FOR sports fan Neil Helmore, the switch of rugby league’s State of Origin game 1 from Melbourne to Townsville due to COVID-19 restrictions is “a once in a lifetime dream”.
Mr Helmore, 50, is the communications and vocations co-ordinator for Townsville Diocese, and for decades he has also followed his passion as a broadcast sports producer, regularly working on big game coverage.
Next Wednesday night he’ll be inside Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium as part of Channel Nine’s TV team broadcasting the blockbuster game to a worldwide audience.
“Alongside what I love doing as a storyteller in the Church, it’s my other passion – live sport,” Mr Helmore said.
“I’ve had family, friends, even the guy from the coffee shop offering to help carry the TV cables – just because tickets to the game are like hens teeth.”
In front of an expected stadium crowd of 27,000 Mr Helmore is hoping to be assigned the role of assistant floor manager – “the eyes and the ears” for the television sideline team – anticipating the action and constantly guiding cameramen towards the best shots, and finding players for commentators to talk to when there’s a break in play, or at half time.
“It’s always a real buzz on the sideline,” Mr Helmore said.
As a rugby league fan he loves the spectacle of State of Origin, and has worked at five previous matches – all at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium – never before in his beloved North Queensland.
Mr Helmore admits it was important not to get overawed by the noise and antics of a partisan Origin crowd, and to concentrate hard on making the coverage successful.
“You try not to really think about spectacle as such, because by the time you stop and think and take it all in you can miss something that you are supposed to have done, and someone (a TV producer) is yelling at you,” he said.
Mr Helmore has often worked on regular season NRL matches with commentators Brad Fittler and Johnathan Thurston.
But both those high-profile, former players will be tied up for Wednesday’s Origin clash – Mr Fitler as the Blues coach and Mr Thurston as assistant coach for the Maroons.
Last weekend he worked on coverage of a Queensland Reds rugby clash in Townsville, alongside Wallaby legend Tim Horan.
A favorite sideline commentator over many years has been Queensland league legend Wally Lewis, who Mr Helmore also counts as a childhood hero.
“He’s a good bloke to have a chat to. Over the years you build up a wonderful relationship,” he said.
Early in his broadcast career, Mr Helmore sat in the back of a broadcast truck at live sport events providing the instant replays of highlights and incidents that add to the excitement of watching live sport on TV.
He has produced and directed NBL, covered V8 Super Cars, and even worked for NBC America on the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“It’s a bit like my vocations role (for Townsville Diocese) – I’ve never worked a day in my life because I love what I do,” Mr Helmore said.
“Broadcast work is a chance to catch up with people I’ve worked with for 20 odd years – all the crew love doing what we are doing.”
Mr Helmore is also known for an entertaining series of social media videos he’s produced called “Cruising with Clergy”.
The idea is simple – go driving with priests from across Townsville Diocese and chat on camera as a way to get to know their hobbies, sports and interests.
“During lockdown last year when priests didn’t have communities they could say Mass for, in my communications role, I said ‘what can we do to keep our priests front of mind to the communities and get to know them a bit better’,” Mr Helmore said.
“We’ve had some great feedback. It really gave communities an insight into who these men are, who they look up to and who minister to them on a weekly basis.”
