It was a typical preseason opener. In Melbourne the weather was warm and the change rooms were a hive of activity. The facade had changed over summer, gone were the remnants of the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union Club, the co-tenant of the umpires for the past six years and in their place is the Carlton Football Club AFL woman’s team.
Ben Macdonald is one of three new boundary umpires appointed to the AFL Boundary Umpires’ list for season 2017.
Like most umpires, Hayden Gavine’s introduction to umpiring started when he was young, at the age of 13, when he ran the boundary in the Under 18’s and Seniors on Saturday and ran the field on the Sunday in the Juniors. Hayden took up umpiring after being encouraged by a friend, so that he could save money for a cricket trip to the UK/Ireland in 2008.
Like so many kids at an early age, Matt Maclure started his umpiring career as a boundary umpire for the simple reasons that it was a good source of pocket money and kept him fit as he was also playing football. As the running aspect of his umpiring began to impact on his football, Matt took to goal umpiring and has never looked back, enjoying the fact he has the best seat in the house and loves the challenge of getting the score right.
THE PUSH for the AFL to employ full-time whistleblowers is growing within its own ranks, as the umpiring department continues to explore the concept.
Since joining the VFL list, Dylan Benwell has been amongst the high performers at VFL senior level, having umpired 104 VFL, 10 AFV Development and 16 TAC Cup games during his career at the VFL, since arriving from the Southern Umpires’ Association in 2011. He also umpired the 2012 VFL Reserves Grand Final, the 2015 TAC Cup Grand Final and the 2013 and 2016 VFL Grand Finals.
Sunbury’s Kevin Andrews was among those honoured on Thursday night at the AFL Premiership Players Club annual stamp launch.