Dennis Cometti has called his final AFL game but won’t disappear from TV screens for good, with the Seven network announcing that the sports broadcasting great will commentate on Western Australian Football League (WAFL) games in 2017 and beyond.
An official statement on the Wafl website said: “The West Australian Football Commission is excited to announce former AFL commentator Dennis Cometti will be joining the Channel Seven WA Football League broadcast team for the 2017 McDonald’s WAFL Premiership Season.”
The popular broadcaster received an emotional farewell from his Seven network co-caller Bruce McAvaney after the Cometti’s former team the Western Bulldogs broke through for their first AFL premiership in 62 years last Saturday, but the Perth native has stressed throughout the year that he’s retiring from travel, rather than football broadcasting itself.
“I just feel that now I’m not enjoying it because of the travel,” he told Guardian Australia last week. “I’ve met some great people along the way, and that’s all good and well, but at the same time you think ‘I’m starting to punish myself now’. At my age it’s probably not the time to be taking the punishment.”
In the past fortnight Cometti had forewarned of the move back to his broadcasting roots, saying: “I could wander down to the WAFL and just sit in on the telecast. I’d like that. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, because not many go to the WAFL, but that’s where my youth is. I’m sort of mired back in the 50s and 60s”.
“I could see myself being an ‘expert’ in inverted commas,” he added. “As a failed coach I’m perfectly credentialed to do that.”
Cometti has also said he’ll continue blogging and writing for Channel Seven, and his ongoing broadcasting role will be a special comments one, rather than play-by-play commentary. “I love local football,” Cometti told Seven. “The WAFL is where I cut my teeth.”
