Sandy Roberts

Remove this Banner Ad

Miles go out in the nick of time - He was definitely on the wane around two years before his retirement - It takes balls for head race callers to retire, because they are paid big bickies.
 
Thank you Sandy. I loved you and Robbo in the 90s. Glad to still have you on radio. A wonderful sweet bloke. I played tennis against his son Sam before he got sick and passed. Sandy would sometimes commandeer the 7 chopper when Sam was playing a regional tennis comp.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Feb 5, 2004
1,380
2,349
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
Miles go out in the nick of time - He was definitely on the wane around two years before his retirement - It takes balls for head race callers to retire, because they are paid big bickies.

Greg Miles made a couple of terrible blues in the Spring Carnival before he retired - he owned up to them because he was an honest, professional caller with very high standards. He picked the right time to retire.
 
Feb 5, 2004
1,380
2,349
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
Thank you Sandy. I loved you and Robbo in the 90s. Glad to still have you on radio. A wonderful sweet bloke. I played tennis against his son Sam before he got sick and passed. Sandy would sometimes commandeer the 7 chopper when Sam was playing a regional tennis comp.

I remember Greg Norman going to amazing efforts to spend time with Sam. Sam’s illness and passing is still the first thing I think of with Sandy.
 
Miles go out in the nick of time - He was definitely on the wane around two years before his retirement - It takes balls for head race callers to retire, because they are paid big bickies.

It’s also because they love their jobs.
 

Saintly Viewed

.
30k Posts 10k Posts Collingwood - Tyler Brown Player Sponsor 2020 Collingwood Magpies - Brayden Sier 2019 Player Sponsor Collingwood - Jaidyn Stephenson Player Sponsor 2018 Collingwood Board Goal Kicking Tip Comp Collingwood - Matthew Scharenberg Player Sponsor 2017 Shiny Penny
Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood
He’s another example of a plethora of sports commentators who for some reason go beyond the retirement age and seem protected.
The only exception is Greg Miles who gracefully left our airwaves genuinely at the top of his game.
Greg Miles was brilliant.
Never made it about him.

To be fair, Sandy never made it about him.
Good commentator, long career.
 

Saintly Viewed

.
30k Posts 10k Posts Collingwood - Tyler Brown Player Sponsor 2020 Collingwood Magpies - Brayden Sier 2019 Player Sponsor Collingwood - Jaidyn Stephenson Player Sponsor 2018 Collingwood Board Goal Kicking Tip Comp Collingwood - Matthew Scharenberg Player Sponsor 2017 Shiny Penny
Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood
Greg Miles made a couple of terrible blues in the Spring Carnival before he retired - he owned up to them because he was an honest, professional caller with very high standards. He picked the right time to retire.
He was not really had one dreadful error call, in the Caulfield Cup of 2015.
Mongolian Khan became Magnolia Khan.

Having been there, he said it somwhere in the start of race and I was thinking did he say Magnolia. Then I thought he sounded a bit different, like he was breathing oddly.
Turns out he was a bit ill and taking some medication and getting progressively worse during the day. Was a late run Caulfield Cup as well.

But he owned and and called Winx’ first Cox Plate win followed by an epic call of Prince Of Penzance winning the Melbourne Cup.

He completed a strong spring and another year of calling.

To me our greatest ever caller.
 
Feb 5, 2004
1,380
2,349
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
He was not really had one dreadful error call, in the Caulfield Cup of 2015.
Mongolian Khan became Magnolia Khan.

Having been there, he said it somwhere in the start of race and I was thinking did he say Magnolia. Then I thought he sounded a bit different, like he was breathing oddly.
Turns out he was a bit ill and taking some medication and getting progressively worse during the day. Was a late run Caulfield Cup as well.

But he owned and and called Winx’ first Cox Plate win followed by an epic call of Prince Of Penzance winning the Melbourne Cup.

He completed a strong spring and another year of calling.

To me our greatest ever caller.

Yep - great caller.

The Caulfield Cup confusion wouldn’t have been so public if he hadn’t owned up to it and expressed disappointment in himself.

