FTA-TV Rate the commentators out of 10

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Channel 7:

Friday Night:

Bruce McAvaney 3 - OK, he may have been good 10 to 15 years ago when Channel 7 originally had the AFL rights, but he's pretty poor these days. Cliche ridden and way too jizzworthy over certain players.

Dennis Cometti 7 - the one redeeming factor of Channel 7's commentary team these days. Still a pretty professional caller and isn't super cliche driven/doesn't engage in niggly aggro bullshit.

Leigh Matthews 6 - meh. Aussie Rules isn't the greatest sport for retired players to be calling the game, so as a special comments person he isn't really noticeable. Is generally fairly solid though, gives alright insights and doesn't really talk s**t.

Tom Harley 0 - AARRGGGHHH. Biggest suckhole in the Channel 7 box. Adds zero insights and just treads the line massively. I hope he chokes on his tofu.

Wayne Carey 5.5 - alright, I guess. But is a fan of stating the obvious. Over-rated.

Tim Watson 3 - very boring voice, and adds little. I guess though he's alright with the Auskick kids, particularly in comparison to Rompingwins.

Saturday Night:

Brian Taylor 0 - HYPERBOLE! MAXIMUM! BOY OH BOY WOWEE! AARRGGHHH. * OFF.

Luke Darcy 1 -

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Yes Darcy, that's a 1. I don't love the way you go about it, in fact you're shithouse, as big of a suckhole as Tom Harley and has a bigger role than him. Get ****ed.

Matthew Richardson 5 - might be OK if he wasn't bouncing off BT and Darc all the time. Willing to give him a chance.

Cameron Ling 5 - anyone would look bad in the boundary rider role (that role should be reserved for eye candy) personally. Highly regarded assistant coach so shouldn't be a total idiot you'd think.

Sam Lane 1 - useless. Definition of tokenism I'm afraid, surely you could find a women who could actually be an OK commentator?

Saturday Afternoon:

Basil Zempilas 0 - could send even the biggest insomniac to sleep. Apparently only got the gig because he looked like Harry Connick Jr. Should just stick to being a cameraman, Channel 7 has screwed their coverage enough that he'll have minimal damage there.

Hamish McLachlan 0 - worse than Basil and that's saying something. I hope the dog driving the Karma Bus hits him on the way to work.

As for Fox Sports, I don't have a great opinion of most of them. They aren't the best on the ball commentators (they are retired footballers rather than professional commentators in fairness), but as analysts they're generally OK. A few are campaigners though.

Over to you, gentlemen.
 
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ElitePunter

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Friday Night:

Bruce McAvaney 5 - His homoerotic comments make me laugh and I don't really hate him for it like most people do. He gets excited at the right times and has some great calls. I wouldn't want anyone else calling the final play of a close game. He loses points for his, "you just feel..... don't you?"

Dennis Cometti 7 - Solid.

Leigh Matthews 3 - Boring. I forget he's even in the box sometimes and when he speaks, it's usually forgettable. At least he's not an annoying campaigner.

Tom Harley 4 - I don't hate him as much as most people. He loses points for smiling too much.

Wayne Carey 5 - I think he's decent but he looks worse because the flogs around him are always riding his dick and talking about his forward academy.

Tim Watson 2 - Dopey moron. He probably doesn't even need those glasses.

Saturday Night:

Brian Taylor 8.5 - Most quotable man in history. Respect. He falls into the 'so bad, he's good' category.

Luke Darcy 2 - Smug twat.

Matthew Richardson 7 - Knows his stuff and has a good sense of humour.

Cameron Ling 6 - Solid but unspectacular.

Sam Lane 0 - Stupid campaigner. Like Tom Harley, she smiles too much. Just ******* stop smiling.

Saturday Afternoon:

Basil Zempilas 1 - Boring and ugly.

Hamish McLachlan 0 - Worse than Hitler.

Fox
Dwayne Russell 1 - I don't have foxtel but I ******* hate you so much.
 
Commentators are easy whipping boys. Job probably isn't as easy as it looks.

