WEBVTT - #5 - Ray Chamberlain 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:08.399 Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Mason Cox Show. Now, 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:10.920 as always a start off the show, like subscribe to 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:16.520 our seven platforms we got Spotify, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:20.599 TikTok and YouTube smashing that now. But today is a 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:22.960 very special guest, a man that I've got so much 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:24.959 respect for. You cops a lot of criticism in his 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.880 job and he does it with an utmost passion that 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:31.480 you can possibly think of. He's a great man named 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:36.080 Razor Ray Chamberlain. Now he has got a story to tell. 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.960 I'm telling you he's one of the most iconic people 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:42.440 in the IFL industry. And it is an absolute great chat. 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:48.400 So really excited for you to listen in. I want 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:50.800 to actually start off with a quote of yours. Now, 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:52.360 I did a bit of research on you, right hows 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.120 to do with oh my guests? And I've read this quote. 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:57.640 I really vibe with this. This is a really good one. 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.120 And the quote is elite performance is a sum of 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:03.000 all the micro moments. It's a craft and it's what 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:06.000 underpins the most special moments. Now, is that a quote 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:06.240 from you? 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:07.400 It is? Actually? 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:09.479 Yeah, that is that is good good research. 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:11.360 I'll do I'll do my best I'll do my best 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:12.840 work for people come on, and then it kind of 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:16.120 goes downhill once again. A mine, No, but it kind 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:17.880 of I guess gives you a bit of an idea 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:21.360 the kind of personality you are. There's so many little 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.200 things that probably happened in your life to lead you 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.240 to where you are today. And yeah, we'll just jump 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:28.240 into it. Because you're born in act. You're not a 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:29.680 Melbourne man, not a ben. 0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:30.320 Man, not a Melbourne man. 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:32.360 And thank you for that. Man, that's really kind of you. 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:37.119 I think one of the first lessons I learned here 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.400 in Melbourne. I was in the VFL and mate, you 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.039 ain't this way vibe, but you will not have seen 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:45.840 this stuff. I'm as old as dirt, right, And so 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:50.080 what would happen is they would play curtain raisers yep, 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.640 before the big dogs rolled out, right. So Richmond may 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:56.840 be playing Essendon at the MCG and so there'll be 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:00.600 a curtain raiser at like nine to thirty am, right, 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.400 like proper early. And you know, so this whole notion 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:05.880 of kicking the jew off is legit, right, So you'd 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:08.640 be drying the ground for when the big show started. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:12.880 And I remember one day I was walking across the 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.760 MCG and one of our coaches was there and he 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.800 said to me, he goes, you know, mate, he goes, 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.880 I think you're a horrible Hayden Kennedy. Now, Hayden Kennedy 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:25.720 was the games record holder, he was our coach. He's 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:30.120 a legend. I have always just held Hayden on a pedestal. 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.840 He's a legend, right in what we do. He goes, 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:36.680 you'll be a worse Darren Goldspink. So Darren goldspin compied 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.079 are Besquilian Grand Finals and whatever. Right, he goes, you're 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:45.760 a dog shit Matthew James, who was the it guy, right, 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.280 and he goes, but you know, he goes on that 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.240 you make a bloody good Ray Chamberlain. And it was 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:53.280 really funny because this guy only observed me in like 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.960 three or four games ever so early doors like I'm 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:01.000 talking two thousand, you two thousand and But I remember 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.800 this conversation so vividly, like it resonated with me. The 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.240 kind of thing what I kind of came to an 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:11.040 understanding because I was only packed it in and went home. 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.280 I trial, you're trying to make the AFL list. Missed 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:16.640 out again, missed out on trialing again. I was like, 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.200 you know what, shove it. I'm out. And my now 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:23.840 wife said to me, you regret it, you regret stop 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:24.480 being a silk. 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.840 Have another dig. You will regret this if you go now. 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:30.919 And it was midway through the following season that I 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.359 got a phone call and got promoted onto the AFL. 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:37.520 And the thing that resonated with me back then was, 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:42.119 you know, if you're authentically who you are, You've got 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:44.560 no evil to anyone, You're not trying to treat anyone poorly, 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:49.040 You're not doing anything wrong per se, and you're just 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:53.760 being authentically yourself and you fall short. I can live 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:56.480 with that, that will be okay with me. But if 0:03:56.520 --> 0:04:00.440 you're trying to put yourself forward to something you just 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:04.240 it's just not who you are and you fail. I 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.920 don't think. I don't think that would I would, It 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:08.200 would be very restless. 