Though Dennis Cometti is best known as a sports commentator, his dry wit has made him a legend, though his oldest fans will remember his start in the media as a top 40 disc jockey at radio station 6KY in 1968, one year after his league debut for West Perth as a 17 year old.

Not only was he a former Australian rules football player and coach for West Perth in the West Australian Football League, he also played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League, whilst maintaining his radio presence announcing on 6PM, 3DB in Melbourne and 6PR.

It was his radio career that took him to Melbourne in 1970 to work at 3DB and play football for Footscray reserves, until injury forced him to hang up his boots and return to Perth where he joined the ABC in 1972 to concentrated exclusively on sport. He became the youngest commentator at the age of 23 in ABC history, to broadcast his first Test match in 1973 and for the next 13 years broadcast Test Cricket alongside Alan McGilvray AM MBE (1909-1996) the doyen of cricket commentators in Australia. Both men are now recognised for their distinctive commentary styles.

In 1986, Dennis joined the Seven Network and called AFL matches around the country as well as covering two Commonwealth Games and being Seven’s chief swimming commentator at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics Games, as well as the 1998 World Swimming Championships in Perth. When the Seven Network regained the VFL television rights in 1988, Cometti became the highest profile commentator of VFL/AFL matches.

When Seven lost the rights to broadcast AFL matches Cometti switched to the Nine Network in 2002, but re-signed with Seven when they regained the rights to broadcast AFL games starting from 2007. Dennis is the only network television commentator to have broadcast every season of the national competition. For the past seven years he has been voted the Australian Football Media Association’s “Most Outstanding Television Caller” award and twice “Media Personality of the Year”. He is also a member of the MCG Hall of Fame and the AFMA Hall of Fame in recognition of his services, and for his colourful commentary.

Dennis has accrued a wealth of sporting experience by commentating on football, basketball, hockey, boxing, athletics, equestrian, swimming and cricket. His passion though, is football.

Now Dennis has collaborated with the Los Angeles-based James McKenna to pen the song ‘Last One Standing’ specifically for the 2010 AFL Grand Final.

‘Last One Standing’

WA TV History
Dennis has collaborated with the Los Angeles-based James McKenna to pen the song ‘Last One Standing’ specifically for the 2010 AFL Grand Final.

‘Centimetre perfect’ has become one his trademark phrases, known as ‘Cometti-isms’. These and many more have now been brought together in a pocket book of classic quotes that appeal to his football fans.

A follow-up to his best-selling Centimetre Perfect? Some would say, ‘That’s Ambitious’.

‘Thats Ambitious’ contains another collection of his incomparable one-liners and football wisdom.

Memorable Cometti Footy Quotes:

• “Barlow to Bateman, the Hawks are attacking alphabetically.”
• “The Magpies ought to be kicking themselves right now, but with their luck, they’d probably miss.”
• “He went into the pack optimistically and came out misty optically.”
• “Why would he do that. There’s more cameras here than Tokyo airport.”
• “Bell bringing the ball out of the back line… looking for wide runners… passes to Walker… a contradiction in terms, really.”
• “Hay is bailed up on the boundary line…”
• “Carr drives along the wing…”
• “Parker to Carr……sounds like a match made in heaven!”
• “Kevin Sheedy, who was coaching Essendon 14 years before Adelaide was founded. The team, not the city.”
• “…still inside the centre square.”
• “Like a Melbourne Tram, a lot jumped on but nothing was paid.”
• “The Tiger fans will beat the traffic home tonight.”
• “Farmer may have an injury to his calf……..hmmm, a farmer with a calf problem.”
• “Richo’s play is red-hot, but his goal-kicking is at room temperature.”
• “The Bunsen burner’s being applied to Danny Frawley’s posterior. He’s in the hot seat.”
• “Spider had both his legs taken out from under him – leaving only the other six to balance on.”
• “He’s made a typo! – he wanted Bickley and he’s got Buckley!”
• “Shaun (McManus) goes back to collect the ball, a free kick, and several teeth.”
• “In for the Cats today, David and Steve Johnson. Who better to patch up a line-up than Johnson & Johnson?”
• “Ball in dispute, Lamb, now Yze the meat in the sandwich. Really Lamb should be in the sandwich.”
• “Diabetics look away cause that was Sweet.”
• “Brent (Guerra) hates losing and that extends to his hair.”
• “Dennis Cometti, several years ago, Fremantle v Port, Josh Carr wearing 9 for Port, crunches his brother Matthew, wearing 9 for Freo. “How’s that, a two Carr collision, both with the same rego!”
• “Daniel Metropolis playing for the Eagles was gang tackled by three opposition players. “Now there’s a city under siege.”
• “I wonder what the team psychologist will make of that. (Shane) Tuck dropped the mark and immediately shouted out his own surname.”
• “At one point in a match Dennis referred to Ryan Hargrave as looking “fresh”, but then later Hargrave was taken off the field with ice wrapped around his ankle. Another commentator noted that Hargrave didn’t look very fresh any more, prompting Dennis to say, “If he was an avocado, you wouldn’t buy him”.”
• “(Nathan) Bassett’s my man. He never takes a breather. If he was a postman I reckon he’d finish his round in 20 minutes, stopping only to bite a few dogs.”
• “Ed (McGuire) had an aura. I remember he asked his personal assistant, ‘Have you seen the letter opener?’ and she replied, ‘It’s his day off.’ I was impressed.”