But I might as well give them a whipping as well. :D

Bruce McAvaney - 4 - needs a break and to look at old tapes on how he used to call.
Dennis Cometti - 7 - was better when on Ch9, Ch7 is dragging him down
Leigh Matthews - 6 - can be insightful, but too many commentators on deck and gets crowded out.
Tom Harley - 3 - adds nothing and bland.
Wayne Carey - 5 - ok, again crowded out by the cast of thousand he has to fight to get a word in with.
Tim Watson - 4 - adds nothing, and is slightly less bland than Harley

Brian Taylor - 5 - not his fault he has been told to 'entertain'..blame Ch7 management, but that doesn't excuse him getting players incorrect on a regular basis.
Luke Darcy - 3 - adds nothing and bland.

Matthew Richardson - 6 - who can not like Richo? Too much forced banter with Taylor though.
Cameron Ling - 5 - ok, but doesn't really do too much. Too many on deck issue again.
Sam Lane - n/a - I never watch the Ch7 pregame show so cannot rate.

Basil Zempilas - 4 - at least I can get a laugh at his unintentional amusing lines.
Hamish McLachlan - 2 - do not like. Tries to be blokey (too much time on MMM?) and fails.
 

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SgtSchulz

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Mark Webber
Gerard Whateley 10 (gun)
Dennis Cometti 10 (the beast)
Warren Tredrea 9 (not popular outside Port people but he is actually really good)
Leigh Matthews 8 (I like his voice)
Matthew Richardson 8 (can be insightful when BT isn't talking rubbish)
Cameron Ling 8 (cant go past the piggy)
Brian Taylor 6 (lost a few after his homophobic rant)
Sam Lane 5 (ballsy but should've stayed at BTG...part of the shows collapse)
Tom Harley 5 (too nice really)
Hamish McLachlan 4 (morning footy is a good show)
Tim Watson 4 (ehh)
Basil Zempilas 2 (nose)
Bruce McAvaney 2 (* of you hack, might as well have rain man seeing he wont talk s**t...despises Port Adelaide)
Luke Darcy 0 (no charisma, cardboard is better)
Wayne Carey -10 (I'm sorry but no thanks)




 

Zarrix

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Play by Play only

Sandy Roberts 10
Gerard Whateley 9
Anthony Hudson 8
Dennis Cometti 7
Eddie McGuire 7
Matthew Campbell 6
Bruce McAvaney 5
Brian Taylor 4
Dwayne Russell 3
Hamish McLachlan 2
Bignose Basil 1
 

swans95

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Play-by-Play commentators:

Dennis Cometti 10- still one of the best after all these years, really professional caller. Brings up the credibility of the Channel 7 broadcast.
Sandy Roberts 9- still outstanding, always reminds me of games in the 90's when he was at the top of his game.
Anthony Hudson 9- exciting, passionate and sticks to the calling the play in general, best of the younger group of commentators.
Matthew Campbell 7- underrated in my opinion, not the most spectacular commentator, but he just keeps it simple and calls the game straight.
Bruce McAvaney 7- was simply the best in the late 90's early 2000's. Not as good nowadays, mainly because of his weird fascination with certain players. I will always give him a higher rating though particularly because of his call of Cathy Freeman's race in the 2000 Olympics. One of the best sporting calls of all time, period.
Basil Zempilas 5- Has improved, still seems to be a step behind the play sometimes. Can tend to overuse little jokes and puns. I gave him a higher rating based on his performance in the game tonight between the Dockers and Blues, I thought he was really good.
Eddie McGuire 5- Still a pretty good caller, when he's not calling Collingwood games. He loses points from me based on his hatred for Sydney, bastard.
Brian Taylor 4- Too much hyperbole, has some really good stretches, but overall it's style over substance. BOY OH BOY WOW WEE!
Der-wayne 3- Was a good caller, now he's gone off the boil. Sometimes sounds like he's calling a basketball game. CHAOS BALL IN THE PAINT!
Rompingwins 1- Stick to hosting Game Day and editing Wikipedia accounts.