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:11.120 I would. I would not forgive myself for that. 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.360 So I just I don't know when it stopped being 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:20.320 cool to treat people well right and just for you right, 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:23.360 like what is del buckleyy? Everyone else has taken right? 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.960 So like, just just be yourself and I don't know 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:27.799 any other way. 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:30.440 Mate, Yeah, and it's it is a crazy too. I mean, 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:32.440 I don't think there's anyone that's ever done it even 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.279 remotely close to what you do. Like you, you're very unique, 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:36.960 and you've got such a good relationship I feel like 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.480 with the industry itself and players and coaches and everyone else, 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:42.720 and you're so well respected within the a f L. 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:46.280 And it's it is a credit to you, and it's yeah, 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.600 I look at it and at some point, I guess 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:52.640 we're somewhat similar stories. That's probably really going after it. 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:55.680 That's a really good question a little bit, but yeah, 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:58.680 I don't. I don't think you you grew up probably 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:02.400 wanting to be an umpire because you originally were cricket players. 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.320 What I've looked up, it's just true, did a little 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:05.440 bit of a little bit of creen and you're a 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.279 part of the national championship is what I actually read. 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:10.560 I love my cricket and I and it was something 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:14.159 that I considered myself to be good at. I'm okay, 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:17.800 I'm a wicket keeper and I could bat a little bit, 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.640 and I loved the game and the sides I played in. 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.000 We won premierships and all that sort of stuff. When 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:24.680 we weren't meant to. 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:29.400 So I played, uh well from a kid, but I 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:33.280 played senior cricket for Tagronong in the in the act 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:33.880 that's in. 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:37.440 Camera, mate, Ye don't ask me how to say that. 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:41.360 And we played against guys like so Brad Hadden who 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:43.920 was a wicket keeper for Australia and is now a 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:47.719 coach at the level. There were guys like there, there's 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:49.640 a big West Indian guy I used to play. There's 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:51.640 lots of names that won't resonate with you at all. 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:55.479 Right, we're nearly on. It was she really just tested 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:56.280 my knowledge. 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:58.920 But it was really competitive, and we were all these 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.760 young guys because we were out I think of south 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.080 of the city and then go further south that like 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.039 as far south as that's where I grew up, right 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.200 and that, and so we were like in a nappy valley. 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:12.920 So we're all these young guys and I remember the 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:17.760 paper said, oh, you know they had us finishing last young, 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:19.760 lots of potential too soon. 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:24.240 Sounds familiar, right, you heard this song and we won 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:27.800 the camp, right, we won the camp and so you 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.320 know that was off the back of lots of people contributing. 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:36.520 But I loved cricket and I played national championships and 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:39.200 got offers to go and play in Sydney and overseas 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.200 and stuff like that for little bits and bobs. But 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:45.279 I wasn't ever going to be like elite. I wasn't 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:47.719 that like you look at guys like I remember coming 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:50.760 down and I played at Melbourne. I got invited down 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:53.240 to play from a friend and I remember seeing Brad 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:56.880 Hodge hit the cricket ball and it just sounds different, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.440 like they just like the guys who are the best, Yeah, 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:02.880 like they just do it different. Hads was the same. 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.400 He'd hit a ball I need a seven nine hit, 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.400 he like he'd hit a cricket ball, right, So the guys. 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:11.240 I was never that level ever. But I was a 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:15.520 good clubby right, and I loved it. But umpiring I 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:20.080 got into by chance. So you know, this whole thing 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:23.240 about six thousand umpires short and you know, like I was. 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:25.080 Going to ask you about that's fair, God keep going. 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:29.200 Well, we haven't discovered fire, because you know, twenty odd 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:33.360 years ago when I umpired my first game by accident, 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:37.040 I went down to watch my youngest brother play. So 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:39.120 my mom and dad were a bit worried about him 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:41.200 come and take an interest in him. So I went 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:45.240 down to watch him play and no umpire turned up. Yeah, 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.480 And so then the club president comes over and I'm 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:50.120 playing in the under eighteen's that day goes ray. If 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.040 you umpire, the game will fill your cart with petrol, right, 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:55.080 and we won't let anyone hang any shit on you, right, 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:55.720 Like that's. 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:57.280 Literally it by college of us my crew. 