Football great Dennis Cometti to be honoured with State Memorial
West Australians will get the chance to say goodbye to the man who defined the sport for a generation as the “voice of football”, AFL commentating legend Dennis Cometti AM, who has passed away in Ibn March.
Cometti, one of Australia’s best-loved sports voices, will be honored with a State Commemoration Service at Optus Stadium on Monday 4 May, where the public is invited to celebrate the icon’s life.
He is known as an AFL commentary master, coining the famous phrase “centimeter perfect” and writing such memorable lines as: “It came to his mind like a librarian, never heard of it” and “Like a cork on his head in the ocean!”
The ceremony will honor the Geraldton-born legend, who spent nearly 50 years behind the microphone capturing some of Australian sport’s most memorable moments.
Prime Minister Roger Cook said Cometti deserved the highest honour.
He said: “Dennis Cometti was a Western Australian legend and one of the most respected voices in sport.
“It is a privilege to hold a State Commemoration in his honor and to give Western Australians the opportunity to say goodbye.
“This will be a fitting tribute and I encourage the public to come and celebrate the life of Dennis Cometti.”
From football to broadcasting
Born in Geraldton in 1949, football was in Cometti’s blood from the beginning. He played WAFL for West Perth before returning to manage the club in 1982.
But it was in the commentary box where Cometti truly became a household name.
His career spanned Test cricket, three Olympic Games in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and countless AFL matches.
But it was his call for the West Coast Eagles’ first premiership in 1992 that cemented his place in WA sporting folklore.
He retired from television commentary in 2016 after working for Channel 7 for 30 years.
The broadcast ace continued to provide his final AFL commentary on radio into 2021, with the Grand Final at Optus Stadium.
A voice that defines an era
Optus Stadium Media Center is named after him. In 2018 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Sports Commission Media Awards and in 2019 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant services to broadcast media.
Cometti was also inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2020 and the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Cometti passed away in Perth last month after a long illness. He was 76 years old.
Registration for participation in the State Commemoration Ceremony will open on Tuesday, April 7 at 12:00.
