Boundary umpire Gerard Large surprised us all when he was called in to replace an ill Chris Esler on Sunday to officiate in his 150th AFL game. Gerard, who describes himself as a solid umpire is extremely resilient having only missed 2 games in 12 years due to illness.
Looking for someone to take into battle who has the qualities of resilience, an ability to perform every action under immense scrutiny and pressure but who has the strength of mind to fight to retain his place on the list, then Graham Bergroth is your go to man.
Chatting with Jason Armstrong (JA) you are disarmed by his cheerful disposition and lack of pretence. “Yeah I did an under-18 grand final with Matty Stevic and Cam Blanchard, not sure what year. I did a VFL grand final but it was only after my third trial out of Queensland and a grand final there that I made the list,” reflected JA as he tried to put a timeline together with me for the article. “I know I was 31 years old when I got onto the list, I did my 100th VFL game while on rotation out of the AFL a year or so ago.”
I would like to think that all milestone matches will be as memorable as that one was on Thursday night. “Adelaide v Collingwood in front of 50,000 screaming fans. The noise was loud, it was an amazing atmosphere, I couldn’t want for anything more,” said an elated Heath today as he walked with his wife Danielle and son Harrison into the Adelaide zoo. He had brought his family, including his mother and father across to Adelaide to help celebrate his milestone.
It soon becomes obvious after chatting with Ben Ryan that there haven’t been many AFL products that come from Capricornia or Central Queensland as we know it. Ben can name three, ex North Melbourne player Gavin Urquhart, current Suns player Zac Smith and himself. That makes him pretty unique.
As Matt Leppard walks onto Etihad tomorrow night in his 50th AFL game he is hoping they will not be playing the song by chumbawamba “I get knocked down” because the last time Essendon and the Bulldogs met at Etihad in 2012 Matt did indeed get knocked down; three times, by players coming out of a field bounce. “Yeah I felt like I had a target on my back that night,” exclaimed Matt today. “But it wasn’t as bad as the hit I received in my first year when I was really cleaned up in the Essendon v. WCE match and really didn’t know where I was for a while.”
Congratulations to Scott Jeffery, who has been appointed to officiate in his 250th match on Sunday 4th May, Geelong v Richmond at the MCG.
By the time you have amassed 150 AFL games including an AFL grand final, you could be excused for thinking that you had seen it and experienced it all. Not so for Chelsea, her milestone match between St Kilda and Brisbane in Wellington, New Zealand threw up a number of firsts that add to the uniqueness of the event.