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:00.000 So I can't see Marma. He's still giving me two 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.440 twenty bucks for petrol. She's like yep. So I pocketed 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:06.080 that a commerce and then I went back and I said, 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.280 all right, nah, I'm in. And it got to halftime 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:10.960 and this old skinny guy come over. His name's Bob Stacey, 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:15.960 ripping human being. I learned more about umpiring in the 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.640 three years that Bob was my coach and mentor. Then 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:24.680 I've probably learned technically since he was just brilliant. This 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:28.960 man's huge loan, right, and he is incredible. And he 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:30.440 says to me, oh, how long you how long you 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:32.280 been doing this for? And I said forty five minutes? 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:35.520 And he has no, no, not today, like like how long? 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.880 I said, no, one I understood the question forty five 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:42.400 minutes face like and he goes, you know, you can 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.959 earn six figures part time doing this. And I think 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:47.880 at the time, because I was in college, like I 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.480 was in year eleven, I think. 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:52.440 I was working at Eagle Boys Pizza. 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:54.880 Shout out to Eagle Boys Pizza. 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:56.920 Let's go, mate, pink Pole. 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:03.760 So the bonus structure at Eagle Boys was how many 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:05.640 garlic breads you could knock off in a shift drive. 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:06.520 That's so huge. 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:09.360 So six figures part time. I'm like, mate, I'm in. 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:13.959 And I loved footy. I've always loved DFEL footy and 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:15.960 I played two hundred and fifty games for my club. 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:21.360 Guys like Aaron Hamil who is now coach at Carlton 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.319 oh yeah yeah, and Craig Bolton who played for Brisbane 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.400 and Sydney. Justin Bloomfield's a premiership player at Essendon. So 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:30.600 these those lads were all in the same age group 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:32.040 and they are a year younger than me. But that 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.040 was sort of where I grew up. But I was 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.839 no good and they were awesome. So anyway, I ended 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:39.960 up umpiring and I loved it, mate. I loved it 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:43.200 because it's anyway. But the point being is that there 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.160 was shortage of Umpires thirty years ago. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.679 Yeah. Yeah, so it's been a consistent like headline for 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:49.800 thirty years. 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.840 Have you. Yeah, And there's lots of reasons for that. 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.480 I think it's just the fear of not having someone 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.720 like and there's always constant scrutiny around it where everyone goes, oh, well, 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:00.800 you know, like we need get better in this when 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:02.240 you get better in this, And the reason is because 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:03.920 we don't have enough resources. We don't have this with that, 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:06.439 you know, and it's like it's like an easy excuse maybe. 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:11.360 I think also like there's lots of inputs, there's lots 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.480 of simple things we could do, I think to help it. 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.880 But I know lots of people are genuinely invested in 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:23.719 trying to help recruit, retain, and make empiring something that's 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.600 more appealing to broader community, so you know what, all 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:27.360 power to them. 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:31.120 Yeah, it's interesting. You've kind of died on a few 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:34.120 things that we're going to talk about definitely, but we'll 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:36.880 go back to So I guess you talked about it 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:39.719 recently or sorry just a second ago about going and 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:41.319 starting I guess a bit of school and then getting 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:44.000 into umpiring and then from there having those kind of 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:47.080 mentors and everything else. Now, you're a man who's got 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:49.199 a lot of experience in AFL, and you've had a 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:50.840 lot of mentors along the way, and you're probably now 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:52.560 on the other side of the spectrum where you're actually 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:54.200 mentoring young kids along the way. 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:55.720 What is some of your best advice? 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:58.679 Because you've had a successful career and it's not even done, Like, yes, 0:10:58.720 --> 0:10:59.880 you're I need to actually ask you this. 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:02.080 How are you feeling? You've been injured, so I need 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:03.199 to actually get an update here. 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:07.880 So I've gone through the sorry, off, the time, denial, denial, 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:11.719 and I'll be fine, right, I'll be fine. Right, It's 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:14.559 only a torn tendon in the hip, You'll be fine. 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:16.920 I mean we've run a bit, but I'll be fine. 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:22.319 To trying to rehab and realizing that potentially I won't 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.640 be fine, so then anger, right, and then you know, 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.600 you get your The office sook for a few days 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:34.520 and I'm at acceptance, acceptance, acceptance. So I've been I've 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.600 done my rest, I've been in the gym, building the 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:41.760 serena and and just trying to yeah, get the strength 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:44.959 and everything back, and I tomorrow I'll do my fifth 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:45.600 run back. 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:51.040 So I'm I'm where we're working back in towards the direction. 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:52.160 You know what I do. 