Unforseen unavailability of football commentators in the district put radio station HOT FM to the test at the weekend.
This year the Station has utilised the services of six different “guest” commentators and on Saturday – at the last minute – the number of available commentators fell to just one – anchor man Bill Sauer.
The commentator shortage has come about through the recent retirement of sports commentator Geoff Lucas, who is now enjoying himself being a Club Central umpire for Mildura home game SFL Reserve grade matches, illness to former South great and teacher Andrew Banks and the unavailability of 3MA-FM breakfast announcer and sports commentator Pat Silcox.
Normally the main commentators are Bill Sauer and Pat Silcox but the latter was missing for a number of games during the birth of his first child and over the past fortnight due to the death of his father.
On Saturday “fill-in” commentators Nathan Murphy, Peter and Mark O’Donnell all had other commitments.
On Friday it seemed likely that youngster Mitch Rodd, who plays for Irymple Thirds and is a cadet reporter for Sunraysia Daily would be available to make his radio debut.
But the pending departure of sporting editor Lachlan Taylor resulted in Mitch being asked to go and report on the SFL football game at Red Cliffs after he finished his playing commitments.
“I tried to get a number of people to help me but everyone had other things to do,” Bill Sauer said.
“The Station has a second string commentary team used for night games and Sunday games but Tony McCarthy was already working for Sunraysia Daily and down at Robinvale, while Sammy Smythe was out of the district and in Melbourne with his father watching the Collingwood game.”
“I even tried getting someone at Irymple to help out but they all shied away from it,” he said.
“It wasn’t until about eight minutes to two that I told the Station that I would have to do it solo but Max Thorburn said he had done a game at Merbein solo about five years ago and it was simply too hard.”
On Football days Thorburn is studio based and co-ordinates the score service from other grounds and phone reports at half time and after the match although at times he can sneak away to either number one or number three to see a quarter of football.
“On Saturday he left his daughter at the studio to handle any emergency and then drove out to Irymple and helped me commentate from 13 minutes into the first quarter and left the broadcasting box 13 minutes into the second quarter so he could get back to the studio in Mildura for the half time break.”
“Then he came back halfway through the third quarter – did about half hour of joint commentary with me – then left half way through the last quarter to get back for end of match studio commitments.”
“I’m glad he did it – he just gave me the break I needed at times.”
“I know why he did it – when he said it was just too hard a job to do solo I think he was right.”