05.09.07
Finals Fever…
September… The grass looks greener, the weather is warmer, the air smells sweeter, and football takes on a whole new dimension. Ladies and Gentlemen, September is finals. The crowds grow, the stakes rise and the football becomes fast, frenetic and furious. Yes I am aware that essentially those three adjectives imply pretty much the same thing, but it’s a fair indication of how football is played this time of year.
The AFL Canberra finals get under way this week and while I congratulate all the teams who have made it this far; let’s talk about the other side of the coin for a while. I’m referring of course about those who make the sacrifice to umpire football in Canberra; those men and women who get out there each week and make sure the game comes together.
The hard men and women of orange have been training since well before the season has begun, continued to slog it out on the training track two nights a week (and lets be honest when all you have to look forward to week after week at training is running it’s a struggle at times) and finally their moment has arrived too. Like players the chance to participate in a Grand Final is the ultimate for any umpire, whether it is at the MCG on the last Saturday in September or the U18’s at Manuka Oval it’s something an umpire will remember for ever.
Competition for position is tight; a club playing in a Grand final gets to choose 22 players. For the umpires only 8 will participate in the match, and when you narrow it down to individual disciplines it’s even less, because there is no way a Field Umpire would be caught running the Boundary. The pressure is frightening; a player might miss a goal or two in a game, but if his team wins he’s likely to keep his spot the next week. An umpire misses one or two obvious decisions… well that’s their season done. The scrutiny that the umpires coaching staff places on umpires rises, no stone is left unturned.
At the end of the day though that’s why we do it, it’s a challenge. Like anything in life when the pressure mounts, those that can handle it will stand out and earn their accolades. The 44 umpires this week have proven that they can consistently do the job during the proceeding 21 rounds; yet only 24 will remain on Grand Final Day. Cutting half your team in 2 weeks, what football club does that this time of year?
Congratulations to all umpires who had received the nod for this week.
2nd Semi Finals:
Seniors - E McDonald, A Broughton, K Tingey, M Baker, C Simms, L Roberts, J Savage, C Larter
Reserves - R Powell, B McGlynn, P Baldwin, D O’Dea, T Hocking, J Jenkin, K Griffiths
U/18’s - R Sirr, J Savage, K Jones, D Decarvahlo, B Decarvahlo, C Seveque, R O’Dea
1st Semi Finals:
Seniors - M Kennealy, G Healy, A Rowles, D Hutchinson, J Smith, S Vincent, D Puren, K Pratt
Reserves - A Gladki, L Harrison, S Lawrence, N Smith, T Wilke, P White, M Ferguson
U/18’s - M Goiser, R Hutchings, L Broadhurst, A Elmitt, C Hughes, A Wood, R Harrison