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.280 I love the game, as I said, and I have 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:57.640 such incredible regard for those who you know, the coaches, 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:00.000 the players, and the fans. I mean you know that yourself, 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.400 Like last couple of years where we didn't have fans there, 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:03.600 like it was a different. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:05.040 Suck. 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:09.680 So I genuinely really highly value the game and everyone 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:13.800 who's involved in it. And so yeah, I'm filthy when 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:16.640 you watch these games that kicks after the sire and 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:18.760 draws and rarah, and you're like. 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:20.080 It's the last ten games of ours. 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.120 There just watching on the couch, going man. 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.360 But but yeah, so I'll get there, I'll get back. 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:28.720 Yeah. 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:31.240 Well, with all the experience you have, what is what's 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:34.360 some advice from maybe someone who's maybe listening, who doesn't 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:35.840 quite know what they're going to do with her life, 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:38.160 maybe doesn't have a thirty year plan. I mean obviously 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.880 you're probably life in general. You weren't probably planning to 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:43.600 be an mPire. You're probably you know, as a kid, 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:45.800 wishing to be a cricket player and play for Australia 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:47.920 and all that, and then maybe playing the AFL and 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:49.760 then now you can't take a bit of a left turn. 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.560 You're kind of doing something different, Like what is your 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:53.200 advice to someone who may be a bit lost in 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:54.640 the sense of what their career is going to be 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:55.160 going forward? 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:55.840 This is awesome. 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:58.840 And I was speaking to a young fellow only just 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.640 last week actually and caught up with him and his parents. 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:04.800 And I don't think you don't need to have a 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:05.800 destination in mind. 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:06.200 Really. 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:10.080 I think it's great to be aspirational and have people 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.920 that are your heroes. I love George Gregan. He played 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.600 for the Wallabies, right, And this guy was just the 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.560 most fierce competitor and he was a cricket out and 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:22.080 he was from Canberra, right, So I love this dude, right, Yeah, absolutely, 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.840 And then you know I so that's all cool, right, 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:29.520 But I think what it's about is just trying to 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:34.600 understand that being being happy, right, treating people well. So 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:38.920 you know we all at different times, Mason are We're 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:41.920 givers and takers at different times, right. And there's this 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:43.800 saying that I kind of like, which is, you know, 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.880 takers eat better, but give us sleep better, right, And 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:51.280 I think if you can just go, I'm not here 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:56.080 to be interesting. I'm actually wanting to be interested. Yeah, 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:58.120 that's really hard, and I think I've learned some of 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:02.440 this stuff since being a dad. To be air right, Well, 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.520 you know, we get caught up, and I'll be doing 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:08.040 this today because it's the nature of what we're doing, right. 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:13.000 I will listen to your question and my intentions to respond, right, 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:17.800 But when you're a dad, you actually you need to 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:23.160 listen to hear them. Yeah, is actually more important. So 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:25.320 then when you come back to your question, young person 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:26.920 not sure what they want to be, you don't need 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.000 to know the outcome. And you can have dreams and 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:32.480 goals and aspirations and all that bullshit, but really what 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:34.640 it is just bringing the best version of yourself every 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.000 day feet hit the ground and the world goes. Look out, 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:41.920 old mates into it, and enjoy your life. So treat 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:45.560 people well, find the joy, right, and then follow your 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:48.480 nose and I just you know, we're learning all the time. 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.960 My mum is a great example. Hey, we love moms 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.640 on the show, right, my mum's a great example of 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:58.200 the answer to this question, or just trying to give 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.240 an illustration as to what I'm trying to say. Right, 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:04.560 my mom went to typing school mate, right, I still 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.480 give a shit about that before Patricia Elle and Chamberlain. 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:15.120 Do you realize you're that old? You typing school Raymond John? Right? 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.040 It's madness, right. So the point being is the world. 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.360 Just evolves so rapidly, right, and all. 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:24.920 These different bits and pieces, and you're zigging and zagging. 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:28.600 So you were learning nothing's done every day as a 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.800 school day, all that gear, right, So don't fret about 0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:36.240 the outcome, right, Immerse yourself in what you're doing by 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:38.840 all means, as I said, have aspirations and goals. 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.240 But immerse yourself in the day and the people you're with. 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:46.800 That's sharing the experience with those such a massive part 0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:47.800 of like actually being happy. 