This week, Nine sports reporter Erin Molan has endured the full force of NRL fan fury.

Her crime? Former NRL player and league great Andrew Johns doesn’t like her. Allegedly.

After an ‘unnamed source’ told The Daily Telegraph earlier this week Johns and Molan are engaged in a ‘feud’ and Johns refuses to work with Molan due to a “personality clash”, the court of public opinion dumped an avalanche of online abuse on the NRL’s most prominent female presenter.

 

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Favourite visitor to work this morning ????

A post shared by Erin Molan (@erin_molan) on Sep 21, 2019 at 8:23pm PDT

We’re talking murder. Rape. Threats against her family. And branding her with the label of being a ‘difficult woman’.

Considering the amount of abuse being hurled at Molan, you’d be forgiven for forgetting she is just one half of this alleged ‘NRL feud’.

The other half, Johns, remains silent. According to news reports, both Johns and Channel Nine have denied the leak, calling it nothing with “rumours and innuendo”. But is it enough?

While others who aren’t directly involved, like former professional rugby league player and television personality Beau Ryan, former Kangaroos captain Brad Fittler, broadcasters Ray Hadley and Phil Gould, and even Karl Stefanovic, have vehemently defended Molan, Johns has not.

Even Johns’ ex-wife Cathrine Mahoney has said more than her TV commentator and personality former husband.

The freelance writer, podcaster and publicist who was married to Johns from 2007 to 2015 (the couple separated in 2011, then later reconciled before separating again) defended Molan on Instagram.

“She was then, and is now incredibly researched, hardworking, thorough, intelligent, thoughtful, caring, compassionate, smart and bloody hardworking,” Mahoney wrote of her former Nine colleague, News.com.au reports.

“I am honoured to call her a friend. It’s sad that nasty types with a keyboard are allowed to be so vile, but the reality is if you know Erin you know she is a top bird and someone you’d love to call (a) friend.”

On Friday morning, Ryan spoke on The Kyle and Jackie O Show about the extent of the abuse Molan cops simply for daring to be a woman in the NRL, a space some still deem to be a man's arena.

“We all get trolled. Everyone in the media gets trolled (but) she cops it, man,” Ryan began, who co-hosted The NRL Footy Show for a number of years with Molan.

"People look at her because she didn’t play rugby league but our best commentator, Ray Warren, didn’t play. She’s done her apprenticeship in TV, it took her a while to break in – especially as a woman in the NRL as a presenter. It was tough and I’ve got nothing but respect and love for her. She is super-professional."

Mamamia Out Loud speak about the devastating effects of online bullying and trolling below. Post continues after audio.

On Wednesday, Molan appeared on 101.7 WSFM’s Jonesy and Amanda, in sunglasses that covered her sleep-deprived eyes.

“I am so sorry, I haven’t put my contacts in this morning. I had a rough night. I didn’t sleep very well…” she began.

Amanda Keller replied, “I get emotional with this Erin, I don’t understand why people give you a hard time.

“It pisses me off. And I think it’s because you are so professional and you are so good at your job, that I think that men don’t like you being good at what they still see as their world. I admire the pants off you, or the eyeballs off you, and I just think you are the most professional female and it’s threatened everybody.

“I just think in a few years time people will look back — same as the Adam Goodes thing — and think what did we do to her?"

With the NRL Grand Final taking place this weekend, Molan and Johns are expected to work together on Nine's Sunday afternoon NRL Grand Final coverage.

Here's hoping Australians can keep their focus on the footy. That's where Erin Molan's will be.

Have you been following the alleged Andrew Johns Erin Molan 'feud'? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.