Hayden hits 50………. 50 AFL Games

Sep 2, 2019 | Milestones, News

It only seems like yesterday that Hayden Gavine commenced his career with the AFL, having been appointed to the list in 2017.  Two seasons later, he notched up his 50thAFL game when he took to the field on Saturday 24thAugust to umpire the North Melbourne v Melbourne...

Shane McInerney – The GOAT?

Sep 2, 2019 | News

Five hundred and two games after an inauspicious start in a Carlton v Sydney match at Princess Park in 1994, the curtain has finally come down on one of the real characters of AFL umpiring. Let’s take nothing away from the resilience, perseverance, training commitment...

Veterans go back to the future

Aug 30, 2019 | News

A few months back I made a few discrete enquiries as to the health and fitness of some of our veteran umpires when I was formulating a plan for selecting umpires to officiate in the 2019 version of the EJ Whitten match.  Justin Schmitt (calf), Scott Jeffery...

Round 23 shorts: Mark Thomson – 400 of the best

Aug 27, 2019 | News

The boundary umpire factory of South Australia has produced another outstanding athlete, boundary umpire and more important, a great person.  Stand and applaud, 400 AFL games, Mark Thomson. Mark is only the second boundary umpire in the history of the game to...

Round 22 shorts – The problem of being in the wrong place at the wrong time

Aug 21, 2019 | News

Spare a thought for second year field umpire, Alex Whetton who weighs 60kg ringing wet when he inadvertently collided with Lachie Schultz weighing in at 78kg running at full pace.  Alex was knocked unconscious and had to be assisted from the field.  While he did not...