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:49.560 I feel like totally and I don't want to get 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:51.480 all number stay on people or whatever, but it is 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:54.800 it's like, don't worry about where you land, right, it's 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:58.040 that whole travel piece and you know, winning and losing together, 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.720 the cool, the results whatever. I can think of some 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:03.840 of our games where we've come up. I remember coming 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:05.400 off a game with the SCG, I thought we were 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:06.640 going to get the crap beat out of it. So 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.680 well so the security guards there I've known since I 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:11.880 was a kid, right, because I was doing with the 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:16.480 security those tight right, so AFL reserves and that and 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.160 that I'd always you get the AFL would bring out 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:22.040 these the broadcasters have a tie every year, that have 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:25.360 a broadcaster's tie, and I'd get one, and I'd always 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.400 give it to the security guard. He loved it, and 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.160 he still looks after me today, this bloke, he's a 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:32.080 legend in city. Anyway, we do this game and there'd 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.520 been an error and this is back before your time. 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.040 There's only one boundary on pire on each side, right, 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.160 so those boys had to shammer mate and if the 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.160 ball got rebounded out of deep fifty, there's no way 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:44.440 they could see it on the half of a flank, 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:46.080 like it's physically impossible. 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:48.520 And this ball on the replay it looked like the 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.960 ball almost hit the fence. It was that far out right, 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.360 and got the goal. Results on. 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:57.320 Now they're up by two points because fans are cutting 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:02.280 losing it anyway, Essendon win and we're like Jesus, now 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.360 I'm in the field, so I'm washing my hands clear 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:04.640 of this. 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:05.679 Has got nothing to do with me. 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:08.760 Right, We're about to make our way off and you've 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.560 got to walk through the crowd in Sydney, right, and 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:13.840 the security guards. 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:15.359 Come barreling out. Now they don't normally do that. 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:16.919 They meet us about five meters off the ground and 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:19.800 he's come running out Jesus and he just looked at me. 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:22.680 He goes, keep your mouth shut and your head down. 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:23.080 Right. 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:24.400 Wow. 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:28.920 Anyway, it was a pretty ordinary reception this day, right, 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:33.800 But we still talk about that night. Yeah, Like Scott 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:36.960 McLaren and Chris Donlin and myself we were the three 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:40.080 umpires right as forever ago. But I remember that like 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:43.080 it was last night. So it wasn't a great night 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:43.359 for it. 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:46.200 Off the field, no, no, we walked off yeah, I 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:48.720 would have been dead spread, no chance. 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:51.080 Yeah, it wasn't great. 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.840 And I remember I learned a lot because so we 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.200 were the embryos, right and Scottie he was like the 0:17:57.280 --> 0:18:00.159 old boy who was responsible. Now, it had nothing to 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.960 do with him that because it was a boundary on pire. Yeah, 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.480 but he knew he was going to be held accountable. 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:09.400 Boy our coaches that things didn't go the way they're 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.800 meant to, right. He was so flat after the game 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.640 because we had this umpiring issue, right, And I learned 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:20.800 the responsibility actually that is accompanied in the role. Up 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:22.320 until that, I thought it was really cool to be 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:25.399 doing these games. I didn't realize for the big dogs 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:27.199 back and ending of it, what comes with it, right, 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.679 because I'm still too knew to understand. So even in 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:34.440 the losses, you've got these great stories and memories. 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:35.600 And it's because of the people that you're with. 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:39.200 So really, mate, that's a long way for us getting 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.840 to answer your question, but quite frankly that you get 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:42.400 on with your day. 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:44.440 It's about the people you were with and the experiences 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:50.679 you have, memories you create, agreed numbers. Correct, we'll go 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:54.879 back to your university. Now your teacher pastel are in teaching? 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:55.280 Is that right? 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:56.280 Now? 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:59.359 I feel like teaching and the way a lot of 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:01.840 people know you as you Someone might have a crack 0:19:01.880 --> 0:19:04.240 at you and you kind of go, oh, that's inappropriate. 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:05.959 Now it puts you to know, don't say those kind 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:07.880 of words. We're not about that. You know, like very 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:11.240 you like a teacher two players. I feel like sometimes 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.919 there's a bit on that. Now, what lessons have you 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:16.960 learned in teaching that you apply to your life now? 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:20.520 Because teaching is something that we I think undervalue as 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:23.800 a society. Teachers have the hardest job that you will 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:25.400 ever find anyone else in this world. 