Michael, we’ve caught you at what is the busiest time of the year for you. Thanks for answering a few questions. With a week to go until the NRL grand final, what’s your day-to-day schedule look like?
There’s a notable shift in focus when you get down to the business end of the season. In my role, for a large part of the year the actual football takes a backseat to the news around the game. There’s always something happening in rugby league. Whether it’s player movement, coaching pressure or off-field incidents, sometimes the game outside of the game is just as big. However, when you get to this time of the year, the only thing that matters is the game. That often means your day-to-day schedule looks different based on when teams are putting players up for interviews. Early in the week you bank your interviews and you use the back-end of the week to write the articles.
Senior sports reporter Michael ChammasCredit:Louise Kennerley
How great has it been having an almost normal season of NRL after a couple of years of pandemic restrictions? What did you miss most?
The key to any form of journalism is maintaining relationships with the key stakeholders. You can imagine how difficult that has been the past couple of years to get face-to-face time with coaches and players. Just being able to go to games of footy and chat to the people within the game is something you now appreciate a lot more.
What has been the highlight of the season for you? What will you remember most about 2022?
Not my Dragons, that’s for sure. Another season of hope down the drain. I don’t think people have stopped to appreciate the greatness of the Penrith Panthers. Watching the way they have continued to improve has been a real highlight of the season. They lost a number of key players at the end of last year and somehow they’ve gone to another level. We’re watching Nathan Cleary evolve into one of the modern day greats.
Which NRL story are you most proud of covering this season?
Leading into the start of this season, I spent two months working on an in-depth investigation into the rise, fall and rebirth of the Bulldogs. It was the first time all the key figures at the club over the past decade shared their thoughts on the events that unfolded during their time at Canterbury. Ben Barba revealed the details of the night that ripped the club apart. Former coach Des Hasler, ex-CEO Raelene Castle and chairman Ray Dib also spoke for the first time about the decade of controversy. To provide the fans with insight into what went on at their club in such detail was something that I am proud of.
You’ve had a disappointing year for tips – sorry am I allowed to mention that here? Great to see my female colleagues leading the board – go Zoe Samios! Is there some friendly competition in the office about it?
We have a footy tipping competition? I don’t know what you’re talking about.
When it’s all wrapped up for another year, how do you traditionally mark the end of the NRL season?
Once the season is over I like to take a week off with the wife and kids to recharge the batteries because the silly season with player transfers heats up pretty quickly. The World Cup is on this year but I won’t be travelling to the UK. I have a feeling there’ll be plenty to write about from back here.
