Analysis: Before the Game returns to Ten in 2012

In case you missed the news today, Before the Game will return to Ten in 2012, ending months of speculation as to whether it would switch to Seven (in which it would lose at least one of its current panellists in Dave Hughes) or just disappear altogether.

But the fact it is remaining on Ten is probably the best news possible for both fans of the show and fans of footy in general. Here's why:

- The show will be able to air for one hour every week, as opposed to before, when it occasionally had to truncate its length due to an earlier football match starting time.

- It shows Ten's support of live TV and means that at least in the "AFL states", there will be an hour of live prime time TV every night of the week, which is surely something to be proud of, regardless of what you think of either BTG or The Project.

- It also gives Ten's Saturday nights some sort of character which will appeal to even non-football fans -presumably the Graham Norton show will follow Before the Game at 7:30pm, giving the night a chatty/comedy type vibe. Who knows, if the double act proves to be successful, it could usher in a new, low-budget Saturday night talk show- hey, people will need something to switch over to at 10:30pm after a match is done and dusted (or 8:30pm in the case of a GWS match).

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AFL Finals Week 1 FTA Viewing Guide

Here's where you can catch all your favourite players and coaches in the lead up to the first week of the AFL Finals Series.


(This post updates)


Monday 


Geelong coach Chris Scott on One Week at a Time - One HD - 9:30pm


Thursday 


Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse on The Game Plan - One HD - 8:30pm


Friday


Preliminary Final - Geelong vs Hawthorn - Channel Seven -7:30pm LIVE 


Saturday 


Preliminary Final - Collingwood vs West Coast - Channel Ten Melbourne


Elimation Final - St Kilda vs Sydney - Channel Ten Sydney


Before the Game - TBA


Sunday


Elimination Final - Essendon vs Carlton - Channel Seven - 2:30pm LIVE

AFL Guests: Before the Game Round 21: One for Dogs and Pies fans

In the penultimate round of the Home and Away AFL season, Before the Game has some good guests lined up.


This week on the show, see Bob Murphy from the Western Bulldogs who will likely have some interesting things to say about the sacking of former coach Rodney Eade, as well as the Pies' Travis Cloke.


Peter Helliar's Strauchanie will also appear (it seems Peter Helliar can only get work these days popping up on Ten's AFL programs after ironically leaving BTG for the Seven flop "The Bounce"... who knows what he will do next year when Ten will most likely drop its AFL programming).

There will also be Torp of the Week and Tool of the Week.

Guests: Before the Game: Saturday August 20

This week on Before the Game, catch Carlton star Marc Murphy, as well as the newest smooth operator in the media, Jack Watts, from the Melbourne Football Club.


Before the Game airs on Saturday in Melbourne at 6.30pm, Adelaide at 5.30pm and Perth at 4pm.

Guests: Before the Game Round 19 - July 30

Tonight on Ten's Before the Game, Kangaroos star Andrew Swallow will be there to answer the tough questions over Friday night's loss against Carlton.

Beau Waters will also be on the show after the Western Bulldogs versus West Coast Eagles game.

AU News: Round 18 Before the Game AFL Guests

We're already at the point end of the AFL season, which also means there are only a handful of Before the Game episodes left for the year- and maybe even forever!


Here are the guests for this week: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, who will, for the first time in a while, be able to talk about his team without being apologetic. Lions star Luke Power will also be on the panel, and will likely discuss his captain Jonathan Brown's (excessive) courage. 


It will air in Melbourne at 6.30pm, Adelaide at 5.30pm and Perth at 4:00pm on Saturday June 23.

Analysis: Double Standards, Conflicts of Interest and more... All Par For The Course In Today's AFL Media?

In what must be one of the most low-key, yet heated rivalries in the AFL, Sam Newman has thrown another barb at Before the Game panelist Samantha Lane.

Channel Ten was successfully sued this week for $85,000 after Nicole Cornes accused Mick Molloy of damaging her character after he implied that she slept with an AFL player.

Sam Newman, obviously still holding a grudge after she wrote a critical piece slamming the Footy Show for their treatment of women, blasted Samantha Lane tonight for not writing a similarly condemnatory piece about her colleague Mick Molloy (she sits next to him on the Ten program).

Upcoming AFL Guests: Round 15

Here is a guide to the upcoming AFL guests on Free to Air TV this week (Round 15 of the 2011 AFL Premiership Season).

Analysis: Before the Game to be handballed?

Today network Ten stated that they would not buy any games off Channel Seven for the 2012 season. This leaves a number of shows and network personalities up in the air.