MICHAEL Slater has quit as co-host of Channel Nine’s Footy Show because of fears of burnout.

The daily 4am starts on Sky Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast combined with cricket commentary and Wide World of Sports hosting duties is too much for Slater when combined with the Footy Show.

Slater has sat alongside Fatty Vautin on the Footy Show for the last three years. In that time, under executive producer Glenn Pallister, the show’s ratings have increased by 25 per cent and attracted far more female viewers.

Slater’s personality has balanced the madness Vautin, Beau Ryann and Darryl Brohman bring to the show.

“We now sit with an average 45 per cent of our audience being females,” Pallister said.

“My aim is to go 50/50 and to attract more kids. Slats is a terrific bloke who will always be a part of The Footy Show family.

“We owe him a huge thanks for his work here over the last three seasons.”

media_camera The Footy Show gang take a selfie. Picture: Footy Show

Slater recently signed a new three-year contract at Nine to coincide with the network’s cricket TV contract.

“I have loved my three years on the Footy Show, but cricket has always been my top priority and with so much on our schedule this year, I just can’t give the Footy Show the commitment it requires,” Slater said.

Meanwhile, Vautin continues to break longevity records as a prime-time television host.

This will be his 22nd year as host of the show and 25th year in television.

CARNEY DIRECT FROM THE UK

media_camera Todd Carney in his Catalan jersey.

RUGBY league fans can watch Todd Carney’s first game in the English Super League live on Fox Sports. In a great new deal, the pay TV network will show three games live every week from the UK.

The comp starts on February 6 with Wigan against Widnes. The next day Carney’s Catalans Dragons play Nathan Brown’s old team, premiers St Helens, at 7am.

Several other ex-NRL stars are playing Super League, including Terry Campese, Willie Tonga, Matt Bowen and Ashton Sims.

GOULD’S BOY A SHARKIE

THE Phil Gould bloodlines live on in rugby league.

Gus’ son, Jack Gould, has been selected in the Cronulla Sharks’ Harold Matthews squad, made up of the best and most promising under-16 players in the shire.

Jack is a tall, strapping centre from Gymea Gorillas with the same reddish hair his old man had as a rookie player at the Panthers in the late 70s.

“He’s very athletic and he’s a determined kid,” says Sharks coach Shane Flanagan.

Young Jack has a good pedigree. His dad was obviously a handy player and we hear mum was a talented netballer, too.

SEA BIRDS SETTLE ON THEIR SEASON LINE-UP

media_camera Manly cheer girls.

Rugby league’s oldest cheer squad, the Manly Seabirds, held auditions yesterday for their 21st season at Brookvale Oval. Monique Carroll, wife of former front-rower Mark Spud Carroll, had the difficult task of finding the best dancers among these stunning young ladies for the Sea Eagles’ home games in 2015.

SAINT

THE extraordinary skill of Timmy Cahill with his two spectacular goals for the Socceroos in the Asian Cup quarter-final. He is a champion.

SINNER

DAVE Warner. I like the idea of cricket introducing a yellow card to keep loudmouth mugs under control.

SHOOSH

IT’S just as well one of the biggest stars of the Aussie sporting summer is on massive coin. The guy has lost a fortune punting on the horses, concerning his entourage to the point where they want him to get some counselling.

SHOOSH II

media_camera Eels coach Brad Arthur.

WHICH club has made discreet inquiries about Brad Arthur’s future at the Parramatta Eels?

SPOTTED

SOCCER boss David Gallop and Aussie batsman Steve Smith enjoying a beer and chat at Justin Hemmes’ flash new Coogee Pavilion.

SPOTTED II

MANLY’S off-contract halfback Daly Cherry- Evans having dinner with Titans coach Neil Henry at Leichhardt’s Grappa restaurant. No prizes for guessing topic of conversation.

GAME OF NEW HALVES

MEANWHILE, Manly boss Joe Kelly made discreet inquiries about Souths halfback Adam Reynolds in case they lose either Kieran Foran or Cherry-Evans. It’s probably too late because we’re told Reynolds is on the verge of signing a new deal with the Rabbitohs.

