Seven 2023 AFL Commentary Team – Footy’s best team lines up for a huge 2023. Current players and fan favourites join AFL coverage on Seven, Your Home of Footy
Football’s #1 commentary team is primed and ready to bring fans an epic 2023 AFL season in what is set to be an exciting race to September. With some fresh and familiar faces delivering all the action live and free, there’s no other place footy fans will want to be than on Seven, Your Home of Footy.
In a bonus for fans, much-loved Collingwood and Carlton cult hero, Dale Thomas, will join Seven’s AFL broadcast in a field commentary role across the 2023 season, while current Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield will step behind the Seven mic, kicking off with a Saturday night appearance in Round One.
In addition to the team’s new recruits, Seven welcomes back football’s star-studded line-up in 2023, including the game’s best group of callers – Brian Taylor, James Brayshaw, Hamish McLachlan, Alister Nicholson, Jason Bennett and Luke Darcy.
Expert commentators Daisy Pearce, Luke Hodge, Matthew Richardson, Shaun Burgoyne, Jobe Watson, Erin Phillips, Leigh Matthews, Tim Watson, Cameron Ling, Nathan Jones, Chris Johnson and Abbey Holmes are also back, while Jude Bolton, Mark Soderstrom, Ryan Daniels, Nigel Carmody and Campbell Brown round out football’s best commentary team.
Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin, said:
“At Seven, we are driven by a passion and love for everything we do – and footy is absolutely no exception.
“After the 2022 season saw a fairy-tale finish for one of the competition’s most experienced and adored sides, we cannot wait to see what 2023 has in store. From every nail-biting finish, to the biggest day in September, Seven will be there to deliver every moment to all Australians, live and free.
“Once again, we have assembled football’s best, most talented and most experienced commentary line-up, bolstered with some much-loved current AFL and AFLW players. After a thrilling 2022 season, they’re raring for the new season to start. Bring it on.” he said.
Happy hour continues in 2023, when everyone’s favourite sports show, The Front Bar, turns its focus to footy from Wednesday, 15 March at 8.30pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7plus. Doing what they do best, Mick Molloy, Sam Pang and Andy Maher will share a laugh each week of the 2023 season and catch up with stars of yesteryear and today.
Throughout the season, Geelong Cats premiership captain Joel Selwood will sit down with the current AFL Club captains for Seven’s brand new ‘Leaders’ segment, kicking off with Patrick Cripps for the season opener this Thursday night.
In 2023, footy fans can again join fan-favourite Matthew Richardson for the Friday Night Countdown pre-game show, previewing the prime-time clash ahead and the upcominground.
On Friday nights, Adam Cooney, Georgie Parker and Cam Luke will settle in on the sofa once more, offering viewers their unique take on the match of the round as Armchair Experts returns to Seven and 7plus.
On Saturday nights, fans can tune into Seven’s AFL broadcast, where they will see the biggest breaking AFL news stories and opinions with the new ‘Saturday Scoop’ with Nat Edwards & 7NEWS Melbourne’s, Mitch Cleary.
State-league footy is back on Seven, with games broadcast on Seven and 7plus throughout the 2023 season, kicking off with Round One of the VFL featuring Richmond versus Northern Bullants on Sunday, 26 March at midday AEDT led by an exceptional commentary team in Jason Bennett, Nigel Carmody and Campbell Brown.
Seven’s AFL coverage in 2023 will feature:
- AFLW – the 2023 AFLW Season, including the Finals Series live and free on Seven and 7plus
- Live AFL matches Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday
- 2023 AFL Grand Final live and exclusive, plus every AFL Final live
- Blockbuster games live including Round One Opening Night, Anzac Day, Dreamtime at the ’G, The Big Freeze and the Good Friday Superclash
- The Brownlow Medal count, live, free and exclusive to Seven
- 7NEWS will bring fans all the latest footy developments throughout the season, including exclusive access to team selections each round
- Fans in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia can watch every game involving teams from their home states live and free
7AFL Hub on 7plus
Throughout the 2023 AFL season, fans can tune into 7plus for live and on-demand footy content, including:
- AFL Armchair Experts: On Friday nights, Adam Cooney, Georgie Parker and Cam Luke will settle in on the sofa once more, offering viewers their unique take on the match of the round as Armchair Experts returns to Seven and 7plus.
