Rating the commentators

[c4e]

BT is about as funny as anthrax. Basically doing a really sjiithouse impersonation of Rex Hunt.

Wow wee....... NAILED IT

[cookie2]

McAvaney. Sickening contrived emotion. And listen to him continually asking his co-commentators to agree with him. Bloody irritating. Usually goes something like this ....<insert name> has really stepped up today hasn't he? And then poor well-credentialed colleague usually tries to ignore him.

He is unbearable.

Agree, just cannot stand him either!

[Jofo]

Why don't these guy watch some EPL or old ABC footage (The Winners) and understand that television doesn't need a radio call.....WE HAVE PICTURES!!

The game are over called!!!

Amen to that! Can you believe that people called Channel 7 complaining that the crowd noise was too high and you could hardly hear the commentary? I actually appreciated the crowd noise.

[dodge]

I generally don't rate them.  Tough job and impossible to please all the people listening.

[DJC]

Leaping Larry rates the providers of "expert" comments this week.  Apart from his turn of phrase, I could have written this myself 

Concluding our review of the 2016 AFL TV commentators, we take a butcher's at the ex-players who fulfil the role of providing "expert" or "special" comments during live match telecasts.

Once again, all the opinions presented are exclusively those of your humble columnist.

TIM WATSON – Had a solid run with VFL caller Jason Bennett when a lot of the regular crew were away in Olympics-Ville. Beyond that, he can seem a little like many workplace meetings – stuffy and dull.

MATTHEW RICHARDSON – A reliable blend of footy horse sense and pleasingly colloquial jolts of sharp-ish humour, inexplicably wasted for extended stretches of 2016 in a boundary reporter role, or on the will-to-live draining Brian Taylor Saturday Night Zoo Crew.

MARK RICCIUTO – Despite a voice which suggests he was grabbing forty winks immediately prior to being shaken awake to provide comment, routinely offers particularly acute judgment on teams, play and players. Downside – can be brutal, and may burble.

WAYNE CAREY – Years ago, on Fox Footy, Wayne Carey was as clinically precise a match analyst as we've experienced on AFL TV coverage here. Many years and colourful life experiences later, The Wayner provides that about 15 per cent of the time, plus packing material.

ALISTAIR LYNCH – Remains one of the more insightful and user-friendly match analysts around, when Fox Footy occasionally remembers to use him.

JONATHAN BROWN – Overcame a voice which sounds like a bullfrog swallowing a tree to consistently impress, particularly with his knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of individual players.

CAMERON LING – Much as with many silent movie stars, it could be argued that Cam Ling's career was ruined by the coming of sound.

LEIGH MATTHEWS – It did seem that if Seven sidelined him any further, he'd be getting the coffees. Still has football smarts to spare, which he mostly dispenses straight as a die, and blessedly, with virtually no fashionable footy science jargon.

DANNY FRAWLEY – On Get Smart, following some bizarre, convoluted ploy, Agent 86 would smugly conclude, while fooling nobody: "Ah, the old 'Gun in the ashtray, triggered by turning the lamp off' trick". Danny Frawley's analysis during matches is sometimes like that. He also says, "Triffic mark," (or kick) when it's a triffic mark (or kick). That's about it.

JASON DUNSTALL – When he's on his mettle, still pretty handy. When his colleagues head to blather-land, he may produce balloon-filler material.

BRAD JOHNSON – But what a lovely guy.

DAVID KING – Only manufacturers producing raffle tickets and bingo cards offer a more consistently reliable source of numerical confetti.

GERARD HEALY/TONY SHAW – Ideally, apart from exceptionally astute aging analysts, this may be more a recent ex-players' role. Plenty of studio gigs going in the Fox Footy "Dad's Army" universe.

DERMOTT BRERETON – The great polariser offers a heady blend of shockingly astute observation and great reams of seemingly random blather that is so off with the pixies that you're half-expecting Peter Jackson to blow in and make one of his famous 13-hour Tolkien movies out of it.

[cookie2]

Leaping Larry rates the providers of "expert" comments this week.  Apart from his turn of phrase, I could have written this myself 

[Jofo]

Just watched a little of the basketball this afternoon. Huddo called it like you would on radio. Too much talking...again from Huddo. I wish these commentators would let the pictures speak! I enjoy the NFL broadcasters who just give the information that the viewer might need to make sense of what they're watching.

[kruddler]

Just watched a little of the basketball this afternoon. Huddo called it like you would on radio. Too much talking...again from Huddo. I wish these commentators would let the pictures speak! I enjoy the NFL broadcasters who just give the information that the viewer might need to make sense of what they're watching.

One of the best commentators ever was Richie Benaud.

He used to live by the mantra, only say something that adds to the pictures you are seeing.

Which is basically what you are saying. Don't try and copy the pictures with words as you will never tell the whole story. Add to the story that you can already see.

[Gointocarlton]

Two sports I know many on here don't like are cycling and V8 Supercars. However, IMO, they contain two of the best sports commentators in the business, one a caller and one special comments. They are Phil Liggett and Mark Larkham.
Liggett could call any sport I reckon, keeps it simple but is very knowledgable and fun to listen to. Uses the right amount of enthusiasm to keep you interested, nothing over the top.
Larkham does special comments on the V8 Supercar telecasts like no other, no BS, just explains the intricacies of the sport in layman's terms brilliantly.
For me, both these guys convey the information in a no BS manner and make it all about their sport rather than them. No egos or pissing contents. Thats what I like.

[DJC]

Two sports I know many on here don't like are cycling and V8 Supercars. However, IMO, they contain two of the best sports commentators in the business, one a caller and one special comments. They are Phil Liggett and Mark Larkham.
Liggett could call any sport I reckon, keeps it simple but is very knowledgable and fun to listen to. Uses the right amount of enthusiasm to keep you interested, nothing over the top.
Larkham does special comments on the V8 Supercar telecasts like no other, no BS, just explains the intricacies of the sport in layman's terms brilliantly.
For me, both these guys convey the information in a no BS manner and make it all about their sport rather than them. No egos or pissing contents. Thats what I like.

I'm not familiar with Mark Larkham but Phil Liggett would have to be one of the best sports commentators going around; knowledgeable, says just enough, understands the difference between television and the wireless, isn't afraid to express an opinion, and has a voice that's easy to listen to.