Carey off the bench

Uh oh. Wayne Carey is coming back to TV.

After Foxtel declined to re-sign him to its commentary just over a week ago, Nine has added him to its new Monday night AFL show, Footy Confidential.

Carey joins Caroline Wilson, Garry Lyon and Craig Hutchison.

The programme promises “a fiery combination of conflicting opinions, breaking stories, expert analysis and insight, with guests ranging from coaches, players and club presidents to anyone central to the raging issues of the day.”

Carey is no stranger to controversy with his private life frequently making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last year he was part of Foxtel’s on air commentary team, and continues to have radio commitments with 3AW and 5AA.

The show is expected to air in the principal AFL fanatical markets.

Nine’s Press Release follows:

Football is set for a shake-up when the game’s biggest names and agenda- setters lock horns on Footy Confidential on the Nine Network for a provocative look at the AFL landscape.

One of the greatest players of all, Wayne Carey, and Australia’s most fearless football reporter, Caroline Wilson, will join Garry Lyon and Nine’s new AFL editor, Craig Hutchison, every Monday at 10.30pm to tackle the sport’s burning issues.

“It’s great to be back at Channel Nine where it all started for me on The Footy Show,” Carey said today.

“I am looking forward to a new and exciting season working with the best in the business.” Hutchison said:” We are delighted to lure Wayne to Nine – he’s one of football’s all-time greats, with opinions that make people stop and take notice.”

Footy Confidential will maintain the strong AFL on Nine brand as the must-watch program every Monday night for everything that’s happening on and off the field.

“With the straightforward approach from Caroline alongside Garry Lyon, Nine’s AFL football great, it promises to deliver an enviable blend of opinion and conflict, even among ourselves,” Hutchison said.

“AFL on Nine is the home of breaking news, entertainment and hard-nosed opinions on the game.

“We’re the only network committed to weekly news and entertainment football programming and viewers won’t miss a beat about what’s happening in the world of AFL.”

Fearless and confrontational, Footy Confidential will be a fiery combination of conflicting opinions, breaking stories, expert analysis and insight, with guests ranging from coaches, players and club presidents to anyone central to the raging issues of the day.

“There’ll be no cosy couch to relax on,” Hutchison said.

“Our guests will be grilled and we’ll be grilling each other. Our team are all from different walks of life, with a different slant on the game. There’ll be nothing comfortable about it, so fireworks are inevitable.”

Footy Confidential premieres Monday April 2 at 10:30pm.