Dennis Cometti

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Dennis Cometti (born 1949) is a former Australian rules football player and coach for West Perth in the West Australian Football League but is best known as a commentator. In a career spanning more almost 40 years, his dry humour and smooth voice have become his trademark.

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[edit] Early career

He commenced his media career as radio announcer in Perth, Western Australia in 1968. In 1973 he joined the ABC and made his name nationally and internationally calling cricket alongside the legendary Alan McGilvray.

[edit] Television career

[edit] Seven Network 1986-2001

In 1986 he surprised many by moving to the Seven Network and with the introduction of the West Coast Eagles to the VFL in 1987, he became the highest profile commentator of VFL/AFL matches from Western Australia. He stayed with Seven until 2001, until they lost the rights to broadcast AFL matches.

In the late 1990s, he was among those to have been sent up by impersonator Andrew Startin on Live And Kicking.

Over his career with the station, he called eight AFL Grand Finals. He also commentated at Olympic swimming competitions in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

[edit] Move to Nine Network (2002-2006)

Cometti switched to the Nine Network in 2002 and alongside Eddie McGuire, Dermott Brereton and Garry Lyon has become one of the channel's leading Australian rules football callers. Occasionally, he returns to cricket commentary and in 2003/04 called an Australia A game.

His commentary had also been featured in video games such as AFL Live 2004 and AFL Premiership 2005.

[edit] Return to Seven (2007-)

On December 8 2006 it was announced that Cometti has signed with the Seven Network in a move that will see him team up with Bruce McAvaney to call AFL from 2007. [1]


Cometti currently resides in the Perth Suburb of Yokine.

[edit] Cometti-isms

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Fans of Dennis Cometti's dry commentary style often refer to his quirks and clever uses of puns as cometti-isms. In 2003 he was challenged each week by breakfast DJs on Perth radio station 96FM to seamlessly incorporate a line from a song into his commentary, such as "like a virgin, touched for the very first time".

"Centimetre perfect" is perhaps his most used and most famous line, and was the title of a book he wrote in 2004.

Other quoted cometti-isms include:

  • "That was ambitious"
  • "Like a cork in the ocean"
  • "....question of accuracy"
  • "Metres in the clear"
  • "You get the feeling at the present time ..."
  • "Kicks into a nest of Eagles"
  • "That's not one for the time capsule"
  • "What was he thinking........"
  • "What would you put that down too... over enthusiasm"
  • "Bit of quick thinking in heavy traffic."
  • "Tantalisingly close"
  • "You've got the feeling that this game is going to come down to the last man standing"
  • "Gun barrel straight"
  • "Speed reading, til they hit a bookmark"

[edit] References to specific people and clubs

  • "Shaun (McManus) goes back to collect the ball, a free kick, and several teeth."
  • "It's not easy being Green"
  • "Injuries and a careless case of Croad rage might leave the Dockers playing catch-up . . . again"
  • "The Bunsen burner's being applied to Danny Frawley`s posterior. He's in the hot seat."
  • "The Tiger fans will beat the traffic home tonight."
  • "Richardson's play is red-hot, but his goal-kicking is at room temperature."
  • "Libba went into the pack optimistically, but came out misty, optically" (Liberatore had blood from a cut above the eye.)
  • "Gaspar, the unfriendly post." (Gaspar's shot at goal had hit the goal post)
  • "Scotty Cummings alone in the square, jumping up and down and waving his arms like they're playing My Sharona"
  • "A couple of big touches from Clive (Waterhouse), who was battling up until about 5 minutes ago, in danger of becoming Clive Waterboy."
  • "(Cameron) Ling's running off the ground a little bit gingerly"
  • "The Hawks play modern football, with 60's haircuts.....they're my kind of team."
  • "The Magpies ought to be kicking themselves right now, but with their luck, they'd probably miss."
  • "(Daniel) Metropolis, kicking from the city end"
  • "(Jeff) Farmer may have an injury to his calf........hmmm, a farmer with a calf problem."
  • "Barlow to Bateman. The Hawks are attacking alphabetically..."
  • "Adem Yze, terrific footballer, terrible Scrabble hand."
  • "Turns out that light at the end of the tunnel I mentioned earlier was only the 5:00 Frankston" (train that runs from the MCG)
  • "And the umpire says "Hey, you, get off of McLeod"

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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