Erin Molan confirmed as the host of Nine's new Thursday NRL Footy Show

Erin Molan has been confirmed as the host of Nine's new NRL Footy Show and will be joined by members of the Wide World of Sports commentary team as well as former and current players in the new format of the program, which will be broadcast in 2018 after Nine’s regular Thursday night NRL games.

Beau Ryan and Darryl “The Big Marn” Brohman will return in 2018 to host their popular segments. This season Paul “Fatty” Vautin will move into the Wide World of Sports commentary box, where he began with the Nine Network 25 years ago.

Nine’s director of sport Tom Malone said: “We are delighted we've been able to retain Fatty’s services in the commentary box, and that Beau and Big Marn have agreed to roles for 2018 and beyond.

“The new Footy Show will better reflect the requirements of our NRL programming in 2018, with 23 nights of Thursday Night Football. There will be a greater focus on football with a mix of entertainment that is better suited to the later timeslot.”

New NRL Footy Show executive producer Andy O’Brien said of the changes: “It’s extremely exciting to be part of the new era of such an endeared television program. We are working hard to create a show which honours the Footy Show’s rich heritage while reflecting the game and its fans in 2018 and beyond.”