WE SHOULD certainly be celebrating the achievements of our great local sportspeople and role models, and we’ve had quite a few in recent times, including Leongatha world champion Eleanor Patterson.
There’s another Leongatha sportsperson on the top step of his chosen sport and that’s AFL Umpire Matt Stevic, set to umpire a record 50th AFL final on Friday night, the Qualifying Finals at the MCG between Melbourne and the Sydney Swans.
And his achievements are already being warmly celebrated among the alumni of the South Gippsland Umpires Association, where Matt maintains strong ties.
"Not only is Matt one of the best field umpires they've ever produced down there but he's always been prepared to put plenty back at the local level as well," said SGUA Director of Umpiring Gary Scholz.
"We've often had him back for our annual presentation night and to see the delight on the faces of some of our 13, 14 and 15 year olds to be presented with one of Matt's shirts is fantastic," said Gary.
"We've also had him down on a number of occasions for our development days and the time and effort he's prepared to put in has been great.
"He's got some close friends among our group and continues to take a great interest in how we're going. He knows where he came from and he's not about to forget that in a hurry.
"In fact, he's already reached out to us and will be sending us down a few things for our presentation night this year.
"You can't say enough about what he's achieved already and his ability as an umpire but as much as that, it's been his willingness to put plenty back into the development of the sport that's just as impressive from our point of view."
The South Gippsland Umpires Association will hold their annual presentation night on Saturday, September 17 but it's unlikely Stevic will be able to make it this year. He'll hopefully be completing a busy Preliminary Final weekend and getting set for a record-equaling 10th AFL Grand Final appearance.
The SGUA has four West Gippsland Grand Finals and a Gippsland League Grand Final ahead of them in the next few weeks in what will be a busy finale to a big season.
"Our numbers are pretty good at the moment but you could always do with a few more people interested in taking up the challenge of umpiring," said Gary Scholz.
Who knows, you could end up following in the footsteps of the great Matt Stevic!
On the occasion of Matt’s stellar achievement, the AFL has put out a statement congratulating him and praising his contribution to the game.
“The AFL wishes to congratulate umpire Matt Stevic for reaching 50 AFL Finals this weekend.
“Stevic is set to officiate his 50th final in the first Qualifying Final between Melbourne and the Sydney Swans at the MCG on Friday, September 2 at the MCG.
“He will become the first umpire to officiate 50 AFL Finals.
“His current tally of 49 finals is the all-time record, with Brett Rosebury second on 47 finals.”
Andrew Dillon, Executive General Manager Football Operations wrote a letter to Stevic, congratulating him on his remarkable achievement:
"At the highest level of our game, no other umpire has reached this milestone, and I hope your family and friends celebrate with gusto this weekend, and you all take a moment to look back on all that you have achieved," Dillon said.
"For the past decade, you have elevated yourself to the very pinnacle of our senior umpiring group, having umpired nine grand finals, including the last eight in a row which is also a record achieved by no others in the game.
"Good luck for the remainder of the year ahead, and well done again on a major milestone. I look forward to the chance to offer my congratulations in person when next we cross paths."
Stevic joined the AFL Umpiring panel in 2004 from the West Gippsland Umpires Association.
He's since umpired 447 AFL games – the fourth most behind Brett Rosebury (480), Hayden Kennedy (495) and Shane McInerney (502).
Stevic has umpired nine AFL Grand Finals, equal-second most with Brett Rosebury and Ian Robinson.
Stevic, Rosebury and Robinson trail Jack Elder, who officiated 10 VFL Grand Finals between 1906 and 1922.
Stevic umpired the 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 AFL Grand Final.
His stretch of eight consecutive grand finals is a VFL/AFL record.
He was also named All Australian umpire on eight separate occasions: 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
ABC Gippsland breakfast radio producer Oliver Lees spoke to Leongatha’s AFL umpire Matt Stevic on Friday, August 2 prior to his record 50th finals game, taking charge of the Melbourne versus Sydney Swans First Qualifying Final at the MCG on Friday night.
Q1. So, you've got your 50th AFL Finals appearance coming up this week, which is a record. Does it get any easier, are the nerves still there?
A1. No, the game continues to challenge you each year. This is my 19th season and there's constant adjustments to the rules and different interpretations. And look, all finals are a great privilege to be involved in, so yeah, there's a few nerves there and I guess, just the excitement being at the pointy end of the year and the finals are upon us. So yeah, I can't wait to get out there tonight night.
Q2. You touch there on the rule changes. I think the AFL is unique in some senses in that it's constantly evolving in terms of the changing rules, it must be hard to keep up with that. Is there coaching involved in terms of how to keep up to date with the most relevant rules?
A2. Yes, I mean, there are a lot of rules and a lot of different interpretations and expectations on us as the as the official in terms of managing a game of footy, so, yes we certainly get a lot of coaching and direction on any adjustments that come about, but it's also incumbent upon us to continue to refresh and revise all the rules of the game. So, there's an expectation that you know them all inside out, back to front. And so yeah, we try and stay on top of that, really, really regularly.
Q3. And you grew up in the Leongatha area, I believe. Were you are a player first and then an umpire?
A3. So, I played for the Leongatha Parrots and umpired on the other day on the weekend. So, it really just started out as a bit of a hobby, running the boundary and earning a bit of pocket money and after being involved for a year or two, I decided to give the field umpiring a go and probably three or four years after starting my umpiring I realized that I really enjoyed it and wanted to, hopefully, take it as far as I could.
Q4. It's certainly a highly scrutinized position, I'm sure there's a lot of reward you get out of it as well. I wonder if you could touch on that because from the external point of view, the media attention on umpiring is quite strong. So, what do you get out of it in a positive sense?
A4. Look I think that if you love footy, and over the past 19 years, but probably even beyond that, the experiences that I've had, I've been fortunate enough to live out in some of the greatest stadiums in the world, watching some of the best athletes in the world go about their craft, it's a very, very special and fairly unique place to be for us. I mean yes, we've got a job to do, but you still also do get a bit of an opportunity just to, I guess marvel at you know how good some of these players are with their skills and but also, you know, the friendships that I've formed through umpiring, I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends. And also, over time, you get to really know and respect and understand people within the whole footy industry. So, you know, both at clubland and within AFL House, you know, you get connected with a lot of a lot of great people and so, building some other professional relationships is a great benefit.
Q5. Are there certain matches or moments from those 19 years that stick out to you, and you think you reflect on your career?
A5. Yeah, I mean, obviously doing my first game West Coast and Bulldogs at Telstra Dome as it was called then, was a real highlight. Several of the grand finals have been a huge buzz. Anzac Day, in 2009 when David Zaharakis kicked that goal, late in the game to put Essendon in front and win the game, and I mean, we're neutral, right, but we're out there and the atmosphere is just incredible. And so, you know, you hope that you just do your job and you're doing well and that they're talking about how good a game it was, rather than, you know, certain umpiring decisions, but it's a huge buzz to be out there in the centre, that's for sure.
Q6. At a local level here in Gippsland, we've covered that there is an issue with umpire shortages in the game. How do you think we can encourage more people and I suppose specifically young people to give umpiring a go?
A6. The same sorts of things were being talked about in 1993 when I first started umpiring, but most young boys and girls who I've spoken to and also ex-players, and or even current players, when they give it a go, they're actually surprised at how much they enjoy it. So, what I would say to everyone is just get out there and give it a go. If you enjoy football and you enjoy being involved in the game, over and above being a good way to earn a bit of extra money and stay fit, it's fantastic to be involved at any level.