The comebacks continued from VFL to AFL this week. Simon Meredith and Chris Kamolins were back from long term injury and illness. Both of these experienced umpires bolstered the ranks and brought a level of experience to the group.
The AFL Umpiring Department in collaboration with the AFL Umpires Association opened its training and coaching doors on Wednesday afternoon and evening to our retired umpires who wanted to see if things were done any differently in the modern era. Twenty-three past umpires joined the current group and were put through the coaching process.
AFL goal umpire David Dixon has equalled Colin Hood’s record of 311 games this weekend when he officiated in the St.Kilda v Western Bulldogs match at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. This puts David and Colin equal fourth on the all-time list of VFL/AFL games umpired by a goal umpire. Only current goal umpire, Mark Canning (318), Craig Clark (334) and David Flegg (337) are ahead of David. Coincidentally, Colin was David’s partner in his first AFL game and the goal umpire’s observer in this game.
We all know about Jordan’s footy career with Essendon and Carlton but it is his resurgence to get to 50 games as an umpire that has pleased him the most. “I was dying to get back,” reflected Jordan last week. “When my family came to terms with how to best support Ricky following his accident and things settled down I realised just how much I missed being involved.”
An invitation into the inner sanctum of the weekly AFL umpires review debunks a few myths surrounding the men who adjudicate the national game.
Twenty five weeks into a tough season that will go to the wire for teams fighting for a top 8 finish and our field umpires are dropping like flies. Heath Ryan has finally succumbed to a season ending Achilles injury following his first game back in round 18 for 8 weeks. The idea was to rest, recover and go again but the season was simply too long.
Evergreen field umpire, Stuart Wenn announced his retirement from the AFL umpiring panel effective from the end of the 2014 season at a meeting of his umpiring colleagues on Monday night.
Brett Rosebury will become the first West Australian born umpire to reach 300 AFL games this coming weekend in the North Melbourne v. Geelong match on Saturday. Brett becomes the 18th field umpire in VFL/AFL history to reach the milestone. It is a milestone that only the very best achieve. In fact only two of the 18 to achieve the mark have not umpired a VFL/AFL grand final. He is the youngest man to debut as an AFL field umpire, aged 20, in the game’s history.