- The greatest commentator of all time returns to the AFL
- He spent decades as one of Channel Seven’s biggest stars.
Broadcasting legend Bruce McAvaney has shocked football fans by announcing he will come out of retirement to commentate on the final three games of the AFL season.
Regarded as the voice of football, the 71-year-old will take on a key presenting role with Seven across this weekend’s two preliminary finals and the championship decider on September 28.
He called his final AFL game for the network in February 2021 after lending his talents to more than 1,000 matches.
“The 2024 season has proven to be both unpredictable and exciting,” McAvaney said.
“Having the opportunity to be a part of this is a privilege and I am incredibly excited to join my colleagues in broadcasting the finals on Seven.”
Seven West Media Managing Director and CEO Jeff Howard is excited to have McAvaney back on board.
“Bruce is a living legend and the greatest sportscaster of our generation,” he said.
‘He is part of the fabric of Sevens and we are honoured to have him return to our 7AFL coverage for the three biggest games of the season.
Bruce McAvaney (pictured) will be part of Channel Seven’s coverage of the final three AFL games of the season.
The veteran commentator said farewell to his distinguished career in the AFL commentary booth in 2021 after calling more than 1000 games.
“After two remarkable semi-final matches this weekend, it’s hard to remember a more thrilling final race than the one in 2024. The stage is set for a nail-biting finale and with Bruce alongside our commentary team, you know it’s must-see television.”
Considered for decades the voice of the AFL alongside commentator Dennis Cometti, it was a difficult decision for McAvaney to step away from commentary in 2021.
“I felt I had reached a stage in my career where I needed to reduce my workload,” she said at the time.
‘I’m going to miss it massively, I can only picture Richmond and Carlton coming out to play in the first round and the ball bouncing around, I’m going to climb a wall somewhere.
‘I’ll have to move on and just be a fan like everyone else.’
McAvaney said he is incredibly excited to be working on the AFL finals as he looks forward to calling the Cats-Lions game (pictured playing earlier this year).
The former voice of football will also call the preliminary final between Sydney and Port Adelaide (pictured playing earlier this year) before moving on to the grand final.
McAvaney insisted the decision to step back after that year’s coronavirus-interrupted AFL season was not health-related, having battled chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2017.
The surprise decision was the result of discussions with his wife Anne and the network.
“I was confident I could continue to play hard, but I felt like it was the right time for me,” McAvaney said.
“I had to compromise. I realized I wanted to keep working. I didn’t want to retire, that wasn’t on my mind. But I just didn’t think I was in a position to keep doing as much as I was doing.”
Although he retired from covering football, McAvaney continued to cover racing and also made the revealing decision to work for ABC radio during the Paris Olympics.