Before the Game

Before the Game

Before the Game Logo used from 2013
Also known as After the Game
BTG
Genre Comedy / Sport
Written by Paul Calleja
Adam Rozenbachs
Directed by Peter Ots
Presented by Andrew Maher
Starring Mick Molloy
Dave Hughes
Anthony Lehmann
Neroli Meadows
Country of origin Australia
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 11
No. of episodes 303
Production
Location(s) South Yarra, Victoria
Running time 30 or 60 minutes
Production company(s) Roving Enterprises
Release
Original network Network Ten
Picture format 576i (SDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original release 1 March 2003 – 27 September 2013

Before The Game was an Australian rules football comedy panel television show which aired on Network Ten on 1 March 2003 until 27 September 2013. The show was hosted by Andrew Maher with regular panelists Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Anthony Lehmann and Neroli Meadows. The format of the show was light-hearted discussion and analysis of Australian Football League (AFL) news and views and included appearances by current players.

History

After the Game (2003)

Before the Game (BTG) first aired on 1 March 2003 as After the Game. Originally, it was a half-hour broadcast following the Saturday night AFL match, aired at either 10.30 pm or 11.00 pm (depending on whether the televised match was live or delayed). During the existence of After the Game, the show was rated M and contained occasional profanity. The show was a cult hit. One notable act was when the After the Game team shave Fraser Gehrig's mullet off at the end of the 2003 Season.

Before the Game (2004-2013)

The logo for Before the Game 2004-2009

Following the show's success in its late time slot, it was moved to a 6.30 pm time slot on 27 March 2004. When it moved to the prime time-slot, to make it more 'family friendly', it was given a PG rating.

The show originally aired in between the Saturday afternoon and Saturday night telecasts on Ten. Following the end of the 2011 season, the fate of BTG was unknown, as Ten had lost its AFL broadcast rights to the Seven Network. However, in 2012 Ten confirmed the show would return, with the entire panel from the previous year, in its regular 6:30pm time slot, and that the format may be altered slightly. This was similar to the Nine Network's decision to keep The Footy Show after it lost AFL broadcast rights at the end of the 2006 season. On 21 June 2012 BTG moved from Saturdays at 6.30pm to Thursdays at 8.30pm in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, also aired on One at 10.30pm in New South Wales and Queensland.

In 2013, BTG returned to its original time slot of 6:30pm on Saturday. The game broke new ground on 24 August 2013, when it screened on One, the Ten Network's digital channel. The Ten Network was contractually bound to telecast the Bledisloe Cup rugby union test series live on its main channel, hence the change.[1] Fox Sports presenter Neroli Meadows joined the panel in 2013[2] replacing Sam Lane who left to join the Seven Network for its Saturday night AFL coverage.[3]

The show was axed on 13 December 2013.[4]

Presenters

Host

Regular panelists

Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, and Peter Helliar, playing Bryan Strauchan/‘Strauchanie’, make regular cameo appearances.

Former panelists

Recurring segments

Tool of the Week

The "Tool of the Week" is an award given by Dave Hughes and sponsored by Home Hardware. The award is given to a particularly embarrassing performance by somebody related to the AFL, either on or off the field. The "best" or most memorable of these tools is given the "Tool of the Year".

Tool of the Year Annual Winners
Year Winner(s) AFL Club(s) Offence
2013 Eddie McGuire Collingwood Football Club President Refusing to hand the football to a young Carlton Football Club supporter at an event.
2012 Matthew Boyd Western Bulldogs Only allowing a passionate member of the Western Bulldogs cheer squad to kiss his sweaty neck after a match.
2011 Guy McKenna Gold Coast Football Club Showing no emotion or facial movement during a pre-game interview with Jason Dunstall and Mick Malthouse.
2010 Jobe Watson Essendon Football Club Checking out an old woman.
2009 Neil Balme Geelong Football Club Football Operations Manager Exiting a toilet in the players change rooms and simulating a bowel movement.
2008 Dale Thomas Collingwood Football Club Filming his video blog while in the shower.
2007 Robert Copeland Brisbane Football Club Wearing a "man-bra" before a football match.
2006 Nick Dal Santo St Kilda Football Club Wearing rather inappropriately coloured bathers to the beach.
2005 Tony Pasquale (non-AFL player) Subiaco Grounds Manager Pestering umpires and players on match day on numerous occasions.
2004 Brett Voss St Kilda Football Club Publicly changing his bathers in front of the camera.
2003 Shane Wakelin, Shane Woewodin, Alan Didak, Matthew Lokan,

Jason Cloke, Chris Tarrant

 Collingwood Football Club Participation in SunSilk shampoo advertisement: Very poor acting.

