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My relationship with Drew Morphett started just like the relationship he had with a lot of you.
As a sports-mad kid, I often wondered what the face of The Winners and the voice behind countless magical sporting moments was really like.
I got my chance to find out on a chilly Sunday afternoon 14 years ago.
Round 9, 2003. Sydney plays the Kangaroos at Manuka Oval in Canberra and I get to share the microphone with the great Drew Morphett for the first time.
How do you introduce yourself to a legend? I had all manner of moments he had called ready to go to get the conversation rolling. I need not have bothered.
A quick handshake was followed by a conversation where he seemed more interested in meeting the kid he had heard burbling though his radio, rather than the young broadcaster fawning over one of his idols.
No ego. No posturing. Genuine from the moment I met him to the moment he passed.
Drew Morphett had an uncanny ability to make people around him feel good.
My time working with Drew was the second phase of his career at the ABC. His place in Australian sporting media was well entrenched by the time he returned to the national broadcaster after a successful stint at Channel 7.
Like so many of the ABC senior broadcasters I encountered early in my career, Drew had a genuine interest in the younger guys coming through.
Sure, there was the professional nurturing, but Drew had a special gift to relate to younger broadcasters because of his lust for life.
Peers in Drew's age bracket would marvel at his boyish charm and a love for his craft that had not been dulled by his years in broadcasting nor his mastering of it.
The stories are endless. Many can't be printed. Some didn't even involve alcohol.
Like the scorching day we arrived in London before the 2012 Olympics.
We strolled the Thames and ate an ice cream under Big Ben and proceeded to laugh about what rotten luck it was that we only had each other to share a moment which was more befitting of being with our significant others.
From late nights at the Australian Open, to being on tour covering the Test cricket, he was best colleague you could hope for.
Now he has gone, you will hear lots of stories about Drew's legendary thirst for a good time. He was outstanding company.
It's also timely to share a yarn which underlines his intrinsic professionalism.
We covered the Test series against India together in 2014-15, just after Drew had been told he would be made redundant. They were taking his great love of sports broadcasting away.
On countless occasions on that tour, in between commentary stints, he could be found pouring over papers and engaged in long phone calls about the obviously painful process.
But he kept his eye on the game, and every time he returned to the mic, he went about his business with the same lust as he had done for countless years.
They could take his job, but they couldn't take his enthusiasm and dedication.
Drew Morphett made sport better. You were lucky to hear it.
I was blessed because I got the know the man behind the mic. He was magnificent.
Topics: sport, australian-football-league, journalism, arts-and-entertainment, australia
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