Channel Seven Commentary

[Primmy]

I got sick of fuming about how disgraceful the commentary was, and that it is time for the "team" to be taught how to commentate on teams who do not come from Victoria.

I found this site, perhaps some of you would like to add your thoughts to it. Hope it is ok Moderators.

AFL Opinions - Yahoo!7 Sport

[Bas]

I fortunately didn't hear the game on Ch 7 but listened to the MMM commentary.

They get their ratings in Melbourne and will pander to that audience. It would have rated nothing in Sydney.

[Primmy]

Bruce called AJ lazy. The 18 yo, who worked his arse off. Bas, it was disgraceful and embarrassing. It was beyond anything else I have heard from channel seven in the past.

[RBS1]

Ch 7 are just like the rest of the putrid VFL jurnos and Comentators , gloss over the swans because they don't do the homework so they just chuck in a heap of cliche's ... Only blokes who give us a go are Dwayne Russell and the great man Gerrad Healy

[Bas]

I get the impression from what you and others have written that it was a poor effort.

Ch 7 has really lost the plot with their commentary team. Bruce especially. If you listen to the Foz Sports team, no one seems to repeat the same phrase/comment over and over again as does Bruce.

Commetti spent most of Friday night calling Barlow as Powell. Powell who I think never played first grade for the SWans and then went to North. Bruce kept calling Barlow "Cheesy" all night.

So it's not just Swans games. Well next week we will have to put up with the wisdom of Robert Walls. You'll hear insults fall to a new low.

[ugg]

Powell played a few games. I should know, being a card-carrying member of his bandwagon (yet another derailed one)

I'm just sick of all their inside jokes and sniggering. Even Bruce has got in on the act, he made some reference to his "Special" call within the commentary yesterday. How meta

[Dosser]

I just get really tired of Bruce's style of ending every comment with a question (He is such a special player, isn't he?, etc). Most of the other commentators just ignore it and he sounds like a schoolkid with no self esteem trying to get the big boys to notice him.
Cometti used to have some good one-liners but now they seem to be carefully rehearsed.
I used to stick up for channel 7 because I hate the pompousness of channel nine but I cant make excuses for them any more.

[Jesse Richards]

About seven years ago when I bought my first set top box I remember the salesman going on and on about the new form of TV to come. He said that stations broadcasting the AFL would have several different channels playing the same game - one would have a commentary favouring one side, another for the other team and one with a commentary impartial to both sides. So far we have only had commentaries favouring the opposition.

Why does the AFL not insist that TV stations do decent broadcasts, write it into their contracts? The AFL is paid $squillions, but the supporters have to beg to have the gates open 5 minutes earlier for Reserves matches, the players are insulted when they ask for a larger slice of the very large pie and most TV viewers have to endure inanity and bias from game commentators and poor or no coverage week after week.

[alison.z]

Case in point - Swasn website 'Play of the Day' is Hannebery's hit on Kreuzer and then follow up smother ... The commentary makes no mention of his effort but goes back and replays the hit, lauding praise on Kreuzer ... ??!

[stellation]

Bruce called AJ lazy. The 18 yo, who worked his arse off. Bas, it was disgraceful and embarrassing. It was beyond anything else I have heard from channel seven in the past.

You may not have seen my response in the game thread to your comment on that, but...

If I recall the play you are refering to correctly, AJ blew a simple uncontested mark then was sloppy recovering the ball and kicked messily up the line to an open teammate which allowed time for Carlton to spoil the forward push. The ball had been swung across the ground and it had created the open man, I think it's fair to say that AJ was poor in that passage.

Based on his commentary over the last two weeks I'm not sure there are many bigger fans of Alex Johnson outside of Swans fans than Bruce, he has consistently raved about AJ. I don't think for a second that Bruce was suggesting AJ is lazy, he just suggested it was a lazy effort- and it was (I thought).1

[Nich]

Case in point - Swasn website 'Play of the Day' is Hannebery's hit on Kreuzer and then follow up smother ... The commentary makes no mention of his effort but goes back and replays the hit, lauding praise on Kreuzer ... ??!

Good courage by Dan. Nice work. Reality is Carlton is the story down there especially Kreuzer. They are catering for the masses. Yesterday would have been one of those classic games where even if we were 60 in front Carlton would only need the next kick to be 'back in it'. Sucks but what can you do. I wish I could see it changing....

[Dan]

Case in point - Swasn website 'Play of the Day' is Hannebery's hit on Kreuzer and then follow up smother ... The commentary makes no mention of his effort but goes back and replays the hit, lauding praise on Kreuzer ... ??!

That pissed me off when they talked about how tough kruezuer is. He ran at a bloke 1/2 a meter shorter than him and 30kgs lighter!!!

[Panttz]

I think in future all I can do is mute the tv. Or listen to the MMM broadcast.

The other thing that really annoys me is how they don't really 'call' the game. Bruce will yap on about a passage of play, ask a question, receive no answer then I'll hear a one liner from one of them and that's it.
No analysis of the game.
If I was blind I wouldn't have any idea what was going on...

[desredandwhite]

The channel seven coverage in general is very poor, not just the commentary. When will they understand that the viewer experience is terrible with all the close-ups, angle changes etc?

When I put on the soccer it is a breath of fresh air because they stay with the wide shot 80% of the time. Should be the same in Aussie Rules - I want to know what's happening upfield, and whether there's anyone to kick to! But no, they flick to the close up shot as soon as someone takes position, you see them kick, then it flicks briefly to a wide shot before going for the close one again. And then they change to the ground-level camera or the behind-the-goal camera, and it takes you a second to work out which way is which... it's rubbish.

[ScottH]

I think in future all I can do is mute the tv. Or listen to the MMM broadcast.

A bit hard when the telecast is delayed.