Headlines you might have missed

Each week, panel members take turns at reading out humorous, fictional football-related newspaper headlines. This usually involves The Australian, The Age and Herald Sun newspapers.

Holden round the Block

In 2013, a new segment called 'Holden round the Block' started. Lehmo and another panelist pick up a player and chat while they cruise around a local neighbourhood.

BTG Super Spray

This segment began in 2013 and involves Dave Hughes attending a selected team's training and 'stirring them up' with humorous asides about their club and various players.

The Clean Team

This segment, started in 2013, involves highlighting in a humorous way, players who could not possibly be involved with alleged drug problems, allegedly involving certain AFL clubs.

In Da House with Strauchanie

In 2013, fictional former Collingwood hopeful and football tragic, Bryan Strauchan or Strauchanie (played by Peter Helliar), returned for an occasional segment called 'In Da House with Strauchanie'.

Lehmo's Footy Clinic

In this segment Lehmo talks about a particular football skill, then shows footage of a player embarrassingly stuffing it up.

Former segments

Fitzy's Make A Wish Foundation

Ryan Fitzgerald would go to a child's house as a surprise. Fitzy took them to their supported clubs and/or to meet their favourite player(s). Footballers involved have included Bryan Strauchan, Brendan Fevola, Scott West, Jason Akermanis and Adam Selwood.

Until the Fat Lady Sings

When the show started there was a segment called "The Game's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings", where an overweight lady would go to a game and sing when she thought that the game was over. This segment was scrapped due to the fat lady being fired for singing after the siren had gone. The part of the fat lady was played by Pauline Smith (née Henderson).

Diary of a Footballer

"Diary of a Footballer" was a segment in which a well known footballer would read out a page of their diary.

Jumping in Hot Water

Sponsored by Aquamax, a company that produces water heating units, a football player had to answer ten questions about the history of their football club. The junior football club of the player with the highest score at the end of the year would receive a hot water system.

Jumping in Hot Water Winner
Year Winner AFL Club Score Junior Club
2006 David Wirrpanda West Coast Eagles 9/10 Healesville Football Club

The segment was replaced by Inside 60 in 2007, a segment that had appeared on the show in much earlier seasons.

Inside 60 with Dave Hughes

This involved Hughes asking questions, most of them being funny, in which many players continually laugh. It lasted 60 seconds, finishing with a siren.

Banners

In the Banners segment each comedic panelist created a banner for a specific football club, often to reflect events scrutinised by the media.

Bryan Strauchan earlier segments

Bryan Strauchan was formerly a regular segment on the show following fictional talentless, egotistical 'youngster' Bryan Strauchan (played by Peter Helliar) as he tried to make a career for himself at the Collingwood Football Club. The segments were presented as a mockumentary and featured similar comedy stylings to The Office and like shows. He also used the catchphrase "Strauchanie" usually when he was referring to himself.

Bryan Strauchan is also known as Bryan Superstar Strauchan and Strauchanie. On the 2006 Grand Final episode of Before the Game he was involved in a Wayne Carey like incident, and this has forced him to leave the Collingwood Football Club and look for a new home in 2007. Strauchanie has expressed an interest in the Western Bulldogs but he would not rule out a move to the Kangaroos. Strauchanie looks far from making his AFL debut match, but he will not give up the hard work he has shown at Collingwood Football Club. Bryan Strauchan's overwhelming success on this show has led to him releasing his new DVD: "Strauchanie: Pure BS".

Production details

Before the Game was produced by Roving Enterprises, the TV production company owned by Rove McManus, an Australian television personality who appeared on his own comedy/interview show Rove, formerly known as Rove Live. Peter Helliar and Dave Hughes were also regulars on the show. The program was filmed at Channel Ten studios in Melbourne.

References

  1. ↑ Before the Game One Digital | eBroadcast TV Guide. Retrieved 24 August 2013
  2. ↑ Neroli Meadows joins Before the Game | TV tonight. Retrieved 23 March 2013
  3. ↑ Sam Lane leaves Ten for Seven | Media Spy. Retrieved 16 February 2013
  4. ↑ Channel 10 axes AFL comedy show Before the Game, News.com.au, 13 December 2013
  5. ↑ "Mick Molloy joins the Before The Game panel on Ten". Herald Sun. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
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