Footy great ‘blindsided’ and ‘devastated’ after he was suddenly axed by Triple M radio following 17 years of service

A former Penrith star has hit out at Triple M Sydney claiming that the station had disrespected footy great Mark Geyer after he was suddenly sacked by the broadcaster last week.

Many were shocked by Triple M’s decision to part company with the New South Wales State of Origin legend who has been a fan favourite on the station’s Mick & MG in the Morning’s breakfast show for some time.

Despite having been with the broadcaster for 17 years, Geyer and his co-hosts Mick Molloy and Cat Lynch are due to be replaced by a new cast that will include former NRL star-turned-media personality Beau Ryan. 

It is understood he will debut on the show on January 20, 2025 and will be joined by co-hosts Natarsha Belling and former West Tigers Captain Aaron Woods. The programme will be renamed Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Tarsh & Woodsy and will run from 6am to 9am on weekdays.

Geyer’s axing was first reported by The Daily Telegraph last week, but the reasons why he has left the station remain unclear – with the former Kangaroos star yet to speak out on the matter.

But according to former Penrith star Lou Zivanovic, who caught up with the 56-year-old for lunch over the past week, Geyer has been left ‘devastated’ by the sudden call after he had been ‘blindsided’ by the channel.

Geyer has spent the past 17 years working for the broadcaster but according to Lou Zivanovic, had been left ‘blindsided’ by the move 

‘MG [Mark Geyer] is one of the most loyal people you could meet and Triple M has shown him zero loyalty in return,’ Zivanovic told Yahoo Sport Australia.

‘He was blindsided by the decision and is quite understandably devastated. Decisions are made in business every day but there’s a right way and wrong way to go about things. They’ve totally screwed him, without warning, after 17 years of loyal service. It doesn’t sit right with me and it doesn’t sit right with a lot of people.

‘He’s still coming to terms with it all, but he’s a strong man,’ Zivanovic added.

‘MG showed during his footy career that you get knocked down and you get up again, and that’s the way he’s approaching this. With the help and support of family and friends, he will bounce back from this. One door closes, another one opens.’

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Southern Cross Austereo for comment.

Geyer, who was capped three times for Australia and helped Penrith to their first premiership win in 1991, retired from professional footy in 2000.

He would go on to pursue a career in media having written extensively for newspapers, before taking up roles with Triple M and Fox Footy.

His co-host and comedian, Molloy is set to return to Victoria where he will host the local breakfast show with Nick Riewoldt, Titus O’Reily and Rosie Walton.

Geyer (left), who was capped three times for Australia and helped Penrith to their first premiership win in 1991, retired from professional footy in 2000 

Geyer and Mitch Molloy have been replaced by Beau Ryan (left) Natarsha Belling (centre) and former West Tigers Captain Aaron Woods (right)

It comes amid a massive shakeup across Australia’s big sports broadcasting platforms, with Triple M handing Marty Sheargold a new role after he had vacated the breakfast slot in July. He’ll extend his country-wide Marty Sheargold show into the drive shift in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, Triple M Sydney have officially announced their line-up for the new show, with Southern Cross Audio (SCA) Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron, thanking Geyer for his time with the station.

‘We wish to thank MG for his incredible 17-year contribution to Triple M across many shows and NRL calls,’ he said.

‘We sincerely hope he will be a part of the Triple M family again at some stage in the future, and we wish him all the best.’

Woods, meanwhile, has spoken of his respect and admiration for Geyer and revealed the piece of advice that he gave him during his NRL career.

‘He just told me to never stop doing what I was doing, don’t say no to anything and keep showing up,’ Woods told Sport Con.

‘I have never forgotten that. MG along with Matty Johns and Gus Worland helped me so much.

Woods, who announced his retirement earlier this year, having made 270 NRL appearances, added: ‘He was the first person I sent a text to this morning.’