That in itself says it all - a professional who had extremely high standards. There’s a few footy commentators who get very defensive about their calling, but could do with Miles’ honesty and self-reflection.
 

Saintly Viewed

.
30k Posts 10k Posts Collingwood - Tyler Brown Player Sponsor 2020 Collingwood Magpies - Brayden Sier 2019 Player Sponsor Collingwood - Jaidyn Stephenson Player Sponsor 2018 Collingwood Board Goal Kicking Tip Comp Collingwood - Matthew Scharenberg Player Sponsor 2017 Shiny Penny
Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood
Shocking news.

Vale sandy.

He will be sorely missed. Brought the 89 football season alive.

Another one to young to leave us.
Hell still be doing radio apparently
 

Saintly Viewed

.
30k Posts 10k Posts Collingwood - Tyler Brown Player Sponsor 2020 Collingwood Magpies - Brayden Sier 2019 Player Sponsor Collingwood - Jaidyn Stephenson Player Sponsor 2018 Collingwood Board Goal Kicking Tip Comp Collingwood - Matthew Scharenberg Player Sponsor 2017 Shiny Penny
Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood

(Log in to remove this ad.)

He was not really had one dreadful error call, in the Caulfield Cup of 2015.
Mongolian Khan became Magnolia Khan.

Having been there, he said it somwhere in the start of race and I was thinking did he say Magnolia. Then I thought he sounded a bit different, like he was breathing oddly.
Turns out he was a bit ill and taking some medication and getting progressively worse during the day. Was a late run Caulfield Cup as well.

But he owned and and called Winx’ first Cox Plate win followed by an epic call of Prince Of Penzance winning the Melbourne Cup.

He completed a strong spring and another year of calling.

To me our greatest ever caller.

Yep a great caller but better than Bill Collins? Bill was more personable, related more to punter and very accurate of course.
 

gordo2016

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 13, 2017
6,162
11,635
Footscray, Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Yep a great caller but better than Bill Collins? Bill was more personable, related more to punter and very accurate of course.
Saw Bill quite a few times at Sandown dogs years ago. He was often as inebriated as what I was there, but always spoke to people in a friendly way, even if they were strangers. Did not know him other than to say hello, but seemed a real down to earth bloke who enjoyed the company of others.
 

Saintly Viewed

.
30k Posts 10k Posts Collingwood - Tyler Brown Player Sponsor 2020 Collingwood Magpies - Brayden Sier 2019 Player Sponsor Collingwood - Jaidyn Stephenson Player Sponsor 2018 Collingwood Board Goal Kicking Tip Comp Collingwood - Matthew Scharenberg Player Sponsor 2017 Shiny Penny
Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood
Yep a great caller but better than Bill Collins? Bill was more personable, related more to punter and very accurate of course.
Bill is my number 2 best ever.
Bill did it all, calling, hosting.
Loved his sports.

But to me, nobody ever built a race call tempo like Greg Miles.
Listen to his jumps races called, built the tempo like an artist.
Just the best to me.
 
Jan 25, 2013
11,182
16,972
Deep Inside
AFL Club
Geelong
Made mistakes and was painfully slow in the last couple of years but so much better than most of the s**t we're stuck with otherwise.

I'd certainly take a passed best before date Sandy over the likes of Derrwayne, G Healy, Basil, Hame, Dermie, Darcy etc
 
Made mistakes and was painfully slow in the last couple of years but so much better than most of the s**t we're stuck with otherwise.

I'd certainly take a passed best before date Sandy over the likes of Derrwayne, G Healy, Basil, Hame, Dermie, Darcy etc
That’s the issue - we have a very poor quality of sports commentary in this country which allows someone like Sandy to be elevated to a standing which appears to be elite when in fact it is barely acceptable
 

wagstaff

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 28, 2001
5,451
4,275
The Sea of Holes
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Melbourne Stars, Arsenal
Always enjoyed his commentary on ch 7 in the 80s/90s but while still OK at Fox Footy, didn't seem to fit in quite as well and being past his best.

Probably should have left 7 in 2007 when they got back the footy rights and he wasn't brought back to commentary. Should've prob gone to Fox back then and left it too late when he did.

Still, a fine career.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back