Roast Jason Dunstall

[Cheesey Mac]

The AFL commentators across the board are involved in a race to the bottom, there are so few good commentators going around.

I don't dislike Dunstall, he is one of the better ones of the current crop, but that isn't saying much because it is such a low bar to clear.

BT is appalling, Bruce is a self-parody, and the rest of the channel 7 team are just as bad in their own ways.

Over on Fox Anthony Hudson has moments where he's excellent and moments where he's reaching really hard (the 'miracle on grass' springs to mind for me, he must've been watching the Kurt Russell film in the hotel that day and had it fresh in his mind, because a below average Brisbane side coming from nowhere to beat Geelong lacks the same gravity as the USSR losing at ice hockey in the Olympics for the first time in forever... IMO anyway), and outside of Hudson there is virtually no one else to write home about. Dwayne is just... horrible. Dermie is a shocker. McGuire shouldn't be calling games. Brown has had a few too many concussions.

The problem with sports announcers in this country, compared to sports announcers in the US, is that here ex-players/untrained announcers are able to have much larger input into the play-by-play of a broadcast and are way more unprofessional because they've never been trained. Where as in the US they have an actual play-by-play guy who normally is a career announcer/journalist, has normally never played and is supported by a special comments guy who was a former player who chips in when necessary but doesn't take over. Any bias or links to a certain team are certainly not as nakedly on display as we have in Australia. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on CBS are probably the best example of the career announcer/ex-player special comments tandem, but even Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are worth looking at as an example. Collinsworth is a frustrating special comments guy but Michaels as the play-by-play guy helps keep it grounded. Imagine having 3 Collinsworth's calling the play-by-play, that is sometimes how it feels listening to AFL commentary.

At a certain point commentators here substituted raising their voices and looking for storylines for actually calling the bloody game.

 

[1954]

Maybe this bloke - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Collins_(Australian_footballer)

Thanks
I can vaguely recall Collins , but I reckon the bloke I was referring to was a local from centrals, and he was about kpp size.

 

[LFC2010]

What I'd love to see is it go back to 2 commentators, and have a boundary rider that does interviews at the breaks and pre game stuff in the change rooms and that's it.

 

[Willsy10]

I think Huddo is the clear best in the business now. Bruce used to be really good, especially in tandem with Dennis but he is well past his prime now and a borderline self parody at times.

This might be unpopular but the other commentator i rate is James Brayshaw.

 

[DaTBird187]

Thanks
I can vaguely recall Collins , but I reckon the bloke I was referring to was a local from centrals, and he was about kpp size.

Didn't Anthony Ingerson go to Melbourne?

 

[1954]

Didn't Anthony Ingerson go to Melbourne?

That's him.

 

[VineValerian]

I think Huddo is the clear best in the business now. Bruce used to be really good, especially in tandem with Dennis but he is well past his prime now and a borderline self parody at times.

This might be is absolutely unpopular but the other commentator i rate is James Brayshaw.

FTFY.

 

[edgie]

Brayshaw, Bruce, Luke Darcy, Derwayne, Rompingwins, even Carey, have a certain appeal to me, as they are familiar with South Australian football history, ergo they are familiar with Port Adelaide history, which is important.

 

[Spadge]

I would chip in a few extra dollars to foxtel just to have the ability to turn commentary off and just have crowd/game noise

 

[raman]

I would chip in a few extra dollars to foxtel just to have the ability to turn commentary off and just have crowd/game noise

They had that in the early days of Fox Footy. Then someone tapped them on the shoulder and reminded them that the commentary is one of their advertising channels, and it was quickly gone.

 

[Fizzler]

If I'm picking my favourite commentators it's gotta be Huddo and Nigel Carmody. Sandy Roberts has to be my favourite from the old days and Cometti will always be a favourite of mine, unlike Bruce he didn't overstay his welcome. Bruce can be good but he's lost it a little lately. BT I don't find very good anymore. There aren't many out there that are very good anymore. I'd say half are at the very least passable and then there's the shit which we're all familiar with.

 

[StuMan]

Mark Howard has been doing games for Fox this year. He goes okay in a no frills kind of way. Probably my preferred Fox caller after Hudson.

 

[70sDinosaur]

That's him.

Politician's kid, wasn't he?

 

[70sDinosaur]

Thanks
I can vaguely recall Collins , but I reckon the bloke I was referring to was a local from centrals, and he was about kpp size.

A few years ago I was in the local chemist getting served by an older woman. The conversation turned to football and she mentioned that her son had played for the crows. Turned out it was Matthew Collins.

 

[philreich]

When I watch the footy at home, I invariably mute the TV and listen to the radio commentary. Yeah there's sometimes a delay between the commentary and what's happening on the screen, but so be it - it's the lesser of 2 evils.

I used to enjoy listening to Rex and the 3AW team. Rex wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I found him entertaining. One day the game at the MCG was a walkover, so Rex wasn't interested in describing what was happening on the field - he talked about his wife's cooking instead. He says, "She asked me to put the rubbish out last night. I said, 'You put it out - you cooked it.'"

 

[ibd77]

When I watch the footy at home, I invariably mute the TV and listen to the radio commentary. Yeah there's sometimes a delay between the commentary and what's happening on the screen, but so be it - it's the lesser of 2 evils.

I used to enjoy listening to Rex and the 3AW team. Rex wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I found him entertaining. One day the game at the MCG was a walkover, so Rex wasn't interested in describing what was happening on the field - he talked about his wife's cooking instead. He says, "She asked me to put the rubbish out last night. I said, 'You put it out - you cooked it.'"

Loved Rex Hunt just on entertainment value. It made the neutral games more entertaining to listen to or watch with the TV on mute.

 

[PepeSilvia]

Brenton Speed's excellent but doesn't seem to get many games. Adam Papalia was promising but I feel like I haven't heard him for a couple of years? Jason Bennett I find quite decent as well.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Luke Hodge is the new worst of the lot. Takes forever to say nothing, and has the charisma of a doorknob.

 

[HinkleysHeroes]

The problem with current commentators is that instead of just calling the game they give their own opinions on every single play.

Just call the damn game so I can shut my eyes and understand what's going on.

Bring back Dennis full time pls.

 

[raman]

Luke Hodge is the new worst of the lot. Takes forever to say nothing, and has the charisma of a doorknob.

Clearly you've only seen sub-par doorknobs in your time.

 

[Incarnate]

I’d dig deeper, I’d suggest their bias is a directive to the viewing audience also.

same as the subconscious umpiring pointing the wrong way multiple times, where they are sweating for a dogs free kick.

Are you suggesting manipulation by the governing body? Then may I ask, for what commercial purposes would one deem this a possibility?

 

[LeoMessi]

I’m so glad someone opened a thread on this. Q ball commentary was beyond deplorable in this game. Cudos to Roo calling him out on that shoulder drop

 

[Pappagallo]

IMO ex-players are almost universally not very good at being commentators.

Legit question, is it brain damage?

 

[raman]

IMO ex-players are almost universally not very good at being commentators.

Legit question, is it brain damage?

No it's that being a commentator is a particular skillset and there's no reason whatsoever it'd overlap with being an ex player.

 

[Pappagallo]

No it's that being a commentator is a particular skillset and there's no reason whatsoever it'd overlap with being an ex player.

A lot of that is cognitive skill though, speech, memory, wit etc. Surely 15 years of head trauma has a negative impact on all these things. I agree that some probably just weren’t born with the knack but it can’t be a coincidence that almost none of them were.