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:29.680 To have you spent four years doing your bachelor of education, right, 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:32.480 come out, you get a job. If you're any good, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:35.919 they load up with every other responsibility that you can 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:38.760 think of because they're so underresourced. Right, this is within 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:43.240 the system. And then so what happens then the very 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:47.000 last thing that you get to is actually the pedagogy, right, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.840 the science of teaching and learning. It's the last You 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:51.800 don't even get to it because you're doing every other 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:55.520 thing within the system and your three steps from the door, 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:57.239 and it's like, what lesson is this? 0:19:57.320 --> 0:20:00.000 Who's here? What are we doing today? And I feel 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:03.040 on that really hard to actually accept. I was actually I. 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:06.080 Meant to be engaging with each of these individuals and 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:09.439 understanding them and then conveying things in a way that 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:13.960 you understand versus they understand versus. And I'm not doing 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:17.000 any of that because I'm doing administering all these other 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:20.480 programs and whatever, right, So that I found that really 0:20:21.000 --> 0:20:21.920 really quite frustrating. 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:23.359 So, yeah, teaching is a challenge. 0:20:23.520 --> 0:20:25.760 What I mean, I think one of the cool things 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:28.680 like if I talk to you in a certain and 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:31.640 we've got an issue to discuss or whatever. I can 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:35.040 talk in a certain way. But if I'm talking with 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:38.360 Dustin Martin as an example, it will be far more 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:41.600 succinct and it'll be just move on, right, versus if 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:43.880 I talk to somebody over here where they don't even 0:20:43.920 --> 0:20:44.679 want to be spoken to. 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:47.159 So you've taken personalities of players before you tike to on. 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:50.359 So you absolutely understand that you've got to have the 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:52.080 whole golf set right. 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:54.359 You can't just bring a driver to everyone every event. 0:20:55.119 --> 0:20:56.960 You know, maybe just laying up with a seven, I'll 0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:59.680 be fine, right, And that's the craft of what we do. 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:03.120 So it's not necessarily an athletic event that we do. 0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:05.920 It's not I don't think it's a young dude's game 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:10.000 at the elite level. Actually, yeah, because you haven't learned enough, 0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:14.880 failed enough as a human rights life experiences drying and go. Actually, 0:21:15.400 --> 0:21:17.760 and so as much as you want to, I think 0:21:17.840 --> 0:21:21.080 you're challenged. It's challenging to have the empathy that's required 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:25.000 and then also understanding, well, yeah, that's fine, but this 0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:25.320 is my. 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:26.720 Job, especially in the heat of the moment. 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:31.119 So the other part to it is we're in a 0:21:31.160 --> 0:21:34.199 really weird time, right, where we want everything to be 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:36.919 perfect and see that you know it's got to be 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:40.479 right or wrong. Well, that's actual, that's not what happens 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.000 in our game, mate, But we're dealing in things like 0:21:43.119 --> 0:21:48.920 reasonable time, prior opportunity, genuine attempt. So it's subjective in nature, 0:21:48.960 --> 0:21:54.240 right the AFL right, drop it. This is where you 0:21:54.359 --> 0:21:56.960 got to You got to just get just sip on 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:59.040 the tea for sip on the tea. 0:21:58.880 --> 0:22:00.159 For a minute and just consider this. 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:00.480 Right. 0:22:01.680 --> 0:22:05.119 So one hundred thousand at the g right, you're taking 0:22:05.119 --> 0:22:08.480 hangers against the tigers and it's going nuts, right, and 0:22:08.520 --> 0:22:12.600 there's a tackle on center wing. Okay, one hundred thousand people, 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:18.080 they're fifty right, and fifty thousand go back, and then 0:22:18.119 --> 0:22:21.080 this little dude in the green shirt goes play on right, 0:22:21.960 --> 0:22:24.639 and then one hundred thousand people Mason come together and 0:22:24.680 --> 0:22:25.760 they agree on one thing. 0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:28.240 I don't know what I'm doing, But. 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:31.000 Then they talk about it all week, and it's TV 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:36.359 shows and it's coffees and it's newspapers and it's podcasts. Right, 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:40.239 And that's actually the beauty of the game, mate, So 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:41.879 it's not a black and white game. You want that, 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:45.080 go to the tennis, they'll have a seat, lots. 0:22:44.840 --> 0:22:45.639 Of empty seats. 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:49.680 Okay, I'll tell you right, boring, you. 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:50.840 Can do that if that's your stick. 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:54.240 But that's not what we're trade in here, Okay, Right, 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.520 and so, and the whole game itself is predicated around 0:22:57.520 --> 0:23:01.399 this ambiguity but also this management. So we run around 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:02.960 with this whole idea that we've got to be right 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:06.160 all the time, just get it right. And they're different, 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.040 they're different, Yeah, and we have trouble with that. We 0:23:10.080 --> 0:23:13.119 have trouble selling that, and we have trouble understanding that. 0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:15.160 I think, yeah, And I think that's where we get 0:23:15.160 --> 0:23:17.040 some of the the fights. 0:23:17.119 --> 0:23:20.280 Yeah, Because I've always had a thing with IFL is 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.160 very there is a lot of ambiguity around stuff, and 0:23:23.800 --> 0:23:26.040 rules change every year, which is a wild thing to 0:23:26.119 --> 0:23:28.639 say about a sport. It's like it might be that 0:23:28.680 --> 0:23:31.480 one year, might not be. You were telling me a 0:23:31.480 --> 0:23:33.280 story about bouncing the ball in the middle of the games, 0:23:33.280 --> 0:23:35.000 not in the center bounce, and I was just like, oh, 0:23:35.000 --> 0:23:35.720 that actually happened. 