- Roaming Brian: Watch on 7plus as Seven’s Brian Taylor hits the changerooms with the toughest questions after each side’s Friday Night Footy win. Viewers can also tune into old Roaming Brian segments on-demand on 7plus.
- The Front Bar: Viewers can tune in live and on-demand on 7plus when Mick Molloy, Sam Pang and Andy Maher share a laugh each week of the 2023 season and catch up with stars of yesteryear and today.
- Pre-game content: Watch the build-up to Seven’s footy coverage on 7plus or catch up by following “The Friday Night Countdown”, Saturday night’s “The Pregame” and Sunday’s “The Soapbox” on 7plus
- Post-match content: Head to “After the Siren” on 7plus to catch up, celebrate or commiserate as 7AFL’s experts dissect the big matches
- Add your club to a watch list: Add your club to your watchlist and follow for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and all the news and views from season 2023
- Inside AFL: Get the inside word from the footy world with the latest from the 7NEWS team
- 7AFL Channel – The best content from our coverage each week is served in a 24/7 FAST Channel, so you can keep up to date with all the biggest moments, every day of the week
- State Leagues: The best matches from the VFL, SANFL and WAFL are available nationally every week on 7plus
7NEWS.com.au AFL Match Centre
Ahead of the 2023 season, 7NEWS.com.au has created a central source of AFL news, the 7AFL match centre.
With fixtures, live scores, player stats, breaking news and exclusive 7AFL stories, 7NEWS.com.au has all footy fans covered for the 2023 AFL Premiership Season.
Seven’s AFL commentary team
Brian Taylor – Commentator
One of footy’s most respected and entertaining callers, Brian will lead Seven’s Friday Night Football and Sunday Football coverage in 2023, along with other blockbuster matches. One of his generation’s best full-forwards, “BT” kicked 527 goals over 140 games with Richmond and Collingwood, winning the Coleman Medal in 1986 with a season tally of 100 goals.
Twitter: @BTBrianTaylor Instagram: bt_briantaylor
Daisy Pearce – Expert Commentator
One of the foundation superstars of the AFLW, Daisy has made a seamless transition into commentary, impressing with her game insights in the commentary box and on the boundary line in both Seven’s AFLW and AFL coverage. The reigning AFLW premiership captain, Daisy is currently enjoying a development coaching role with the Geelong Cats and will feature in Seven’s prime-time Thursday night AFL broadcasts.
Twitter: @DaisyPearce6 Instagram: daisypearce6
James Brayshaw – Commentator
Following a distinguished first-class cricket career that saw him average 42.53 runs across 75 matches as a top-order batsman, James has become one of the most respected hosts and commentators in Australian sport. He will again bring his upbeat style to Seven’s AFL commentary team in 2023.
Instagram: jamesbrayshaw
Luke Hodge – Expert Commentator
The long-time Hawthorn skipper established himself as one of the great modern leaders in Australian sport over a highly-decorated career that included 346 games (305 at the Hawks and 41 at Brisbane), four premierships, three All-Australian selections and two Norm Smith Medals. After hanging up his boots at the end of 2019, Luke joined Seven’s AFL commentary team in 2020, quickly showcasing his rare understanding of the modern game as an expert commentator.
Twitter: @LHodge15 Instagram: hodgey015
Matthew Richardson – Host and Expert Commentator
The Richmond great has been a favourite of Seven viewers for more than a decade, featuring prominently as an expert commentator. One of Tasmania’s favourite sons, “Richo” amassed 800 goals in an acclaimed playing career and remains the all-time leading goalkicker at the MCG with 464. In 2023, Matthew will host the Friday Night Countdown pre-game show, before his Friday night footy commentary role.
Twitter: @mattricho0 Instagram: mattricho0
Hamish McLachlan – Host and Commentator
Hamish is one of Seven’s most versatile broadcasters, having hosted and commentated on a wide range of sports including the AFL, horse racing, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, including the recent Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. An accurate and entertaining play-by-play commentator, Hamish will call a raft of blockbuster games for Seven in 2023. He also hosts Thursday and Saturday Night Football and his half-time interviews with the NAB AFL Auskicker of the Week have become viewer favourites.
Jason Bennett – Commentator
The award-winning sports broadcaster was an AFL commentator from 2002 to 2006 before embarking on an international posting with ESPN and its popular program Aussies Abroad. Jason has been calling footy on Seven since 2015, covering a mix of AFL, AFLW and VFL, and will be a key part of Seven’s AFL coverage in 2023.
