Sandy Roberts remembers his favourite moments in almost 50 years on the air

Sandy Roberts has produced some of Australian sport’s greatest commentary moments (and a certain blooper). The retiring legend relives some of his best moments and gives his tips for success.

For all the commentary gems he has delivered over 40 years, Sandy Roberts acknowledges with a youthful 68-year-old smile that he will forever be linked to a 1983 moment at Mt Gambier races.

The moment and subsequent events have shown Roberts for what he is — humorous, devoid of self-importance and more than happy to laugh at himself.

And those qualities have helped lead to a rare outpouring of accolades after news of his retirement from television football commentary came through last weekend.

REALITY: HARD FACTS OF PIES’ GRAND FINAL FAILURE

HOMEWORK: SUPERCOACH PRE-SEASON STUDY GUIDE

Q&A: WILL JOSH KELLY STAY OR WILL HE GO?

To set the picture, Roberts was hosting coverage of the Mt Gambier Cup, duties that included interviewing 1981 Miss Australia Leanne Dick, her surname prompting some sniggering at a morning production meeting.

“A couple of floor crew members were carrying on about me stuffing up Leanne’s surname, but we did an interview together which went smoothly,” Roberts explains.

“That interview had already gone to air and we went to a break. During the break one of the horses running in the hurdle threw a plate so I was told to quickly grab someone for another interview. The only person I could see was Miss Australia, who I’d already interviewed. “Doesn’t matter, interview her again,” I was told.

Sandy Roberts will have more time at home following his retirement from TV. Picture: Tony Gough

Miss Australia Leanne Dick.

“So away I went with, ‘Welcome back, and still with us is Leanne Cock, or Leanne Dick, I should say’. Leanne was stone-faced. At such outside broadcasts it’s good to have a back-up person, which in this case was a friend of mine in Tony Phillips who was general manager of the station. He had an earpiece and microphone and was about 20 feet away. I’m was trying to keep a straight face as I crossed to Tony for fashions on the field, but he was on his knees with tears streaming down his face.”

Thirty years on Dick, who had since married and is living on the Gold Coast as Leanne Cockerill, was asked would she send a message to Roberts for his 60th birthday.

Roberts, who describes Dick as a “fantastic person”, was delighted to receive the following: “Hello Randy, I mean Sandy, sorry, I’m not very good with names.”

Sandy Roberts prepares for a Channel 7 shift in 1990.

An entertaining and accurate caller of football, golf, Olympics, tennis and whatever else came his way, Roberts grew up on a farm near Lucindale (three hours south east of Adelaide) and attended St Peter’s College as a boarder before securing a job as a copy boy. When he lost that job, he jumped on a train for Perth and on arrival headed for radio station 6PM, where he landed a role as cadet news journalist/newsreader.

“The next day when I arrived there was a jock named Dennis Cometti spinning discs. I loved it there and decided I was going to spin discs for a career. It was 1971, the days of Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I would take a bunch of records to the recording studios and make tapes, but never got anywhere so I went overseas for a couple of years.”

On return he worked at 3CS Colac and BCV8 Bendigo before returning to Adelaide as a general announcer with television station ADS, where football calling became part of his resume. But it all could have been so different if only Roberts could hold a note.

His protestations about his lack of singing ability counted for nought when Roberts was given his chance to emulate Bill Collins on the Adelaide edition of the Penthouse Club by delivering his best rendition of a Bobby Vinton number titled Roses Are Red (My Love).

He was fine with hosting the show but kept telling anyone who would listen that he was tone deaf. He was told no to worry as there was this new-age equipment that would make him sound OK.

After just one line of Roberts impersonating Vinton, the pianist stopped him before inquiring, “You don’t by any chance read poetry, do you?”. With his Johnny Carson career gone, Roberts settled into calling sports in a style that has taken him into our lounge rooms with both Channel 7 and more recently Fox Footy.