0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:39.360 I had no idea sorted out. 0:23:39.400 --> 0:23:41.600 Which people are wondering whether bounces are going to be 0:23:41.600 --> 0:23:43.119 in the IFL in five years and it was like 0:23:43.160 --> 0:23:45.760 that was everywhere. So it is changing quite a bit, 0:23:45.800 --> 0:23:48.160 but we all dive into more of you on piring 0:23:48.160 --> 0:23:49.639 because I've got you here and I can talk to 0:23:49.680 --> 0:23:50.600 you forever, to be honest. 0:23:50.640 --> 0:23:52.360 But all fast forward a bit. 0:23:52.440 --> 0:23:56.520 Now you have done what is probably some of my 0:23:56.600 --> 0:23:59.280 supporters have remembered and one of the most unique experiences 0:23:59.280 --> 0:23:59.879 has ever happened. 0:24:00.200 --> 0:24:03.399 A Grand Final rematch. Yes, now can you talk to 0:24:03.800 --> 0:24:04.320 that day? 0:24:04.440 --> 0:24:07.239 Maybe some like smaller stories that happened kind of in 0:24:07.280 --> 0:24:09.399 there of that, maybe some people don't know about. That 0:24:09.560 --> 0:24:12.119 was just because that day is iconic and not just 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:14.159 for that fan of Saint Kilda and Collingwood and all that. 0:24:14.200 --> 0:24:16.199 But I think just as for the sport itself, to 0:24:16.200 --> 0:24:18.800 have a Grand Final rematch is something that's just you'll 0:24:18.800 --> 0:24:19.879 never maybe see again. 0:24:20.080 --> 0:24:21.800 No you won't. They've changed the rules, so they won't. 0:24:21.800 --> 0:24:24.120 They'll finish it on that day no matter what overtime 0:24:24.160 --> 0:24:24.720 blah blah blah. 0:24:24.760 --> 0:24:25.320 They might change it. 0:24:26.920 --> 0:24:27.760 I reckon they won't. 0:24:28.800 --> 0:24:31.080 There's a couple of really cool things, and I've got 0:24:31.080 --> 0:24:33.520 to say I was blessed in that the support that 0:24:33.600 --> 0:24:37.240 I had with my colleagues, so I had two of 0:24:37.320 --> 0:24:41.800 our umpires who apart from being fabulous umpires like in 0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:46.400 what we do, they're our greats. Okay, they're ripping humans 0:24:46.640 --> 0:24:51.200 and they're different. They're different guys. They're really smart there 0:24:51.440 --> 0:24:54.280 that they and they're bloody brilliant at what they do, 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:58.719 and so they they I knew I was so well 0:24:59.119 --> 0:25:02.920 protected and surrounded, right. So I'm forever indebted to Sean 0:25:03.040 --> 0:25:06.040 Ryan and Brett Rosebery in terms of how they treated 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:08.320 me for the whole week and then and then the. 0:25:08.400 --> 0:25:10.360 Ensuing week because it's massive. 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:11.600 It's a different experience. 0:25:11.640 --> 0:25:12.119 It's massive. 0:25:12.880 --> 0:25:16.080 You get hundreds of text messages and there's media, and 0:25:16.119 --> 0:25:21.600 there's training eventually, and then there's buddy parades and all 0:25:21.640 --> 0:25:24.160 this stuff that you've never done before and you're naked, mate, 0:25:24.200 --> 0:25:27.000 Like Friday, I got home from the Grand Final parade 0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:28.920 whole war was knackered, mate. 0:25:29.200 --> 0:25:32.240 When I said to my honestly, we'll pick this up. 0:25:34.840 --> 0:25:35.119 Right. 0:25:35.560 --> 0:25:38.479 So it's a huge week and so they did all 0:25:38.520 --> 0:25:42.680 the heavy lifting, Sean and Brett, and I just had 0:25:42.720 --> 0:25:45.080 to try and manage myself. So I owe them massively. 0:25:45.160 --> 0:25:48.640 But a couple of really I think interesting stories. Well, 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:52.200 certainly for us, we had not had a draw yeah. 0:25:52.720 --> 0:25:55.760 I remember at the end, Nick Maxwell and Nick Reewelt 0:25:55.800 --> 0:26:00.000 were here and Nickreewelt said to me, what happens now 0:26:00.080 --> 0:26:05.560 out right? And I said, well, if that's if that's accurate, 0:26:05.960 --> 0:26:08.800 we have to come back next week, jees. So he 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:11.480 dropped a few, so he gave me some feedback, the 0:26:11.480 --> 0:26:15.400 big fella. And then I remember we're walking off and 0:26:16.880 --> 0:26:22.600 Adrian Anderson was walking onto the ground with Peter Material 0:26:23.480 --> 0:26:26.840 and they were going to present the Norm Smith Medal 0:26:27.080 --> 0:26:30.199 for the best player on the ground. And Adrian's a 0:26:30.280 --> 0:26:37.200 really disciplined, straight, you know workface bang right, and he's 0:26:37.240 --> 0:26:41.360 walking on and obviously realizes it's they're going to sell 0:26:41.359 --> 0:26:45.680 it out again next week. You know stuff. I ever 0:26:45.720 --> 0:26:50.600 heard him swear? Right, He's like, great job. And I 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:52.199 said the boys, I said, I reckon, we're sweet for 0:26:52.240 --> 0:26:52.760 next week. 0:26:53.480 --> 0:26:55.080 Another braain, let's do it again. 0:26:55.160 --> 0:26:57.480 But we come off the ground and like normally, what 0:26:57.560 --> 0:27:00.280 happens is there's a bath and it's full of you know, 0:27:00.640 --> 0:27:06.520 champagne and all that, right, and that quickly got emptied, right, 0:27:06.960 --> 0:27:10.800 and all the hierarchy came in and like very much, 0:27:11.240 --> 0:27:13.879 get ready for it, well done, pull your heads in, 0:27:14.400 --> 0:27:16.280 get ready for next week, You've got a week to go, 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:18.720 and like we have all like you guys, do you know, 0:27:18.760 --> 0:27:20.800 we have our silly Sundays and all those sorts of things. 0:27:20.840 --> 0:27:22.080 And you've bought the outfit and you. 0:27:23.560 --> 0:27:28.600 Couldn't go, couldn't go right, So all of those things 0:27:28.800 --> 0:27:29.600 spilled out of it. 0:27:29.640 --> 0:27:33.240 I remember different different parts of the game. 0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:36.520 I remember going out there and Brett took the first 0:27:36.520 --> 0:27:39.280 bounce and they said just get it in an end 0:27:39.400 --> 0:27:43.520 zone and just get into the vibe of the game. Relax, 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:46.520 you know, and Darren Jolly kicks a goal twenty three 0:27:46.560 --> 0:27:48.639 seconds in. I'm standing in the middle of the MCG 0:27:48.840 --> 0:27:53.480 with go up straight, you mustard right. 0:27:54.320 --> 0:27:56.960 So that was that was cool, and I just remember 0:27:57.000 --> 0:27:57.800 how hot it was. 0:27:58.280 --> 0:28:01.919 So you know, your umpire back then, the way you 0:28:01.960 --> 0:28:05.840 got appointed to games was different to now. So if 0:28:05.920 --> 0:28:10.240 you're going well, you got the bigger games, yeah, deemed the. 0:28:10.240 --> 0:28:14.040 More high profile games Friday, Friday. 0:28:13.800 --> 0:28:14.600 Night, Saturday night. 0:28:15.080 --> 0:28:17.199 And so for the last eight weeks of the season, 0:28:17.480 --> 0:28:22.160 I umpired at nighttime in Melbourne every week. So it's 0:28:22.280 --> 0:28:27.080 like four degrees, right, different Grand Final day it's twenty 0:28:27.119 --> 0:28:30.119 six degrees. I just remember, and I could run, right, 0:28:30.200 --> 0:28:33.240 I remember going She's hot. So it was just all 0:28:33.280 --> 0:28:35.480 those little nuances. I remember seeing the screen at one 0:28:35.520 --> 0:28:38.160 stage and there's they've cut Eric Banner and Michael Klymm. 0:28:38.680 --> 0:28:40.840 Go geez, all the big dogs are in town, you know. 0:28:40.960 --> 0:28:43.480 So it was it was a really unique experience and 0:28:43.520 --> 0:28:47.800 I got to say, yeah, one of the coolest, so 0:28:47.920 --> 0:28:52.520 of the coolest two weeks of my sporting career for sure. 0:28:52.760 --> 0:28:55.360 Do you know how many guys and at this stage 0:28:55.400 --> 0:28:58.360 it's only been men in the field. Do you know 0:28:58.400 --> 0:29:01.960 how many umpires in one hundred eighty years have unpied 0:29:02.000 --> 0:29:05.440 an AFL Grand Final as a field umpire, So one 0:29:05.480 --> 0:29:07.000 hundred eighty years of foot year, it's like a sta 0:29:07.280 --> 0:29:10.680 yeah years, that's unpacket's hundred eighty years. So you've got 0:29:10.680 --> 0:29:12.840 one umpire for a while, and then they went to 0:29:12.920 --> 0:29:16.920 two and for like twenty five or plus years. It 0:29:17.000 --> 0:29:18.720 might be longer than that, might be closer to thirty. 