Colour/Expert commentators:

Matthew Richardson 8- Has some terrific insights on the game, shame that he's stuck on Saturday Night though....
Wayne Carey 7- Despite some past events, he is a terrific reader of the game, Channel 7 need to find a bigger role for him IMO.
Leigh Matthews 7- One of the greatest players of all time, and a pretty solid analyst. Has some decent points on the game and his coaching insights are interesting as well.
Cameron Ling 7- Likable person, and he breaks down the game pretty well. Put him up in the commentary box and put Darce on the boundary line.
Dermott Brereton 6- Reads the game better than most. Lost points mainly because sometimes he seems to belittle the viewer with his knowledge, and talks in really drawn out, long sentences.
Tim Watson 5- Meh, decent commentator, really awkward when he's talking about Essendon, in particular in relation to his son (conflict of interest anyone...)
Tom Harley 5- Makes some good points occasionally, but is too nice a person to be critical to anyone.
Luke Darcy 4- Doesn't really add much to broadcasts, not a bad play-by-play commentator on Triple M though.
 

Experimental

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Bruce McAvaney 7- was simply the best in the late 90's early 2000's. Not as good nowadays, mainly because of his weird fascination with certain players. I will always give him a higher rating though particularly because of his call of Cathy Freeman's race in the 2000 Olympics. One of the best sporting calls of all time, period.
* this made me laugh. 100% correct.
 
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Bruce McAvaney 5 Pales in comparison to his former self, tries to generate excitement himself by draaaaaawing out woooords rather then letting the crowd do that. Far too sexual at times, but over all he isn't bad. If he returned to His former style that would be great. But I feel that he's commentating is based on the idiots around him. If he commentated well it would make everyone else look bad.

Dennis Cometti 8 Rock solid commentator. Hasn't been sucked into the Channel 7 entertainment thing. Calls the game well and I feel his commentary adds to the game.

Leigh Matthews 2 May seem harsh, but his voice is like nails on a chalkboard in my eyes. He may he full of knowledge. But he never adds much to a conversation. Laughs at himself a fair bit which adds to the sadness of hearing him on TV.

Tom Harley 0. A cheap imitation of the cheap imitation of Bruce. Takes up space in the commentary box and should really just * off.

Wayne Carey 5. Indifferent to his commentary. Could be good if he wasn't constantly placed with 6 other guys saying the same thing.

Tim Watson 2 Adds nothing to the commentary team. Just another guy there to agree with everyone. Pisses me off seeing his mug on TV

Brian Taylor 8. Love his commentary, can be entertaining while at the same time reading the play. His bouncing off Richo is great. Give us more of him I say.

Luke Darcy 0. Flog

Matthew Richardson 6. Pretty good as a boundary rider, adds to the commentary, and I love his interaction with the guys.

Cameron Ling 7. Don't see him a lot, but I feel he adds to the commentary. Great at what he does, even if its a small role

Sam Lane 0. Smiles way too much. Put me off watching the pre game entirely.

Basil Zempilas 3. Always behind the play, sorry Baz but commentating isn't your thing. Stick to the news room gig.

Hamish McLachlan. 4. Don't find him as gyrating as Baz. Still below par though

Fox Footy- Huddo is the only one I rate, the rest that I have seen are far too biased and up their own ass with opinions.
 

InnocentBystandr

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Watched the NRL GF on the weekend (I know, I know..- I was with friends in the central coast OK?). Anyway, as bad as our AFL commentators are (and BT you are the worst!), Ray 'Rabs' Warren makes even BT sound like a decent commentator.
 

Beetlebum

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Watched the NRL GF on the weekend (I know, I know..- I was with friends in the central coast OK?). Anyway, as bad as our AFL commentators are (and BT you are the worst!), Ray 'Rabs' Warren makes even BT sound like a decent commentator.

Rabs is a funny one, like BT and Bwucey he seems to think that he needs to be the one that creates the tension, drama and excitement, instead of just calling what's in front of him in a normal manner.

I watch sport to watch the contest going on on screen, not to listen to commentators jack off. The Sky F1 commentators aren't bad, Croft and Brundle do a decent job during a race, but as soon as something happens with a British driver they lose their minds.
 

swans95

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What does Tom Harley's new role with the Swans mean for his commentary career? I've no real problem with him, he's just dull and says nothing that hasn't already been said a dozen times in the previous 15 minutes.

I would say his commentary career would be over in the mean time. He'd have too much on his plate to juggle his new gig with his commentary duties.
 

