me, like the six again and dropouts that are contested. I don't want to become that cranky old guy who complains about a sport that made him what he is.
'I can't believe how fortunate I've been to play the game at the level I did. I thought when I came to Sydney I'd have a few years in reserve grade and then probably go home. Instead, I got to play with some of the greats of the game who I now get to call friends.
'And then to think that I somehow had a career in media that went for as long as it did. I'm just so grateful for all the people and my family who have helped me along the way.'