| Before the Game | |
|---|---|
The logo for Before the Game 2004-2009 |
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| Also known as | After the Game |
| Genre | Comedy / Sport |
| Written by | Paul Calleja Adam Rozenbachs |
| Directed by | Peter Ots |
| Presented by | Andrew Maher |
| Starring | Mick Molloy Dave Hughes Sam Lane Lehmo |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 248 (as of 30 September 2011) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | South Yarra, Victoria, Australia |
| Running time | 30–60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Roving Enterprises |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | 1 March 2003 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | After The Game |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Before The Game is an Australian rules football/comedy television show in Australia on Network Ten. The show is hosted by Andrew Maher, with regular panelists including Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Sam Lane, and Lehmo. The format of the show is a light-hearted discussion of issues relating to the weekend's matches played so far in the Australian Football League. Maher replaced co-host Anthony Hudson in 2005, who was commentating on the new Channel 10 coverage and Molloy took over from Peter Helliar at the end of 2007.[1] Helliar continued to appear as his alter ego Bryan Strauchan until the end of the 2009 season.
Contents |
Before the Game first aired during 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.
Following the show's success in its late timeslot, it was moved to a 6.30 pm time slot in 2004. When it moved to the primetime slot, to make it more 'family friendly', it was given a PG rating (but this had little effect on its comedy).
The show airs in between the Saturday afternoon and Saturday night matches. It usually goes for one hour, but sometimes it is a shorter half-hour version, if the AFL match to follow is live at 7:00pm. The show is delayed in Sydney and Brisbane, ironically airing after the game and not before it. However, it is shown at the earlier time on One HD in all cities. A post-match show called The Fifth Quarter is screened after the match.
Before the Game can be heard through simulcast on Nova 100.
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 (nee Henderson).
Another segment that was on the earlier program was Diary of a Footballer, a segment in which a well known footballer would read out a page of their diary.
Sponsored by Aquamax, a company that produces water heating units, a football player has 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.
| 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, which has appeared on the show in much earlier seasons.
In the current program, the Banners segment still exists, where each comedic panelist creates a banner for a specific football club, often to reflect events scrutinized by the media.
A regular segment on the show follows talentless, egotistical, blonde, overweight youngster Bryan Strauchan (played by Peter Helliar) as he tries to make a career for himself at the Collingwood Football Club. The segments are presented as a mockumentary and features similar comedy stylings to The Office and similar shows. He also uses the catchphrase "Strauchanie" usually when he is 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".
Each week, now scrapping the Banners, each host takes a turn at reading out a headline that relates to the up and coming and new news. This usually involves the Australian, Age and Herald Sun, and are totally fictional.
This involves Dave asking questions to a football player from any team, most of them being funny, in which many players continually laugh. It lasts 60 seconds, finishing with a siren.
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".
| Year | Winner(s) | AFL Club(s) | Offence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Guy McKenna | Gold Coast Football Club | Showing absolutely 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 blowing his cheeks to give the effect he had taken a massive shit. |
| 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 in 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, | Collingwood Football Club | Participation in SunSilk shampoo advertisement: Very poor acting. |
In this segment Lehmo talks about a particular football skill, then shows footage of a player embarrassingly stuffing it up.
Ryan Fitzgerald goes to a child's house as a surprise. Fitzy takes 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.
Before the Game is 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 is filmed at Channel 10 studios in Melbourne.
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