Sports broadcaster Sandy Roberts calls it a day on TV

Sports broadcaster Sandy Roberts will leave the television commentary box after a career spanning 46 years and more than 1100 VFL/AFL games. Hear some of his most memorable calls.

One of Australia’s iconic sports broadcasters in Sandy Roberts has announced his retirement from television broadcasting.

It draws the curtain on a career that began 46 years ago at BCV in Bendigo before progressing to Channel 7 in Adelaide before he arrived in Melbourne after the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Roberts leaves the commentary box having called more than 1100 AFL/VFL games, 19 Grand Finals, eight summer Olympics plus 25 years of golf and tennis.

He was the voice that told us “there’s a pig at full forward” at the SCG or “what more can you say” when Gary Ablett Snr kicked goal of the year at the MCG.

Sandy Roberts has retired from television broadcasting. Picture: Eugene Hyland

“I want to thank the viewers for welcoming me into their lounge rooms for almost five decades,” said Roberts, 68, who will continue to call on radio.

“It has been an honour and now it’s time to hand over the commentary box to the young guns.”

Roberts lists Ablett Snr as his favourite player to call, and Wayne Carey, Jason Dunstall, Tony Lockett and Simon Madden as the best players he has seen.

He says leaving Fox Footy where he has called for the past five years will free up his time.

“Our son Angus is doing Year 12 and is captain of the school tennis team so I’m looking forward to watching him,” he said.