SUTTON IMPACT

SURELY there is more to the sacking of John Sutton as South Sydney captain than the Rabbitohs are prepared to tell us. No coach would sack a grand final-winning captain unless something had happened. We applaud Greg Inglis’ promotion but surely he could have been made co-captain, as Sam Burgess was.

DEPUTY DO-LITTLE?

SHANE Richardson’s appointment at the NRL is a good one, providing the head office with much-needed footy experience. Still, it leaves one question ... if Richo is in charge of setting up a rookie draft, expansion, the next TV deal and overseeing “the future blueprint of the game” can someone explain what Suzanne Young will do in her $600,000-a-year role as Dave Smith’s new deputy.

SUPER BOWL BUZZ

WANT to find out if Jarryd Hayne can conquer the NFL? Want to know what position Hayne should play? Here is your chance to ask Australia’s NFL legend Colin Scotts. Scotts, who played for Arizona Cardinals and Houston Oilers, will be guest speaker at the Royal Oak Hotel, Double Bay, on Monday week for the NFL Super Bowl. Your columnist is off to Super Bowl XLIX to write next Sunday’s column from Phoenix Arizona courtesy of ESPN.

SOCCEROOS ARE THE SMASH HITS

media_camera Tim Cahill of Australia celebrates a goal.

TIMMY Cahill and the Socceroos have narrowly knocked off tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt in an enthralling head-to-head TV ratings battle.

On Thursday night, in an absolute smorgasbord for armchair fans, the Socceroos (ABC and Fox Sports) went up against the Australian Open (Channel 7) and a Big Bash thriller (Channel 10) in the most competitive sports ratings battle on one night for years.

Between 9.30pm, when the Socceroos started against China, and 10.15pm when Hewitt was bundled out at Rod Laver Arena, the round ball game had an average audience of 967,000, just 28,000 more than the tennis.

Over at Moore Park, where Brett Lee was playing his SCG farewell game, Channel 10 was rating 432,000.

Your columnist, and many others, spent the night channel surfing, trying to follow it all.

Interestingly, Channel 7’s ratings dropped 300,000 when Sam Stosur replaced Hewitt on centre court. Around the same time, Channel 10 picked up an extra 100,000 viewers as the Sixers stormed home for a thrilling last-ball victory.

The ratings win was a huge result for Australian soccer officials looking for a major sponsor for the national team.

Amazingly, in China the audience peaked at 32 million viewers for the quarter-final on a cable network.

ANNA A TOUGH LOSS FOR NRL

THE NRL lost one of its finest assets over the Christmas break with the departure of Anna Wallin from the media department. This follows the loss of another talented media department worker, Tracie Edmondson, last year.

So much for women in league!

Wallin was as grassroots as you can get. She had no interest in the politics of the game, the scandal, the spin doctoring or negativity.

Like Edmondson, every day Wallin kept pumping out positive stories and was a tireless campaigner for the Women in League Round, the Jillaroos, the indigenous All-stars and bush football while some others around them were only concerned about protecting the image of chief executive Dave Smith.

WATSON AND PUP IN SCG ARGUMENT

media_camera Michael Clarke and Shane Watson talk.

THE big rumour doing the rounds at the SCG Test involved an apparent disagreement between Michael Clarke and Shane Watson. The story goes that Watson was fuming about Clarke highlighting his footwork problems while commentating for Channel Nine at the Boxing Day Test. In fairness to Clarke, he was only doing what Channel Nine was paying him to do — providing a fair and honest insight and analysis into each day of the Test. Sometimes our cricketers can get precious.

FAIRY’S MATES RALLY

FORMER Roosters glamour boy Russell Fairfax has been battling poor health. The wonderful Men of League is on to the case and hope to organise a fundraiser to assist with medical costs. Roosters supremo Nick Politis is helping out, too. Fairfax has a stack of old mates in rugby union, league and the media.

SPUDD’S TAH-RIFFIC

MARK Carroll is branching out into rugby union with his fitness business. Waratahs coach Michael Cheika sends his injured players to Carroll to keep them in shape. Carroll, once Russell Crowe’s bodyguard, is celebrating 10 years as fitness instructor at Spudd’s gymnasium in Woolloomooloo.