Do you find the commentary over dramatic?

[FreddyTwoShoes]

Yes, the commentary is generally over-dramatised BUT the bigger issue in my opinion is the laziness of commentators.
Many of them:

• Won't learn the rules (they still think deliberate oob is a thing)
• Misidentify players who look vaguely similar
• Won't keep up to date with tactical trends
• For colour, they rely on that one bit of info they collected years ago (Pendles was a basketballer etc.)

It galls me they are paid professionals and they do such a half-assed job of it (generally speaking).

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

If you listen to games from the 60s-80s vs now, its a very telling touchstone of where we are as a culture. For most of the 20th century it was all about trying to be quasi-British, from the 90s onwards its all about imitating the seppos. Surprised we don't have F-15s doing acrobatic flyovers before every game.

 

[Corkintheocean]

Drury is fine if you don't listen to him every week.

"IT'S (INSERT FULL NAME OF PLAYER)!" for every shot taken in a match is not my idea of fine.

His overly preprepared post goal/final whistle musings also grate.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

"IT'S (INSERT FULL NAME OF PLAYER)!" for every shot taken in a match is not my idea of fine.

His overly preprepared post goal/final whistle musings also grate.

Exactly, he’s like Gerard Whateley on steroids.

Imagine having to listen to this shit after every match:

“This… is a tale woven into black and white. A symphony of sweat, sinew, and soaring belief. At the final siren, it is Collingwood—yes, Collingwood!—who stand tallest on the biggest day of all. They have danced with destiny… and they have not blinked.

In a game that gave us everything—lead changes like heartbeats, tackles like thunderclaps, and goals that defied logic—it came down to courage, conviction, and perhaps, a whisper of fate. The Lions roared, make no mistake. They clawed, they soared, and they very nearly stole it. But the Magpies… oh, the Magpies! They simply refused to fall

It is the triumph of resilience over regret. Of a team that has so often come close—too close—but today, under the glare of the MCG sun, they found the final thread of greatness. They found the finish.

Scott Pendlebury—timeless, ageless—guiding with the calm of a general and the poise of a poet. Bobby Hill, electric, elusive, and eternal in this folklore. And Craig McRae, who came as a teacher, leaves today a master.

From heartbreak in 2018 to heaven in 2023—Collingwood have climbed the mountain. And now, as confetti falls like springtime snow, the premiership flag flies proudly above Victoria Park once more.

This is not just a win. This… is vindication. This… is Collingwood’s coronation.”

 

[Cleavy]

Yes, the commentary is generally over-dramatised BUT the bigger issue in my opinion is the laziness of commentators.
Many of them:

• Won't learn the rules (they still think deliberate oob is a thing)
• Misidentify players who look vaguely similar
• Won't keep up to date with tactical trends
• For colour, they rely on that one bit of info they collected years ago (Pendles was a basketballer etc.)

get outta town! news to me!

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Mcavaney was the best imo

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Mcavaney was the best imo

I feel like he kind of became a parody of himself in the end. But there was a sweet spot where him and Commetti were a great combination

 

[FlowersByIrene]

It's all very saccharine and lacks weight.

I don't watch much Premier League, but you get fed the occasionally clip of some expert level commentary from those leagues with very well spoken summations of the moment, the historical importance, gravity etc. "Pressure, what pressure" is a famous one that gets used in a lot of edits.

I'd love if the commentary in the AFL took a moment to be a bit more serious. Not just critical - which they can be, but serious - don't be afraid to call a spade a spade and say - this is a big game, this means something, failure is important, success more so.

I'd love having some more commentators with a feel for the moment and the narrative, - currently they are focused either on ex-players who may have an insight on the game itself and the players mind, but tend to be overly saccharine in their praise and surface level in their criticism, or race callers who while having a good grasp of the play-by-play rarely take a look at the bigger picture.

People are right that there is also an obsession with (certain) stars that can lead to commentary incongruous with the performance in a specific game.

 

[Dazb86]

The gushing over the star players even for doing something basic is worse than it has ever been.

This is my main gripe now. It's become annoying to even hear about my own teams players (Bont & Darcy) because of the severe pump up the commentators give them for doing even the most mundane of things.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

This is my main gripe now. It's become annoying to even hear about my own teams players (Bont & Darcy) because of the severe pump up the commentators give them for doing even the most mundane of things.

Agreed.