Congratulations to Christopher Gordon (B), Simon Meredith (F) and Matthew Dervan (G), who were selected as the three All-Australian Umpires for 2022.
The trio won the honour after being chosen by the AFL Umpire Coaches, with Christopher and Simon receiving their maiden All-Australian accolades, and Matthew his second.
Simon (AFLUA Heritage No. 398) has 437 career AFL matches and six AFL Grand Finals to his name. He commenced his umpiring career with the MSFJL and VAFA in 1989, and made his AFL debut in 2004. Simon also took charge of the 2003 VFL Grand Final.
Since his initiation to umpiring in 2010, Matthew (AFLUA Heritage No. 341) has progressed steadily. After his appearances in the 2014 and 2015 VFL Grand Finals, and the 2014 VFL Goal Umpire of the Year award, he made his AFL debut in 2016. He has racked up 136 AFL matches so far. Matthew umpired in the 2020 AFL Grand Final, and collected his first All-Australian blazer the same year. He also won the 2017 Brian Pratt Medallion.
AFL Umpires at the 2022 awards function (back row – left to right: Steven Piperno; Matthew Nicholls; Michael Saunders; Daniel Hoskin; Simon Plumbridge) / (front row – left to right: Adam Coote; Shane Thiele; Ray Chamberlain; Brodie Kenny-Bell; Lachlan Rayner) / Image credit – Dylan Burns Photography