Channel 7’s 2001 commentary team: Robert DiPierdomenico, Peter Landy, Sandy Roberts, Bruce McAvaney, Bob Davis and Bob Skilton.

His calling career has coincided with some magical moments, from the late Ray “Slug” Jordon declaring, “They’ve got to get the boy off” in an Army Reserve Cup game at the Lake Oval, to a pig being let loose at the SCG or Gary Ablett Sr booting a typically magical goal.

“With the pig, Dennis Cometti was calling the ball and I must have been watching other areas of the ground where I suddenly spotted a large white landrace cross which led to, ‘There’s a pig … at full-forward’,” Roberts explains.

“Gary Ablett Sr was my favourite player to call by a mile but when he kicked that goal (1989 v Collingwood, Goal of the Year) I called, ‘What more can you say?’ banking on him kicking the goal. I was either going to look all right or a bloody idiot, but it was Gary so I was a fair chance.

“As for ‘Slug’ Jordon in the Army Reserve Cup, his, ‘I think you’ve gotta take the boy off’ and, ‘He’s give him one, too’ have become part of folklore. How Slug and Lou Richards got through games without actually swearing defies logic.”

Sandy Roberts with Leigh Montagna in the Fox Footy commentary box. Picture: Alex Coppel

Four years after that Ablett goal, Roberts was touched when the Geelong goalkicker and his teammate Garry Hocking were regular visitors to the hospital bed of his 15-year-old haemophiliac son Sam, who died in 1993 after receiving an AIDS contaminated blood transfusion.

“Greg Norman was very good when Sam was ill and I will never forget one after the third round of the 1992 Australian Masters when he organised a chopper to fly to my farm at Lismore in the Western District, where Sam was.

“Greg played snooker with Sam for an hour-and-a-half. Sam died prior to the 1993 Masters when Greg wore his hat with Sam written on it. You never get over it, it’s like a scar. I have two other boys, Ben, who is a producer at Fox has three daughters, and Angus, who is in Year 12 at Haileybury.”

Sandy Roberts calling with Malcolm Blight and Ian Robertson.

If forced to nominate one influencing figure in his career, Roberts names Ron Casey of Channel 7 fame, although he suspects he was just one of many who came under the Casey spell.

“I joined Channel 7 in Melbourne for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The boss Ron Casey would have a meeting at 7.30am each day of competition where he would announce where we were all going, such as, ‘Morning ladies and gentleman, today Bill Collins will be doing Judo and Sandy Roberts archery.

“Dear old Bill knew nothing about Judo and the only thing I knew about archery was Robin Hood, and I reckon he got a mention. These days you would spend six months of preparation, but Ron Casey had so much influence on so many people. He was quietly-spoken yet just got major results.

“Do I think some personality has gone out of the game? Yes, but times have changed enormously which reflects in the way footballers play the game and express themselves. My favourite time to call would have been the 1990s through to Brisbane winning those three premierships in 2001-03.

“In reality I have had a fortunate working life and have been humbled by the public reaction to my retirement from Fox Footy. I have always been my harshest critic and looking back, if I produced a good five minutes here and there, then that’s satisfying, trying to be light on bright without being huge on statistics.

“As for things I didn’t do, I would have loved to call Test cricket even if my passion for the game has been dimmed by what went on last year. The game has been severely tarnished and I hope horse racing doesn’t go the same way.”

Semi-retirement to a few hectares at Lysterfield with wife Carolyn will possibly involve the pair renewing acquaintance with their golf clubs, and in Roberts’ case a first-time trip to the US Masters with friend Bill Cannon.

And possibly working the odd song title, lyric or artist into his radio commentary, something he and Dennis Cometti perfected over the years in their calls.

SANDY’S FIVE GOLDEN CALLING RULES

1. It has to be short and sharp.

2. Be generous with your fellow callers.

3. Be natural because acts don’t work.

4. Good callers have wide experience.

5. Never forget you are there to entertain.

Every game of every round of the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. SIGN UP NOW!