how commentator Dennis Cometti became footy’s favourite voice
- Written by Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
On the eve of the 2026[1] AFL season, players and fans are mourning[2] the loss of legendary commentator[3] Dennis Cometti.
Cometti passed away in Perth on Wednesday after battling Alzheimer’s disease[4] and dementia[5] for several years.
Known and loved for his warm character and quick-witted “Cometti-isms”, he was a giant of Australian sports broadcasting.
He was 76.
The player
While Cometti is best remembered for his unique[6] commentary style, he was also a talented footballer in his younger years.
He played 38 games[7] for West Perth (1967–71) in the West Australian Football League and also coached[8] the team for three seasons (1982–84).
His best year was as a 19-year-old in 1968, when he kicked 63 goals[9] under the coaching of the legendary Graham “Polly” Farmer.
He made the senior list[10] at Footscray in 1971, but did not play a senior VFL game due to injuries and media commitments.
He returned to Perth and had success as captain-coach of Maddington[11] in the South Suburban Murray Football League, winning a hat-trick of premierships from 1974–76 and being club best and fairest in 1975 and 1976.
He also coached Kelmscott[12] to the premiership in the same competition in 1979.
But it was commentary where Cometti really thrived.
The commentator
Cometti’s media career began as a disc jockey[13] on Perth radio station 6KY[14] in 1968.
He covered a range of sports[15], including cricket, Australian rules football and swimming across five decades[16].
Cometti worked for the ABC from 1972 to 1985, calling more than 100 cricket Test matches[17] and working alongside another legendary commentator, Alan McGilvray[18].
But he was best known for his work as a VFL/AFL commentator.
He moved to the Seven Network in 1986[19] to cover football. He was chief caller[20] across Seven and Nine for the next three decades.
He called more than 1,000[21] matches[22] on television and radio, including nearly 500[23] with his close friend Bruce McAvaney.
Their partnership from 2007 to 2016 became one of the most respected[24] commentary pairings in Australian sport[25].
Separate to his AFL achievements, Cometti also played a key role in Seven’s broadcast of three Summer Olympic[26] Games: Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
He is best remembered for his commentary of iconic gold medals[27] from swimmers such as Kieren Perkins, Susie O'Neill and Ian Thorpe.
When he retired from television commentary following the 2016[28] AFL grand final, he was the only[29] network television commentator to have broadcast every AFL season.
He retired from all broadcasting after calling the the 2021 AFL grand final for Triple M radio[30].
Outside of the commentary box, Cometti was renowned for being warm[31], generous[32] with his time, and for his extensive[33] preparation[34] for games.
The preparation, often done while flying from Perth to Melbourne for games, allowed him to be one of the game’s most knowledgeable[35] commentators, even though he did not play the game at the highest level.
‘Cometti-isms’
In addition to his smooth voice[36] and deep knowledge[37], Cometti was famous for his quick wit[38] and timing[39], which resulted in many famous pieces[40] of sports commentary.
These included many entertaining[41] one[42]-liners[43], often called “Commetti-isms[44]”.
Well-known examples include:
Another fan favourite[45] was his description[46] of Bulldogs midfielder Tony Liberatore emerging from a pack with a cut above his eye: “Libba went into the pack optimistically, but came out misty, optically.”
The national treasure
Cometti has been described as a “national treasure[47]”, “without peer[48]”, the “voice of football[49]” and the “benchmark[50]” for all other commentators.
He was the AFL Media Association’s caller of the year a record 11 times[51].
Cometti was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019[52] and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame[53] in 2019 and the Australian Football[54] Hall of Fame[55] in 2020[56].
Continuing legacy
Cometti is considered one of Australia’s greatest[57] ever commentators.
His voice was the soundtrack to some of Australia’s greatest triumphs[58] and he will be deeply missed, but not forgotten.
The Media[59] Centre[60] at Optus Stadium in Perth was named[61] in his honour when it opened in 2018[62].
