Former AFL broadcaster Sandy Roberts has paid tribute to legendary sports journalist Scot Palmer, who passed away at the age of 84 on January 15.
Well known for his popular catchphrase “keep punching”, Palmer wrote for The Sun, Sunday Press, Sunday Sun and Sunday Herald Sun for more than 50 years whilst appearing on television with Channel 7.
Palmer covered VFL/AFL for decades as well as multiple Olympic Games before retiring from the Sunday Herald Sun in 2008.
Roberts, who first met Palmer in 1980 when Channel 7 covered the Moscow Olympics, says his passion for football and sport in general endeared himself to the general public.
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“If you look back at some of those highlights of Palmer’s punchlines and the masks that he’d often wear and the paraphernalia that he’d bring in, he was one of those people who found himself with a cult following,” Roberts told *SEN’s This Is Your Journey.
“He’s small in stature, chumpy, chubby little bloke, feisty. But he endeared himself to so many people - particularly to the footy world.
“Not only could he break stories, but he could keep one under his hat as well.
“I was touched by his enthusiasm. He wasn’t confined just to football; he was an all-sports man. You could just tell that he loved sport generally.”
Listen to the full chat here.