AFL legend Garry Lyon has taken a swipe at Channel 9 NRL guru Phil Gould for his “nauseating” commentary of the Melbourne Storm’s win over Parramatta.

Gould called the qualifying final at AAMI Park for Channel 9 on Saturday and angered Lyon with what the Demons great says was biased commentary in favour of the Eels.

Lyon told SEN Breakfast on Monday morning the Channel 9 commentary team was noticeable biased against the Melbourne Storm and believes it is a sentiment that is widespread throughout the jealous “Sydney football mafia”.

The Storm and Eels played out an enthralling qualifying final, with the Storm surviving a late fightback in a heated contest to move through to the third week of the finals series.

Lyon says he only watched the last 15 minutes of the game — and that was enough for him to be convinced Gould is leading a campaign from the NRL media against the Storm.

Lyon is also an employee of Channel 9, returning to the network as a co-host of Footy Classified on Monday nights.

“If Gus Gould wasn’t barracking for Parramatta to get over the line then I’m not here.” Lyon told SEN.

“It was almost nauseating to me. For some reason, we don’t play in the NRL’s face too much. I think there is enormous envy about the Melbourne Storm from the Sydney football mafia.

“That includes the commentators, high profile NRL type people. I reckon there is genuine envy that this side down in Melbourne — and there was the salary cap drama early — are just sticking it to these traditional clubs and they hate it.

“The commentary comes out too during State of Origin. Those are the only games I watch — Melbourne Storm and State of Origin and I reckon you can tell who is NSW and who is Queensland.”

He said it was obvious the commentators were cheering for the Eels to upset the premiership favourites at AAMI Park.

“I felt 100 per cent that they (Channel 9 commentary team) were going for the upset here.”

he said

“We finished three games clear, the Melbourne Storm, and I say we very proudly. It just appeared to me that that has got right up the nose of everyone.”

“I was getting frustrated and quite angry to be perfectly honest. And that’s coming through on the SMS too.”

Lyon also took a jab at Channel 7’s coverage of the Saturday night elimination final in Adelaide for a clunky call of the Eagles’ famous extra-time victory over the Power.

He said the network needed more specialist football broadcasters to call the game rather than the host of former players that have swelled the network’s ranks.

Channel 7s coverage of the game was led by Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson and Basil Zempilas.

“For the first week of the finals when so much is going on, you need two specialist commentators for each game of footy,” he said.

“You have to have it. I felt sorry for Matthew Richardson on Saturday night. He was doing a good job, but he was one out in a game where there was so much stuff going on. There was so much stuff and then there was extra time obviously. To have one specialist commentator is a bad mistake in my humble opinion.”

POWER MOVE TO LOCK DOWN HINKLEY

PORT Adelaide president David Koch wants to extend coach Ken Hinkley’s contract, saying players are to blame for an excruciating exit from the AFL finals. Hinkley, a former Gold Coast assistant coach, has been mooted as a target of the Suns, seeking a replacement for the sacked Rodney Eade.

“I don’t know why there is this talk about Ken going to the Gold Coast because he has got another year at least to go on his contract,” Koch told Adelaide radio station 5AA on Monday.

“Over the summer we will talk to him about extending that.

“That is the timetable Ken Hinkley wanted and we have such respect for Ken Hinkley, that is exactly what we’re going to do.” Koch described Port’s two-point elimination final defeat - coming from a goal by West Coast’s Luke Shuey after the end of extra-time - as the club’s “most devastating loss”.

And he laid blame squarely on the players.

“We we blew it. We know we blew it,” he said.

“We didn’t have the composure to make the most of the big moments and when you kick 10.16 in an elimination final, you’re never going to win.” Shuey slotted the goal after the siren from a free kick for a high tackle against Port’s Jared Polec.

“Forget the discussion on wether it was a free kick or not, I think the umpires got it right,” Koch said.

“We shouldn’t have been in a position to do that.

“And it has been a trait that we have had for a lot of the year: that in big moments the team doesn’t follow Ken’s plan.” Hinkley has taken Port to the finals in three of his five years in charge and is contracted until the end of next season.

“I have often said that my job is to try and make Ken Hinkley a 10-year coach and to give him all the resources to be that,” Koch said.

“Because if you look at successful AFL clubs, it’s all based around the stability of the coach, stability of chief executive, and a board, and a leadership group within your playing group.”

— AAP

DONS LINKED WITH DOGS STAR

BOMBERS coach John Worsfold has declared his team will be interested in recruiting star Jake Stringer if he leaves the Bulldogs this trade period.

The key forward’s relationship with club officials has reportedly broken down and could result in both Stringer and the club looking to move him on.

“We’ll get more into looking at the names that are potentially available,” Worsfold told SEN.

“There’s not a big list out there, we’ll sift through those and say one do they fit into what we’re trying to build (and) are they possibly available for us.

“If Stringer is on that list, obviously, an All-Australian player we’ll have to seriously consider what he might offer us if he’s available.”