Football’s golden voice, Dennis Cometti, to share his thoughts on AFL at Advertiser-Channel 7 grand final luncheon

LAUDED Australian sports broadcaster Dennis Cometti is the headline act at this year’s Advertiser Foundation-Channel Seven grand final luncheon at Adelaide Oval.

Much-admired sporting commentator Dennis Cometti, with daughter, Ricki, is the special guest speaker at this month’s Advertiser Foundation-Channel Seven AFL grand final luncheon at Adelaide Oval.

AS Lance “Buddy” Franklin bounced his way along the cricket members’ wing at Adelaide Oval last month to kick the goal of the year, Channel 7 commentator Bruce McAvaney made a plea on national television.

“Dennis, where are you?” McAvaney said. “I need you right now!”

So where was Dennis Cometti, the man with the extraordinary vocabulary (and wit) to capture in his perfectly smooth voice all that the eye has seen but is doubting?

“I was at the fridge,” Cometti said. “I heard Bruce in the distance ...

“And the next day, after I’d seen the replay of the goal, I did send a text message to Bruce saying he called it better than I would have ...

Dennis Cometti with his Channel Seven AFL commentary team buddy Bruce McAvaney.

“And it did bounce better for ‘Buddy’ too,” adds Cometti, a 40-game WAFL player (and later coach) for West Coast who was denied by injury his VFL-AFL career at Footscray.

There are many who have repeated McAvaney’s question — “Dennis, where are you?” - as the AFL finals series unfolds without Cometti in the television commentary box leaving his indelible (and cherished) mark on football history.

There will be those who still say Cometti, 68, took his curtain call at Channel 7 far too early considering the fans were still rating highly his work behind the microphone.

“I’m always reminded of when I started at the ABC and asked (former WA football State captain and Perth great) Bob Shields why he had retired at 27,” Cometti said. “He replied, ‘I was not going to get any better’.”

Cometti is still to make the total transition from the commentary box to the outer at AFL games. He was still behind the microphone this season, once each weekend calling AFL matches for radio TripleM at the now discarded Subiaco Oval in Perth.

“And, as my daughter told me,” adds Cometti, “this was my first Father’s Day at home in 32 years. I would have preferred her saying it was a ‘long time’ rather than keeping score.”

Cometti spent those 32 years calling VFL-AFL games at weekends — and during the week reviewing the tapes from matches involving the six teams he would be calling the next weekend.

In “retirement”, Cometti finds he is listening to the commentary more today than he did when he was in the booth — or his study at home.

“And I have developed some pet hates,” he says. “Such as arm-wrestle ... doesn’t seem the right phrase for Australian football, does it.”

Cometti returns to Adelaide in a fortnight for The Advertiser Foundation-Channel Seven grand final luncheon at Adelaide Oval as the special guest speaker. He headlines the card with Carlton premiership player, Mark Maclure.

Tickets to the function, at $160, are available by booking on 82062344 or email [e-mail].

Originally published as Football’s golden voice, Dennis Cometti, to share his thoughts on AFL at Advertiser-Channel 7 grand final luncheon