His quotes have been compiled[63] into several books[64] and a documentary[65] focused on his commentary career will premier later this year.
His iconic description of Heath Shaw coming up “like a librarian[66]” to smother[67] the ball in the 2010 Grand Final replay was featured as a Toyota Legendary Moment[68] in 2025.
Additionally, the “Golden Cometti[69]” award[70] for outstanding commentary is awarded annually on popular[71] AFL focused show “The Front Bar[72]”.
A giant of sport and media
For more than five decades, Cometti shone in the often harshly criticised world of sports commentary with barely a bad word said about him.
His passing sparked an outpouring of grief[73] among countless athletes, teams, leagues, media personalities and the general public.
Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy, a long-time colleague of Cometti’s, summed it up perfectly: “
Cometti was simply one of the best and a joy to work with. He turned good moments into great, and great moments into forever memorable.
He leaves a legacy that is unique and authentic.
References
- ^ 2026 (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ mourning (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ legendary commentator (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ Alzheimer’s disease (www.smh.com.au)
- ^ dementia (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ unique (www.espn.com.au)
- ^ 38 games (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ coached (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ 63 goals (westperthfc.com.au)
- ^ senior list (www.sen.com.au)
- ^ Maddington (perthfootballhistory.com.au)
- ^ Kelmscott (westperthfc.com.au)
- ^ disc jockey (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ 6KY (watvhistory.com)
- ^ range of sports (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ five decades (www.codesports.com.au)
- ^ 100 cricket Test matches (www.dailytelegraph.com.au)
- ^ Alan McGilvray (sahof.org.au)
- ^ 1986 (www.espn.com.au)
- ^ chief caller (www.themercury.com.au)
- ^ more than 1,000 (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ matches (www.foxsports.com.au)
- ^ nearly 500 (7news.com.au)
- ^ most respected (www.mediaweek.com.au)
- ^ Australian sport (wa.campaignbrief.com)
- ^ Olympic (www.espn.com.au)
- ^ iconic gold medals (wa.campaignbrief.com)
- ^ 2016 (www.foxsports.com.au)
- ^ only (watvhistory.com)
- ^ radio (www.perthnow.com.au)
- ^ warm (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ generous (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ extensive (www.sen.com.au)
- ^ preparation (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ most knowledgeable (www.cits.wa.gov.au)
- ^ smooth voice (www.sen.com.au)
- ^ knowledge (www.cits.wa.gov.au)
- ^ quick wit (www.sen.com.au)
- ^ timing (www.dailytelegraph.com.au)
- ^ famous pieces (www.foxsports.com.au)
- ^ entertaining (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ one (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ liners (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ Commetti-isms (www.theage.com.au)
- ^ fan favourite (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ description (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ national treasure (www.news.com.au)
- ^ without peer (www.news.com.au)
- ^ voice of football (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ benchmark (www.abc.net.au)
- ^ 11 times (thewest.com.au)
- ^ 2019 (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ Sport Australia Hall of Fame (sahof.org.au)
- ^ Australian Football (www.foxsports.com.au)
- ^ Hall of Fame (thewest.com.au)
- ^ 2020 (www.afl.com.au)
- ^ greatest (www.theage.com.au)
- ^ greatest triumphs (www.news.com.au)
- ^ Media (optusstadium.com.au)
- ^ Centre (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ named (www.cits.wa.gov.au)
- ^ 2018 (www.themercury.com.au)
- ^ compiled (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ books (www.qbd.com.au)
- ^ documentary (www.foxsports.com.au)
- ^ like a librarian (www.nine.com.au)
- ^ smother (www.news.com.au)
- ^ Toyota Legendary Moment (pressroom.toyota.com.au)
- ^ Golden Cometti (www.facebook.com)
- ^ award (www.instagram.com)
- ^ popular (www.smh.com.au)
- ^ The Front Bar (7plus.com.au)
- ^ outpouring of grief (www.nine.com.au)
Authors: Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