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Registered User

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Watched the NRL GF on the weekend (I know, I know..- I was with friends in the central coast OK?). Anyway, as bad as our AFL commentators are (and BT you are the worst!), Ray 'Rabs' Warren makes even BT sound like a decent commentator.
I thought it was interesting (and no doubt deliberate) that they had a lot of silence straight after the game. Is that normal for them?
 

PayFL

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Richo called Will Langford a "genuine bona fide senior player" - I score Richo 10/10 for the lols, considering Langford has played 20 career games.

Bruce MacAvaney saying to Wayne Carey (when talking about Motlop): "maybe you should give his leg a rub tonight". Yes, he actually said that, word for word. I give him a score of 10/10 for awkwardness from Bruce there.
 

speedybundy

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Geez the first post in here is brutal! Here's mine
Channel 7:

Friday Night:

Bruce McAvaney 4 - Frustrating to listen to, great caller just needs to keep it basic and simple (like he used to). Bit of topic but still one of the best horse racing callers IMO

Dennis Cometti 7 - Lost a bit of his touch but still very good

Leigh Matthews 6 -Seems a bit slow on the take up at times, but generally good insights

Tom Harley 5 - Got good opinions but seems nervous to get off the fence

Wayne Carey 7 -Surprised how good the duck is, like his insights

Tim Watson 2 - Adds nothing

Saturday Night:

Brian Taylor 1 - The Saturday night team layout doesn't suit him and he doesn't suit it, back to radio BT

Luke Darcy 6 -Don't mind him, like his insights and surprised how good a caller he is on Triple M.

Matthew Richardson 7 - Wish BT would let the bloke finish a sentence every once in a while

Cameron Ling 8 - Great insights and articulates them as well as any special comments/boundary riders

Sam Lane 6 - Like Sam, don't know what her role is but think she could do more

Saturday Afternoon:

Basil Zempilas 2 - Yeah bit monotone

Hamish McLachlan 5.5 - Like McLachlan more than others, calls it okay just seems bored

The Others

Sandy Roberts (Fox Footy) 9 - Best caller in the game, why didn't channel 7 use him when he was there? Would go perfectly with Cometti. Bruce could then takeover Saturday night from BT, where he would've been better suited

James Brayshaw (Triple M/Nine) 8.5 - Brings energy unlike any other

Dwayne Russell (Fox Footy) 5.5 - Don't mind him during play but his commentary whenever something big happens (eg goal, mark etc) is rubbish

Anthony Hudson (Fox Footy) 7 - Bit similar to Dwayne, except better during play and during big moments. But better during play

Michael Christian (?) 8 - Was one of my favorite Channel 10 commentators back in the day


Really don't envy their job though (aside from free tickets to footy games)
 

Sprout

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Aug 6, 2010
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Play by play
Anthony Hudson - 9
Dennis Cometti - 9
Eddie McGuire - 7
Bruce McAvaney - 7
Sandy Roberts - 6
Matthew Campbell - 5
Brian Taylor - 5
Hamish McLachlan - 4
Basil Zemplas - 3
Dwayne Russell - 1

Special
Cameron Ling - 8
Jason Dunstall - 8
Dermott Brereton - 7
Leigh Matthews - 6
Wayne Carey - 5
Matthew Richardson - 5
Tim Watson - 4
Mark Ricciuto - 3
Tom Harley - 2
Tony Shaw - 2
Luke Darcy - 1
 
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SEN_Fan

Team Captain
Nov 2, 2014
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Play by play
Anthony Hudson - 10
Dennis Cometti - 3
Eddie McGuire - 8
Bruce McAvaney - 2
Sandy Roberts - 8
Matthew Campbell - 6
Brian Taylor - 1
Hamish McLachlan - 1
Basil Zemplas - 5
Dwayne Russell - -1

Special
Cameron Ling - 7
Jason Dunstall - 10
Dermott Brereton - 7
Leigh Matthews - 7
Wayne Carey - 9
Matthew Richardson - 4
Tim Watson - 1
Mark Ricciuto - 8
Luke Darcy - -1
 
Play by Play
Dennis Cometti - 9
Bruce McAvaney - 7
Sandy Roberts - 9
Matthew Campbell - 1
Eddie McGuire - 5
Brian Taylor - 7
Dwayne Russell - 7
Hamish McLachlan - 1
Basil Zemplas - 5
Anthony Hudson - 5
 

