Ray Hadley to break radio record this weekend
Ray Hadley will call his 34th NRL Grand Final this Sunday, eclipsing the record he currently shares with legendary broadcaster Frank Hyde.
Hadley called his first Grand Final on 2UE back in 1987, when Manly beat Canberra 18-8.
“When I started calling Rugby League in 1987, John Brennan asked Frank Hyde (pictured above) to listen and critique me on a weekly basis,” Hadley recalls.
“In the early stages, Frank said ‘you need to get into a rhythm, you sound like a race caller’. I replied ‘that’s because I am!’. He laughed and said you’ll get there. At the end of 1987, he called me after the Grand Final and said ‘there’ll be no more phone calls from me – you are where you need to be’.
“I got an email from one of Frank and Gabby’s sons, Pat, this week telling me how proud his dad would be for me to break his record by calling my 34th Grand Final. The entire Hyde family has always been very supportive. My lasting memory of Frank will be his generosity and encouragement. He was not threatened by an ambitious young bloke, but rather proud he was part of my journey. Surely Frank must be the next media person to be elevated to the NRL Hall of Fame.”
Greg Byrnes, Nine Radio Head of Content, said: “The records keep coming for Ray Hadley. In recent times we’ve celebrated 21 years of Ray on 2GB Mornings, then 151 consecutive survey wins, and this weekend it’s a record 34th Grand Final call. What a privilege it is for us all to witness one of the greats of radio broadcasting in full flight!”
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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