Broadcasting legend and renowned AFL caller Dennis Cometti has been remembered as the \u201cvoice of football\u201d following his death, aged 76.<\/p>\n
Cometti, who commentated on AFL games for three decades until his retirement at the end of 2016, famously coined the phrase \u201ccentimetre perfect\u201d as well as other memorable one-liners like: \u201cHe came up on him like a librarian, he never heard him.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2020.<\/p>\n
Arguably the pre-eminent AFL caller, Cometti spearheaded Seven\u2019s coverage of the AFL and also had a stint with Nine.<\/p>\n
During his distinguished career, Cometti also covered Olympic Games, Test cricket and basketball.<\/p>\n
He famously called Kieren Perkins\u2019 win from Lane 8 at the 1996 Olympics.<\/p>\n
When Optus Stadium opened in Perth in 2018, the media centre was named in his honour.<\/p>\n
Other honours included being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019.<\/p>\n
Born in Geraldton in 1949, Cometti played 40 WAFL games for West Perth before becoming coach of the club in 1982.<\/p>\n
He then turned to broadcasting, first with the ABC for more than a decade, before making his most memorable mark with Seven.<\/p>\n
After wrapping up on television in 2016, alongside long-time partner Bruce McAvaney for the grand final, Cometti continued to call games for radio station Triple M until 2021.<\/p>\n
Countless tributes flowed for Cometti on Wednesday, with McAvaney describing Cometti as \u201cthe benchmark\u201d for Australian sports broadcasters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I think about Dennis, one of the first things I think about is the amount of joy he brought to all of our lives,\u201d McAvaney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many times did he make us laugh and smile? We would sit there and think, how did he think of that?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe leaves a legacy that is undeniable, unique, and authentic. In many ways he was the benchmark for all of those that are following in his footsteps. We are a nation who prides itself in having so many of the all-time great sport commentators, and he was up there with the very best of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps the most impressive thing about Dennis is that through his calling, he made footballers famous. That\u2019s a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
McAvaney said personally he had \u201clost something truly precious\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shared an extraordinary journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were a similar age and at similar stages of our lives, and we both understood the pressure that came with the role \u2013 the effort it demanded and the vulnerability that came with trying to live up to expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe leaned on each other through that. We always had each other\u2019s backs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Dennis and I started our careers as colleagues, we ended as friends and I am so grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
AFL boss Andrew Dillon cited the 2016 decider as a \u201csimply perfect\u201d call and thanked Cometti for bringing \u201cexcitement into homes\u201d of all fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cDennis\u2019 call of that amazing game was simply perfect but every fan of a certain age has their own catchphrase that jumps straight to the tongue, whether it\u2019s \u2018cork in the ocean\u2019, \u2018centimetre perfect\u2019 or Buddy sprinting down the wing at the MCG,\u201d Dillon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are privileged that so much of his greatest work calling our biggest games is easily available for all fans, and thank you Dennis for illuminating footy and your contribution across the country to bring that excitement into homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state had \u201clost a legend\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dennis Cometti AM, and my heart goes out to his family and friends. Dennis was a familiar face \u2014 and voice \u2014 on our TV screens and airwaves for decades,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cBorn in Geraldton to Italian migrants, Dennis was the embodiment of an Australian success story. Humble beginnings, hard work, and an extraordinary life built on talent and passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it came to calling a footy game, nobody did it better. He truly was the voice of football. <\/p>\n
\u201cBefore becoming one of the most widely respected voices in Australian sport, Cometti had a proud WAFL career with West Perth Football Club, where he played and coached with the same passion he later brought to the commentary box.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis honours were many: a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, appointed to the Order of Australia, and an 11-time AFMA television broadcaster of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom generations of Australians \u2014 thank you for the memories, the laughter and the magic.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Opposition leader Basil Zempilas \u2014 who was a colleague of Cometti\u2019s for many years at Seven \u2014 echoed the sentiment of his political rival.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an incredible privilege to have known Den, to have worked with him and to have been able to call him a friend,\u201d Mr Zempilas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all so proud of Den. He was one of a kind. The best in the business, incredibly gifted and dedicated to his craft and such a warm, caring person. <\/p>\n
\u201cDen you will be missed, but never forgotten. You had such a profound impact on so many. Especially me. <\/p>\n
\u201cGo well my friend and thank you for everything. My deepest condolences, to Velia, Ricki and Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Broadcasting legend and renowned AFL caller Dennis Cometti has been remembered as the \u201cvoice of football\u201d following his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,43961,85],"class_list":["post-518389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-newswire-sport","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}