Legendary WA commentator Dennis Cometti dies aged 76

Legendary WA sports commentator Dennis Cometti has passed away at age 76, with Cometti’s family confirming his death this morning.

Cometti was said to have been “battling illness”, but no further details about the nature of Cometti’s death have been made public.

ABC Presenter Mark Gibson, who worked alongside Dennis Cometti for more than a decade, broke the news of his death with Nadia Mitsopoulos on 102.5 ABC Perth this morning. “Dennis Cometti is a legend of this state in broadcasting, in sports, in media and is a much-loved member of the community,” Gibson said. “Dennis has been unwell for several years. This is a great, great loss for Western Australia.”

Cometti was best known for his work as a VFL/AFL commentator on television from 1986, coining iconic one-liners such as “centimetre perfect”.

Originally from Geraldton, Cometti’s sports journey began in 1967, when he played 40 matches for West Perth. Cometti made the senior list for Footscray’s VFL team in 1971 but never played a senior match due to injuries and media commitments.

Cometti then entered the broadcasting industry, working for the ABC from 1972 to 1986, during which time he also coached West Perth for three seasons. He called the test cricket for a decade before joining Channel 7 and Channel 9 to cover AFL matches until 2021.

Cometti made WA football history when he commentated the West Coast Eagles’ first AFL premiership game in 1992, and across his career, he also broadcast three Summer Olympic Games, in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).

In 2018, Cometti was called to name the media centre at Optus Stadium in his honour, and in 2019, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, the same year that he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Tributes have poured in from across the AFL and WA community. On social media, the Australian Football League honoured Cometti in a statement: “Known for his dry wit and inspired turn of phrase, Cometti retired in 2021 after a career that spanned 51 years and countless iconic one-liners. Vale, Dennis.”

Retiring AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder, long-time colleague Bruce McAvaney, former colleague Basil Zempilas, interim WA Football Chief Executive Peter Bell, WA Premier Roger Cook and more also paid tribute to the broadcasting legend.

RIP Dennis Cometti (1949-2026)