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Full Noise by SN
Running It Straight is back!Legendary commentator Dennis Cometti dies, aged 76
Sam Edmund • March 4th, 2026 3:19 pm
FOR generations his voice laid the soundtrack to Australian sports biggest moments.
And he was centimetre perfect.
Dennis Cometti has died after battling illness. He was 76.
As a player, Cometti featured 40 times for West Perth in the WAFL, playing under the great Polly Farmer, before returning to coach the club. Cometti made the senior list at Footscray, but never played a VFL game.
But it was over half a century in broadcasting that he truly made his name.
Starting as a radio announcer in Perth in 1968, while he was still playing, Cometti rose to become one of Australia’s best-known and respected TV and radio broadcasters.
A trademark smooth delivery, deep knowledge, quick wit and humorous play on words made him a favourite in lounge rooms across the country.
There was that “cork in the ocean” and his “as lonely as a taxi driver in Meekatharra” lines. And who could forget Tony Liberatore entering a pack “optimistically, but came out misty optically”?
There was that “cork in the ocean” and his “as lonely as a taxi driver in Meekatharra” lines. And who could forget Tony Liberatore entering a pack “optimistically, but came out misty optically”?
He called the AFL from its beginning in 1990, but also covered cricket while presenting the sports news bulletins in Perth on Seven and Nine.
Cometti also covered three Olympics for Seven in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000), where he called some of the most memorable swimming gold medals in Australian history.
Cometti also covered three Olympics for Seven in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000), where he called some of the most memorable swimming gold medals in Australian history.
As Kieren Perkins sensationally touched the wall first in the men’s 1500m in Atlanta, Cometti beamed: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is gold, the rarest form of gold.”
Yet it was his partnership with Bruce McAvaney at AFL stadiums across the country that enshrined his legacy. The pair called some 450 games side by side.
His final game was the 2016 Grand Final – the 16th decider of his career - in which the Western Bulldogs broke a 62-year premiership drought.
Cometti’s name will endure as a member of the Sport Australia and AFL Halls of Fame. He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2019 and was bestowed countless other honours.
