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Luke Walker just keeps on keeping on.  It’s an old cliche but a very apt one when thinking about Luke.  In Luke’s 12th year on the list he continues to find the drive necessary to excel at the elite level.  Luke umpired his 250th AFL game in Saturday nights thriller between the Bulldogs and Nth Melbourne.  Only games record holder, David Dixon has umpired more finals than Luke and only Reginald Treloar (8) and Anthony Black (7) have officiated in more grand finals.  Well done Luke.

Just hours after receiving the ultimate accolade from his sport highly decorated AFL field umpire Brett Allen maintained that a vocation as an umpire was never more appealing than in the current era.

Two umpires will celebrate milestones on Sunday afternoon at the St Kilda v Gold Coast Suns game – Brendan ‘Hosko’ Hosking will umpire his 100th AFL game alongside Hayden Gavine who walks onto the ground to umpire his 1st AFL game.

The AFLUA recently visited Leigh Fisher’s new café – the Cornerstone and Co – a small licenced café located in the leafy back streets of Hampton, to catch up with Hayden Gavine, who will umpire his first AFL game on Sunday.

Umpiring an AFL Grand Final is every umpires’ dream, doing six places you in a league of your own! Luke Walker, who will umpire his 250th AFL game this weekend, is ranked third in the all-time list of goal umpires appearing in grand finals.

Last night, former AFL Field Umpire Brett Allen was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

AFL footy comes back to your screens in full force this weekend after three weeks of club byes.  Sadly, the only group who don’t get any rest are the field umpires who are required to back up sometimes twice in a weekend in the four field umpire trial system and the umpire coaches who still have to front up to their two or three games each weekend to oversee and assess our umpires.  

West Australian goal umpire Matt Laycock (former AFL Umpire) has called time on his distinguished career after umpiring 161 WAFL and 45 AFL matches. Laycock officiated his final game of football at the Swan Districts and West Perth WAFL league clash last weekend and looks back on his career with WA Football Commission Umpiring Pathway Manager Tim Priest.

Another goal umpire with a milestone this weekend is Queenslander Shaun Apted who will umpire his 100th AFL game at the Gold Coast v Carlton game at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.