Cometti & McGuire

[Dale61]

Eddie's not centimetre perfect
By Liz Gooch
May 29 2002

Channel Nine commentator Dennis Cometti has weighed into the debate about Eddie McGuire calling Collingwood games, saying he thought his colleague was making an error of judgment.

Cometti told Perth radio station 6PR at the weekend: "I think, and I've basically said this to Eddie, I think he's making a mistake to do Collingwood games, but that's just a piece of advice from my experience."

Cometti's controversial observation has helped fuel a four-day debate about McGuire's call of the Port Adelaide-Collingwood match on Friday night, with talkback radio dominated by the issue at the weekend and Adelaide football identity Graham Cornes accusing Nine and, by implication, McGuire, of a pro-Collingwood bias during the match.

But, last night, Cometti was backing away from his comments, claiming they had been taken out of context. "That one line in isolation is not fair, I don't think, to anybody," Cometti said.

Cometti, who described his comments as "almost laughing advice", said he would be disappointed if only the one line was replayed, saying it was provocative. He said he had listened to the tape and was perfectly comfortable with his comments as a total package.

"Any sort of report needs to get all of that in context and understand my history as a coach of a footy team," he said.

Cometti coached West Perth for three seasons at the same time he was working as a commentator on Perth television, but never broadcast his own club's matches.

Cometti said that, based on his own experience, he didn't envy McGuire trying to call games involving Collingwood. "I wouldn't like to be doing it because it's very difficult and no one would see that it's not."

"In a much lesser league, I was Eddie McGuire back in the early '80s and there were people in Perth who were critical of that. I would be a hypocrite if I came out and said, 'No, he shouldn't be doing it', having my opportunity to do it 20 years ago."

Asked on 3AW if he thought McGuire's call was biased, Cometti said: "I think he was a little bit over the top, exuberant, animated."


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