Warren Smith (broadcaster)

{{Short description|Australian rugby league commentator}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}

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|occupation = Sports commentator

|employer = Fox League

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Warren Smith is an Australian rugby league commentator for Fox Sports Australia.

Smith has been with the pay TV network since 1995 and has gained a reputation for his distinctive style and versatility. Smith has made the term "They're gonna say…” his own. (For example, “They're gonna say it's a knock on.” “They're gonna say the pass was forward.”) He's also known for being inexplicably incredulous. (For example, saying "And wow! They're gonna say it was forward!" in a stunned voice, despite the pass clearly being forward.){{Cite web|url=http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/sin-bin/sin-bin-warren-smith-tipped-to-eventually-take-over-from-ray-warren-at-nine-20150815-gizrzn.html|title=Sydney Morning Herald|last=Proszenko|date=15 August 2015|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}

Smith is essentially the face of Fox Sports coverage of the National Rugby League competition and typically calls two or three matches per round.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/media-centre/bios/nrl/warren-smith|title=Warren Smith | FOX SPORTS PR}}

He has also called the 2010/11 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League cricket tournament.{{Cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/more-sports/our-experts/story-e6frf56c-1111112107117|title=Fox Sports our experts|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}

Smith made an appearance for ESPN as an on-site analyst for the 2016 College Football Sydney Cup for a crew back in Bristol.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

In 2016, Smith shared how he prepares to commentate on rugby league games. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Smith said, "You don't rest your voice as such. There are situations I will avoid, though, like the times I find myself in a pub during the footy season. It is loud and you have to raise your voice to be heard. It is a strain on your voice you don't need. I put a steamer on my face most days at this time of year to suck in steam. I live on lozenges and mints. I drink ridiculous amounts of water. I try to keep hydrated."{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/warren-smith-preparing-for-gruelling-season-behind-the-microphone/news-story/bd26696a6354a63ed8a273fd07745a34|title=Veteran ready to answer the call|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=2 March 2016|last1=Ritchie|first1=Dean}}

As of the start of the 2018 NRL season, Smith began co-hosting Fox League's weekly rugby league podcast, “Take Me Now, I Have Seen It All” (named after Smith's famous call of a last-second comeback victory by the South Sydney Rabbitohs over the Sydney Roosters in 2012) along with fellow Fox League caller Matt Russell.{{cn|date=November 2024}} The podcast reviewed the previous week’s matches, discussed big talking points in the game, and previewed upcoming matches. From the end of the season and from 2019, Lara Pitt was also a weekly fixture of the podcast.{{cn|date=November 2024}}