Twitter: @JasonBennettTV Instagram: jasonbennetttv
Luke Darcy – Commentator
The highly respected former Bulldogs star is regarded as one of the best ruck-forwards of the modern era. A winner of the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players Association’s MVP, Luke has carved out a burgeoning career as a radio and TV personality and will again call Saturday Night Footy on Seven in 2023, along with other key games.
Abbey Holmes – Field Commentator
A late convert to football after a promising netball career, Abbey led the NTFL’s goalkicking table and won a premiership in each of her first four seasons, memorably becoming in 2013-14 the first woman to kick 100 goals in a season. An Adelaide premiership player in the AFLW’s inaugural 2017 season, Abbey has been a great addition to Seven’s AFLW and AFL coverage, both as an expert and field commentator, and featured prominently in last year’s Grand Final coverage in Perth. Abbey will feature in Seven’s Friday Night Footy coverage, as well as key games throughout the season.
Twitter: @abbeycholmes Instagram: abbeycholmes
Jobe Watson – Expert Commentator
The former Essendon skipper enjoyed a stellar career as an inside midfielder, winning three club best and fairest awards, the AFLPA’s best captain award in 2012 and two All-Australian selections. Jobe joined Seven in 2020 as an expert commentator and quickly became an integral part of the team. He will continue his role with Seven across Thursday Night and Saturday Night Footy during the 2023 season.
Twitter: @JobeWatson Instagram: jobetwatson
Shaun Burgoyne – Expert Commentator
Following an impressive first year as an Expert Commentator for Seven, “Silk” returns in 2023. A highly respected player on and off the field, he will bring impressive insight and game analysis to Seven’s AFL coverage from Adelaide, and key marquee matches throughout the season.
Twitter: @Shaunburgoyne9 Instagram: @Shaunburgoyne9
Chris Johnson – Expert Commentator
A Premiership player with the Brisbane Lions, Chris has quickly become a fan favourite after joining Seven’s broadcast during the 2021 season. After an impressive AFL career which spanned 13 years, he will provide valuable game insight across various key matches throughout the 2023 season.
Twitter: @Chris_Johnson2 Instagram: @Chris_johnson2
Patrick Dangerfield – Expert Commentator
A Premiership player with the Geelong Cats and current club captain, Patrick is regarded as one of the league’s best modern day players. The Brownlow Medallist stepped behind the Seven microphone in the 2022 AFL Premiership Season and will this year enjoy a regular slot on Seven’s AFL coverage. The man known as “Danger” will also continue writing columns for 7NEWS.com.au in 2023.
Twitter: @Dangerfield35 Instagram: @PatrickDangerfield
Cameron Ling – Expert Commentator
Cameron was one of the AFL’s elite taggers over a decorated 12-season career with Geelong that included the 2007, 2009 and 2011 flags – the latter as skipper – the Cats’ 2004 best and fairest award and All-Australian selection in 2007. Since 2012, “Lingy” has been an integral member of Seven’s AFL coverage, delivering sharp insights as an expert commentator and boundary rider. He will feature on Seven’s Saturday Night Footy coverage in 2023.
Twitter: @CameronLing
Erin Phillips – Expert Commentator
The only AFLW player to win the league best and fairest award twice, Erin is highly regarded as one of the competition’s premier players. A dual premiership player with the Adelaide Crows, Erin was named best afield in each of her AFLW Grand Final wins in 2017 and 2019. After stepping into the commentary seat in 2021, Erin will provide expert commentary across Seven’s AFL coverage in 2023.
Twitter: @Erinphillips131 Instagram: @Erinphillips131
Tim Watson – Expert Commentator
Tim is truly one of the game’s greats. Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2000, he played in three premierships with Essendon and was one of the League’s most classy and explosive midfielders during the 1980s. An articulate and insightful observer of the game, Tim also presents sport for 7NEWS Melbourne each weeknight.
Twitter: @timwatson32 Instagram: timwatson7
Dale Thomas – Field Commentator
Since announcing his AFL retirement at the end of 2019, after 14 seasons and 258 games, Dale has become a popular figure across football media and has featured heavily on Seven’s AFL coverage. In 2023, Dale will enjoy a more prominent role as a field commentator.
