Football television has been part of the fabric of the game for almost 70 years.
Shows have sprawled over every night of the week, ranging from prime-time panel slots, breaking news, analysis and comedy. All had their niche, and with that, the interest from the fans.
Trying to rank the greatest football programs of all time is no easy task. Some changed the way the game was discussed. Some entertained generations of supporters.
But who takes the cake as the best of the best?
These are the greatest footy shows ever produced.
2World of Sport / League Teams – Channel 7 – 1958 – 1987
We've split the honours between World of Sport and League Teams, because before footy television became polished and packaged, these two wrote the playbook.
For a certain generation, World of Sport's run from 1958 to 1987 set the standard for what footy TV still tries to be today: loud, local, funny, parochial and full of characters. Ron Casey held court with footballers, racing men, broadcasters, boxers, axemen, publicans and glorious old-school Melbourne identities. It had handball comps, woodchopping, sheaf tossing, cycling rollers, sand shovelling and footballers winning meat pies and hairdryers. Beautiful nonsense.
When clueless Sydney management at Channel 7 brutally axed it in early 1987, Melbourne didn't just lose a TV show, it went into mourning.
League Teams was the original footy panel show, with Jack Dyer, Lou Richards and Bob Davis turning Thursday night selections into theatre. Louie the Lip, Captain Blood and the Geelong Flyer gave footy TV its first great comedy trio.
One owned Sunday, the other had a cult following late on Thursday selection nights during the footy season. Both were original, funny, chaotic and brilliant - and equal second feels right.
