Ray Warren

Raymond Warren (born 11 June 1943) is an Australian retired sports commentator, known for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. He is known as the "Voice of Rugby League", and called 99 State of Origin games as well as 45 NRL Grand Finals. Warren also used to call Australian swimming team events and the FINA World Championships until Nine lost the rights to these events in 2008 and in 2012 participated in Nine's coverage of the London Olympics.

Career Born in Junee, New South Wales on 11 June 1943 of English descent, Warren initially followed in the footsteps of his brother by joining the police force. He joined the NSW Police Cadets on 5 December 1960 and then transferred to the ACT Police in Canberra in 1964. Warren served a total of three years in the ACT Police. It was during his 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. Warren took the job offered to him at 2LF Young, New South Wales as a sales representative, trotting commentator and rugby league commentator, 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 called for the network. He also became Network Ten's chief Rugby League caller in 1983. 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.

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.

In August 2019, Warren was inducted into the National Rugby League Hall of Fame.

The 2021 NRL Grand Final was Warren's final game as commentator after announcing his retirement on 1 June 2022.

In 2022, Warren provided mock commentary for a fictional State of Origin match between Queensland and New South Wales in an episode of children's animated series Bluey.

Personal life Ray Warren and his wife, Cher, live in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill with their daughter, Holly. One of their sons, Chris, works for 2GB Sydney on their NRL coverage and Fox Sports News. Ray was once the chief commentator in an early 1990s Western Suburbs Magpies match that Chris played in. The Warrens' other son, Mark, is a broadcaster, actor, voice actor, MC, presenter and auctioneer.

Warren's own personal sporting achievements include playing wing for the Quirindi Grasshoppers, and also playing Tony Roche in a tennis match.