Eski3

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Play by play

Anthony Hudson - 6.5 - overrated and prone to pandering to the lowest common denominator

Dennis Cometti - 9 - still clever even if he is a bit scripted these days. Only knock would be that sometimes he has to respond to something *ed Bruce says

Eddie McGuire - 5.5 - nothing special but not the worst. Terrible in Collingwood games as is well documented

Bruce McAvaney - 4 - should have been moved on from the prime time games a while ago really

Sandy Roberts - 8 - good quality

Matthew Campbell - 4 - a nothing commentator who contributes nothing and doesn't seem very smart. Much more suited to providing updates from Sportsbet

Brian Taylor - 7 - I actually don't mind him, but not really for any logical reason. His shortcomings are again, well documented

Hamish McLachlan - 4 - I don't understand why he commentates

Basil Zempilas - 4.5 - generally pretty bad, he seems to force a lot of his calls. Plus he seems to celebrate every goal that is scored against Freo for some reason

Dwayne Russell - 0 - the dumbest, most populist idiot on television in any format whatsoever. In almost every game he commentated last season I had to mute the tv out of frustration at some point. He ruins football. He can literally turn a good passage of play into one that I hate simply by giving his absolutely *ed 'opinion' on it. Words cannot describe how much I hate this man

Special


Cameron Ling - 5 - just doesn't seem to contribute anything. I am pretty sick of hearing how much everyone loves him, I don't see the appeal

Jason Dunstall - 7 - relatively good quality

Dermott Brereton - 6.5 - is dumb but can be entertaining if he is commentating when a team you hate is losing

Leigh Matthews - 6.5 - is OK for special comments, not the worst but definitely not the best

Wayne Carey - 8.5 - is surprisingly switched on, doesn't hog the mike and is pretty much exactly what you want in special comments

Matthew Richardson - 6 - seems to spend half the game responding to BT's insults. That's not really his fault though

Tim Watson - 4.5 - is not very insightful, seems like he tries really hard to keep up with everyone else

Mark Ricciuto - 6 - not bad, but his nasal tone can get annoying sometimes

Luke Darcy - 4 - seems dumb and doesn't contribute much
 
May 2, 2007
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Anthony Hudson - 8

Dennis Cometti - 8

Eddie McGuire - 1

Bruce McAvaney - 2

Sandy Roberts - 2

Matthew Campbell - 6

Brian Taylor - 7

Hamish McLachlan - 3

Basil Zempilas - 2

Dwayne Russell - 3

Special

Cameron Ling - 3

Jason Dunstall - 8

Dermott Brereton - 6

Leigh Matthews - 5

Wayne Carey - 8

Matthew Richardson - 7

Tim Watson - 5

Mark Ricciuto - 4

Luke Darcy - 3


Tony Shaw - 2
 
Play by play

Anthony Hudson - 7
Dennis Cometti - 7
Eddie McGuire - 4
Bruce McAvaney - 5
Sandy Roberts - 8
Matthew Campbell - 6
Brian Taylor - 2
Hamish McLachlan - 0
Basil Zemplas - 0
Dwayne Russell - 1

Special

Cameron Ling - 8
Jason Dunstall - 7
Dermott Brereton - 4
Leigh Matthews - 7
Wayne Carey - 8
Matthew Richardson - 3
Tim Watson - 2
Mark Ricciuto - 4
Tom Harley - 2
Tony Shaw - 0
Luke Darcy - 1
 

TaylorWalker

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Sep 26, 2010
80
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Play by play
Anthony Hudson - 8
Dennis Cometti - 7
Eddie McGuire - 8
Bruce McAvaney - 6
Sandy Roberts - 6
Matthew Campbell - 4
Brian Taylor - 2
Hamish McLachlan - 7
Basil Zemplas - 6
Dwayne Russell - 2

Special
Cameron Ling - 6
Jason Dunstall - 4
Dermott Brereton - 7
Leigh Matthews - 7
Wayne Carey - 5
Matthew Richardson - 7
Tim Watson - 1
Mark Ricciuto - 7
Luke Darcy - 4
 

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