Ray Warren

Ray "Rabbits" Warren OAM (born 11 June 1943) is an Australian sports commentator, known for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches and to an extent swimming on the Nine Network. On occasions he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also used to call Australian swimming team events and the FINA World Championships until Nine lost the rights to these events in 2008 and has recently participated in Nine's coverage of the London Olympics. On Saturday mornings, he is a member of the panel on Triple M Sydney's radio Saturday morning sports program Dead Set Legends. Warren also writes columns for sports website The Serve. Ray's nickname is "Rabbits", as in a rabbit's warren.

Career

Born in Junee, New South Wales on 11 June 1943,^[2] Warren initially followed in the footsteps of his brother by joining the police force. It was during his brief stint in uniform he got a phone call as a result of all the door-knocking he had done at various radio stations as a teenager. Ray took the job offered to him at 2LF Young, New South Wales as a sales representative, trotting commentator and rugby league commentator - a move which started his career in broadcasting.

He began commentating on television through the Amco Cup on Channel Ten with Keith Barnes in 1974. In 1980, Ten approached Warren to call the Melbourne Cup, the first of three Cups he would call for the network.^[3] He also became Network Ten's chief Rugby League caller in 1983.^[4] In 1984 he was to head up Ten's commentary for the Los Angeles Olympics but refused to take the mission. As a nervous flyer, Warren had grave reservations about the trans-Pacific haul and suddenly realised he could not get onto the plane. In 1986, Warren was fired by the network, primarily because it wanted to replace him as its chief rugby league commentator with former international player Rex Mossop.^[2]

Over the next six years, Warren would also travel many miles to call horse races. In 1988 he was recruited by the Nine Network to commentate on the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final and the 1989 state of origin series alongside Darrell Eastlake and Balmain Tigers coach Warren Ryan, 1989 Trans-Tasman test series alongside Darrell Eastlake again and Jack Gibson and to be part of its team to broadcast swimming at the 1990 Commonwealth Games with Norman May. The television rights for rugby league were bought by Nine for the 1991 State of Origin Series, 1992 season and onwards and he has been calling the game for them ever since. Warren has gradually overcome his fear of flying, though he does still have some fear as evidenced by a well publicised helicopter flight to a game on the Gold Coast in 2012 made necessary due to a delayed flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast. Overcoming his fear has seen him travel to New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Japan and Canada for the network's swimming or rugby league coverage.

Ray Warren is known for his passionate commentary (often getting into good-natured arguments with fellow commentator Phil Gould about a player or the rules of rugby league during games), and has often been parodied by The Twelfth Man. His voice has become synonymous with important rugby league matches in Australia, and he is renowned for his proficient ability to take over from fellow-commentators when anything interesting happens on the field.

Currently, Warren also works on Sydney radio station 2MMM on the Saturday morning sports show Dead Set Legends with Richard Freedman and Dan Ginnane, as well being a semi-regular host of 'The Rush Hour' with Dan Ginnane.

Warren was the footy-tip guru with Newcastle's radio station NXFM on the Steve and Kim (& Damo!) Morning Breakfast Talk Show (until the show was cancelled on 26-Oct-2012.^[5][6]

Warren is also a contributor on Melbourne's Sport 927.

On 6 August 2011, a bronze statue of Warren was erected in his hometown of Junee.^[7]

Personal life

Ray Warren lives in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill with his wife, Cher, and daughter, Holly. Ray's first son, Chris Warren,^[8] was a rugby league presenter for Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and was a producer for the now defunct Setanta Sports NRL coverage in Europe. He now works for 2GB Sydney on their NRL coverage and Fox Sports News (Australia). Ray was once the chief commentator in a match that Chris participated in while he was a player for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the early 1990s.^[9] Ray is also the brother of lesser known commentator Reg Warren, who commentated for district NRL games in the late '90's (one of Billy Birmingham's fictional alter-egos).

During a radio interview with The Kyle & Jackie O Show in May 2011, Warren revealed that he was a close friend of broadcaster Ray Hadley and that the two regularly played golf together.^[10]

In 2011 Warren was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

References