DB’s Southern Send Off

By ZAC MILBANK

Highly-respected SANFL commentator Dennis Browne will ”hang up the vocal chords” after calling Sunday’s Round 15 Hostplus SANFL League game between South Adelaide and Norwood at Noarlunga.

It will be Browne’s first commentary appearance in four years and means he will have called in a remarkable seven decades, having begun his SANFL commentary career as an ”around-the-grounds” specialist in 1969.

The 74-year-old was also the first ”boundary rider” in SA at radio station 5AD, having also worked at 5KA, ABC, FIVEaa, 5RPH and Life FM across his illustrious career.

”I was on the boundary for the 1991 SANFL Grand Final and I was about 10 or 15 metres away from all of the fights – it was a shocker,” Browne recalled.

”But my all-time favourite was the 1984 Grand Final because it was my first and the team I barracked for – Norwood – created history by coming from fifth spot to win the flag.

”The game itself was an absolute ripper too.”

Set to be alongside SANFL Now regular Chris Kendall for the Redlegs v Panthers contest, Browne covered every SANFL title-decider from 1984 until North Adelaide’s historic 2018 triumph, in which the Roosters also came from fifth place to win the premiership.

Affectionately known as ”DB”, he is renown for his famous catch-cries of ”kicked another sausage roll” and ”kicked it straight through the hi-diddle-diddle.”

”The SANFL and all of the clubs have been fantastic to me, I couldn’t say a bad word about any of them,” Browne said.

”One of my favourite parts of the job was going to the houses of star players before the match during the 1980s, to interview them as part of the pre-match build-up.

”It was such an honour to interview the likes of Peter Motley when he was still living at home with his dad Geoff, while he was eating his breakfast!”

Among those celebrating DB’s farewell at Noarlunga will be his great mate and former colleague Ken KG Cunningham.

”I loved calling with KG, we had so much fun on air and we both had one eye on the races while the footy was on!,” Browne said.