Centimetre perfect: broadcast doyen Dennis Cometti dies
Dennis Cometti, the beloved sports broadcaster who coined some of the AFL’s most memorable quotes, has died aged 76.
Cometti’s distinguished career spanned more than half a century across a variety of sports, but he was best known for his work as an AFL commentator; Here, his pleasant voice and quick wit made him a name known to everyone.
‘Comets’ such as ‘centimeter perfect’, ‘inside optimistically, out foggy’ and ‘came behind like a librarian’ have become part of the football lexicon.
Born in Geraldton, Western Australia, Cometti played 40 games for West Perth in the WAFL before embarking on a full-time broadcasting career.
He worked for the ABC from 1972 to 1985, where he broadcast his first Test cricket match at the age of 23.
Cometti joined Seven in 1986 and spent much of the next three decades at the network; he has also done stints on Nine, 3AW and Triple M.
Alongside his long-time commentator partner Bruce McAvaney, he has covered some of the AFL’s most memorable moments.
He retired from full-time commentating in 2016 and played his last AFL game in 2021 when the grand final was held in Perth.
Cometti, who covered the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games, was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and became a member of the Order of Australia.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said Cometti was a legend of the game and paid tribute to his “incredible turns of phrase”.
“From a football standpoint, I think what he will be best remembered for is bringing our game to life with his commentary,” Dillon told reporters.
“This is a truly sad day for the AFL and the Cometti family. We send our condolences to them and he will be remembered very fondly by everyone in the AFL.”
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