Twitter: @DThomas39 Instagram: @D_Thomas39
Leigh Matthews – Expert Commentator
One of the Australian Football Hall of Fame’s select group of Legends, Leigh won a combined eight premierships as a player and coach, captained Hawthorn and Victoria, and won a record eight best and fairest awards with the Hawks. When Leigh speaks, in his forthright and pragmatic manner, he sets the footy agenda.
Twitter: @LeighRMatthews
Jude Bolton – Field Commentator
The dual Swans premiership hero takes on a field commentary role again on Seven’s AFL team, primarily at games in Sydney. Known for his undying determination and fearless attack on the ball over a decorated 325-game career, Jude still shares the AFL record for the most tackles ever in a single game (19) and is a member of the Sydney Swans Hall of Fame. Twitter: @Jude_Bolton Instagram: jude_bolton
Mark Soderstrom – Field Commentator
Mark played 121 SANFL games for North Adelaide, Glenelg and Sturt. A 7NEWS sports presenter in Adelaide, Mark returns as a field commentator in Seven’s 2023 AFL coverage across key games in South Australia.
Twitter: @Mark_Soda
Ryan Daniels – Field Commentator
With a vast AFL knowledge, 7NEWS Perth sports reporter and newsreader will continue his role with 7AFL in 2023, covering games from his home town. Recently taking out the Australian Football Media Award for Best News Reporting by an Individual, Ryan is a highly-respected member of the football media in Western Australia.
Twitter: @FootyRhino
Alister Nicholson – Commentator
Alister has become one of Australian sport’s most recognisable voices over the past decade as an ABC Grandstand commentator on cricket and AFL football. While he has been a popular member of Seven’s BBL commentary team in recent years, his broadcasting experience extends to the NRL, A-League, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games, Australia’s major golf tournaments and the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Alister will also call AFL games with Seven in 2023.
Twitter: @AlisterNicho
Georgie Parker – Armchair Experts
Georgie is a popular television presenter and former AFLW player with experience across multiple sports, including Seven’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games coverage and AFL. She is a former member of the Australian women’s hockey team, claiming a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2014. Georgie will join Cam Luke and Adam Cooney for the 2023 edition of
Armchair Experts
Twitter: @GeorgieParker Instagram: @Georgie_Parker1
Adam Cooney – Armchair Experts
The 2008 Brownlow medallist has always been one of the game’s great characters and he is given free rein to let his personality shine and have a laugh at the lighter side of the game on Armchair Experts.
Twitter: @Adamcooney17 Instagram: adamcooney17
Cam Luke – Armchair Experts
Cam is a long-time sports presenter who will again take his spot on the Armchair Experts sofa alongside regular sparring partner Adam Cooney to chat about all the hot topics that come out of the match of the round.
Twitter: @camluke Instagram: camjluke
Nigel Carmody – Commentator
After a decorated VFL career that spanned 12 seasons with Casey Scorpions and Collingwood, Nigel has been part of Seven’s commentary team since 2015, working on AFL, AFLW and VFL matches.
Twitter: @NigelCarmody Instagram: nigelcarmody
Campbell Brown – Field Commentator
An All-Australian in 2007 and Hawthorn premiership player in 2008, Campbell was a ferocious competitor who attacked the contest fearlessly. His love of the game and engaging personality shines through in his field commentary on Seven’s VFL coverage.
Twitter: @Browndogg_30x Instagram: @browndog_30x
Nat Edwards – Saturday Scoop
An accomplished sports presenter, Nat will deliver the latest breaking news for footy fans across the country, on Seven’s Saturday Scoop, during Seven’s Saturday Night Footy coverage.
Twitter: @Nat_Edwards Instagram: @NatEdwards33
Tom Browne – 7NEWS Melbourne
Seven’s Chief Football Reporter, Tom will feature across Seven’s AFL coverage again in 2023, to deliver all the biggest and boldest headlines hitting the AFL world
Twitter: @TomBrowne7
Mitch Cleary – 7NEWS Melbourne
Following his first year with 7AFL in 2022, Seven AFL Reporter, Mitch will again feature in Seven’s AFL broadcast throughout the 2023 season, reporting on the game’s breaking stories.
Twitter: @Cleary_Mitch
2023 AFL Premiership Season – Live and free on Seven from Thursday 16 March Seven, Your Home of Footy
Media Release – Seven
Other TV Central AFL content HERE
Link to 7plus HERE
