Eddie and Stevo seemed awfully excited to have the Monday night slot. Fair enough, but please can we have less of the excruciating "welcome to those who might not be familiar with the game" type comments all the time.

There's no need to try to specifically talk to new viewers, its toe-curling. Firstly, most people with Sky Sports in their house will have a vague idea what RL is, they haven't dropped in from Mars. More importantly, its just totally unneeded. I work in the US a lot, and if I turn on the TV and there's baseball or basketball on, I'm perfectly capable of watching it, and the commentary, whilst probably aimed at those with more knowledge than me works perfectly well. In the '80s when NFL came on the TV over here, the unfamiliar commentary was part of the buzz - we were all 'blitzing', etc. in the playground. I'd find it really annoying to watch baseball (for example) and the find the commentators talking to me like a child.

Eddie at one point said to 'football fans' something along the lines of "I hope you're enjoying it....I bet you are". Maybe its just me, but this kind of guff betrays a lack of self-confidence in the game.

Just commentate on the action, that's all. We don't need you to be cheerleaders for RL when there's a game going on.

I watched it in mute. A few years ago Sky used to have an option to just have crowd noise for football games and no commentary, wish they'd bring it back and extend the service to RL!

The whole presenting team really needs a shake up.

Sell by dates have expired, bring in an Aussie commentator who will actually sell the spectacle to viewers not the stereotypes we have continually repeating the same drivel with voices designed for coal mining.

Bring in the option on red button of the fan vs fan like they have in footy bring the banter into it

They certainly have on Eddie and Stevo.

Thought it was done very well. Having just been promoted to the prime Sky Sports viewing slot, there are bound to have been many footy viewers watching for the first time, and good on Eddie for welcoming them, and making a bit of an effort to big up our sport. Not to mention some personal pride for having become, for the summer, the main commentator on Sky's flagship sports spot. Give the man a break.

Also, it was a pretty good game with a big crowd, some good tries, fine weather, and a great night all round, so all in all, a good result for rugby league. I thought we filled the spot exceedingly well, and Eddie played a big part in that.

I thought that it was well done; Eddie managed to convey the rules to those who might not be familiar with them, without appearing to condescending or patronising.

My friend mute's the game before kick-off, cant deal with them.

He was going on like thousand's of football fans were tuning in cause the PL season had finished, they do it every other week explain the rules 'in case new fans are watching' last night was particularly cringeworthy, do my head in.

It was a bit cringey and self-concious at the beginning when they were overdoing the 3D with Brian Carney and Rod Studd walking in circles - it reminded of the early 3D movies when everything would protrude from the screen in a clumsy attempt to show off the technology.

I too found the references to football rather embarassing and a bit patronising, particularly when he started fawning about how many footballers ("like Wayne Rooney"icon_wink.gif watch Rugby League; the low point came when Peacock took a knock in the first collision and he started banging on about how tough RL players are and that unlike football, we'll have no stretchers here - cue Makinson being stretchered off the pitch a bit later on.

I don't like them - they're not a coherent or a credible voice for RL in my view and Stevo in particular is increasingly difficult to listen to.

I found john wilkin begging people to come to magic weekend in his post match interview particularly cringey. Last night they spent half the game talking about things the weren't happening on the pitch and when they did they stumbled over words and got things wrong, it completely undersold the game. They should bring over dave woods and nobby from premier sports

All we need is a female touchjudge and Eddie saying he'll smash her back doors in, job done.

How about when a player (McGuire?) split his head and Eddie was banging on about "if you football fans don't know what's going on here"

If they wanted to attract football fans, patronising by a pair of Northern voices will just about confirmed all thier pre concieved ideas of our game. I am not a great fan of Australian imports but they do have some very very good presenters of League we should use them & give those clowns the boot.

I don't see what nationality or accent has to do with it - they just need to be good commentators.

I wish SKY would make Ray Warren an offer he can't refuse,the master of RL commentators.If you close your eyes you can still see the game when RW is calling it.

If you are attempting to court the Monday Night Football viewer than don't call them soccer fans. Don't give them a reason to turn over if you can help it. Bit of an own-goal there, but relatively decent that aside, but then a good game often allows you to mentally tune out the comments made by certain SKY employees.

'Soccer' as a contraction of 'association football' has been around for about as long as the game has.

Yeah but find me a fan of an association football team that is okay with their sport being called soccer, I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that it does us no favours when we are attempting to grow our base of potential fans beyond those who already watch rugby league in this country. It would have been better for Eddie to say Premier League Football and that cuts out any issues with viewers leaving out of principle. That would have been down to the producer who should have ironed out details like that, and told an experienced anchor and commentator what he should already know.

RL needs to be presented like a mainstream sport to be accepted as one. Commentary should assume that the listener has decent knowledge of the game. Newcomers will soon pick it up, they don't need patronizing.

If it was handball or some obscure (in the UK) sport like that at the Olympics, fair enough, most of us will watch it once, so the commentary had better explain the rules, and treat us like new viewers, since most will be.

We sound desperate, and as for comparing how hard our players are compared to soccer...the worst thing you can do in marketing is to insult a thing that people like. Soccer fans don't want to hear that comparison, even if its true.

Peter Sterling and Ray Warren do it during Origin, but their should be a medium to be found in not alienating new viewers and not disrupting the listening and viewing habits of the existing fans. League is a very easy game to understand for uninitiated, just explain the hard to understand. Surely Channel 9, Fox or SKY have got a varied group of non-league fans in a room and asked them if they understood what was going on, and if their video coverage and commentary team helped or hindered their understanding and interest in the game.

I don't midn Eddie & Stevo (Lets face it no matter what commentators we get 90% of RL fans will moan. It's one thing we're damn good at)

Only thing bugged me slightly was Eddie saying "football fans i bet your wondering whats going on seeing a player carry on with blood"

If football fans tune in, they won't want to listen how soft their sport is (no matter how true it is)

Watch gymnastics or ice skating, i never know if it's good or not, definitely no patronising there, salco and triple axels, eh?

Hi Eddie