0:29:18.760 --> 0:29:22.560 Actually now we've had three in the field. So one 0:29:22.640 --> 0:29:24.840 hundred and eighty years, how many people have had the 0:29:24.880 --> 0:29:28.560 opportunity to umpire an AFL Grand Final? Like one fifty 0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:34.560 less than sixty what less than sixty fifty? Yeah, one 0:29:34.640 --> 0:29:37.360 hundred percent in the field, right, so they don't just 0:29:37.440 --> 0:29:40.120 hand these out. Yeah, Like people always go, oh, you're 0:29:40.160 --> 0:29:40.960 doing the Grand Final. 0:29:40.800 --> 0:29:45.000 This year, mate, walk through this with me. 0:29:45.360 --> 0:29:46.080 I know. 0:29:46.840 --> 0:29:49.760 So it's really hard. It's a special club to be 0:29:49.800 --> 0:29:53.920 afforded the chance. And so yeah too, Like I've did 0:29:53.960 --> 0:29:55.720 two in one year, which was super cool. And I've 0:29:55.760 --> 0:29:57.680 sat on the bench three times. That's the worst seat 0:29:57.720 --> 0:30:01.640 in the world, the first loser. And then I got 0:30:01.640 --> 0:30:04.520 to do another one in twenty and nineteen. So to 0:30:04.600 --> 0:30:08.920 be involved six times and three times on the field. Yeah, 0:30:08.960 --> 0:30:10.400 it's just it's just the best. 0:30:10.720 --> 0:30:11.360 It's cool. 0:30:11.520 --> 0:30:14.520 I were in twenty eighteen. Sorry, yeah, twenty eighteen and replayed. 0:30:14.840 --> 0:30:17.600 I walked out on the ground before the game and 0:30:17.640 --> 0:30:19.960 you were there and you were filthy. You were not 0:30:20.280 --> 0:30:21.720 you were not in a good meet this trap to 0:30:21.720 --> 0:30:23.160 be there. You were right to be there, but I mean, 0:30:23.200 --> 0:30:24.720 like you wanted to be on the field. You were 0:30:24.760 --> 0:30:26.120 the subset of the day. And I was like, I 0:30:26.160 --> 0:30:29.479 remember talking and you were just like I was like happy, 0:30:29.560 --> 0:30:31.800 excited about the Grand Final, like just locked in. 0:30:31.920 --> 0:30:33.680 You're like, oh, I just want to be on fire 0:30:33.720 --> 0:30:34.080 in to day. 0:30:35.080 --> 0:30:37.640 And the hardest thing about it is that the three 0:30:37.720 --> 0:30:41.720 people who have the spot that you have jealously want 0:30:41.760 --> 0:30:42.240 to be in. 0:30:42.400 --> 0:30:45.520 Yeah, the mates, oh exactly, and you were trained with 0:30:45.560 --> 0:30:46.560 them all the time, all the. 0:30:46.520 --> 0:30:50.840 Time, right, and like those three people who unpighted in 0:30:50.880 --> 0:30:53.520 that game, we don't pied together. And we've known each 0:30:53.560 --> 0:30:56.880 other since we're like in our early twenties. Yeah, we've 0:30:56.960 --> 0:31:00.840 gone out to get weddings and birthdays and children being 0:31:00.920 --> 0:31:02.640 born and all that stuff. 0:31:02.640 --> 0:31:03.800 So they're your. 0:31:03.760 --> 0:31:07.000 Mates, right, and you only want them to succeed because 0:31:07.040 --> 0:31:11.000 the group is being represented by and the game is 0:31:11.040 --> 0:31:14.520 being represented by those three people on the field at 0:31:14.520 --> 0:31:17.400 that time, and we all just we're just waiting to exhale, right, 0:31:17.400 --> 0:31:19.320 we don't win, all lose, right, we don't want to 0:31:19.320 --> 0:31:21.360 breathe out and be able to get on with life. Right, 0:31:21.520 --> 0:31:23.440 So you want them to do super well. But at 0:31:23.480 --> 0:31:25.200 the same time, you've got this thing where you go. 0:31:25.360 --> 0:31:29.400 Man that client, come on, you know. 0:31:30.960 --> 0:31:33.280 So yeah, one hundred percent and what a great game, 0:31:33.440 --> 0:31:35.480 Like I know you guys would be a result whatever, 0:31:35.560 --> 0:31:37.960 but brilliant match and like incredible day. 0:31:38.480 --> 0:31:39.320 Would you have called it? 0:31:40.920 --> 0:31:44.600 I got a better idea first quarter? First quarter when 0:31:44.640 --> 0:31:46.120 Langdon didn't want to rush the ball, would have you 0:31:46.200 --> 0:31:46.560 rushed it. 0:31:47.200 --> 0:31:50.720 Remember that, because there's there's two hours. We can go 0:31:50.760 --> 0:31:54.680 back to any moment you want. It's a foot off 0:31:54.720 --> 0:31:59.240 the line. You just got to rush for all of us. 0:32:00.560 --> 0:32:02.120 It's just implanted in my head. 0:32:03.400 --> 0:32:06.200 Okay on grand finals though, because as players, I didn't 0:32:06.240 --> 0:32:07.760 understand this when I first went to a grandfather and 0:32:08.000 --> 0:32:11.240 people told me, I said, oh, grandfather was unpired totally different. 0:32:11.720 --> 0:32:13.600 Now I didn't get it. I didn't. I didn't think I, Oh, 0:32:13.640 --> 0:32:15.160 you know, it's a game. Everyone does the same thing. 0:32:15.160 --> 0:32:16.560 You know, you get umpired the same way you would 0:32:16.560 --> 0:32:19.680 on a regular match day, and it is umpired differently. 0:32:20.120 --> 0:32:22.360 Now I want to ask you why, why is that? 0:32:22.840 --> 0:32:25.600 Out of curiousity and a fan of it, I'll answer 0:32:25.640 --> 0:32:28.920 that openly and honestly. But I'm going to start with 0:32:28.960 --> 0:32:31.360 a question. So you've made it, you've made an assertion. 0:32:31.880 --> 0:32:33.600 You've said that it's umpired differently. 0:32:33.800 --> 0:32:34.000 Yeah. 0:32:34.120 --> 0:32:37.960 Right, So I'm going to say, how, tell me how 0:32:38.000 --> 0:32:40.400 in your eyes? Right, because this is cool you've played 0:32:40.400 --> 0:32:42.520 in them. Yeah, how is it unpied different? 0:32:42.600 --> 0:32:45.560 It is not. It's not ticky tack. It is loose. 0:32:45.800 --> 0:32:49.120 It is that can be too many high tackles or 0:32:49.200 --> 0:32:51.880 holding the balls or holding the man or anything like that. 0:32:52.000 --> 0:32:54.760 It is just play on and just it is. It's 0:32:54.800 --> 0:32:55.880 really just an arm wrestle. 0:32:55.920 --> 0:32:58.200 I feel like at times trying to get like the ball, 0:32:58.280 --> 0:32:59.600 are trying to get pass the one whoever it is, 0:32:59.640 --> 0:33:01.560 because you realize that like you're not going to get 0:33:01.840 --> 0:33:03.760 you really have to actually get a disposal off and 0:33:03.760 --> 0:33:04.680 do it correctly because. 0:33:04.480 --> 0:33:06.040 It's no gifts. There's no gifts. 0:33:06.080 --> 0:33:09.120 Catching kid, that's fine. I would so I get that. 0:33:09.120 --> 0:33:11.040 I understand where you're coming from with that. I'd ask 0:33:11.080 --> 0:33:16.080 you to consider this, right, So, of the twenty four 0:33:16.120 --> 0:33:19.920 players that took the field in twenty eighteen, yep, for 0:33:20.000 --> 0:33:24.480 you guys, were they you're considered your best twenty four players. 0:33:25.520 --> 0:33:27.200 That we had available. I'd so, yeah, yeah, it'd have 0:33:27.280 --> 0:33:27.440 to be. 0:33:27.600 --> 0:33:27.840 Yeah. 0:33:27.920 --> 0:33:28.200 Great. 0:33:28.560 --> 0:33:33.120 So we have thirty four umpires on our list. Yeah, 0:33:33.560 --> 0:33:36.640 some have just debuted, some of umpired four hundred and 0:33:36.640 --> 0:33:41.360 fifty games, right, So we've whittled them down, and there 0:33:41.400 --> 0:33:42.440 are three left standing. 0:33:42.640 --> 0:33:43.280 Four four. 0:33:43.560 --> 0:33:47.000 Well, I've been there three times, no, and I was 0:33:47.120 --> 0:33:52.160 I was sitting, was standing. There are three left standing, 0:33:52.280 --> 0:33:58.240 trust me, right, and. 0:33:55.920 --> 0:34:00.760 And they are the best. They are the best, And. 0:34:02.400 --> 0:34:04.800 That doesn't make them infallible. We're human and we will 0:34:04.800 --> 0:34:09.080 make errors, etc. But they are pretty damn good and 0:34:09.120 --> 0:34:11.920 have demonstrated at it. At that time they are flying, 0:34:12.640 --> 0:34:16.440 and so what happens is everything gels right. 0:34:16.800 --> 0:34:17.800 So on field you'll. 0:34:17.680 --> 0:34:21.320 Have system at structure, at stoppage and behind the ball, 0:34:21.719 --> 0:34:23.440 and when you turn it over you know you know 0:34:23.480 --> 0:34:25.120 where you've got to fall back to and what you've 0:34:25.120 --> 0:34:27.759 got to do and whatever we have same, we've got 0:34:27.760 --> 0:34:30.880 system and structure, and what happens for you. If someone 0:34:30.960 --> 0:34:32.680 doesn't fall back and do their job in the matter 0:34:32.719 --> 0:34:35.360 in which they are meant to, you get picked apart. 0:34:35.920 --> 0:34:37.000 You can see to goal right. 0:34:38.000 --> 0:34:40.440 If we don't have somebody doing what they're meant to do, 0:34:40.760 --> 0:34:45.200 we get picked apart, and free kicker error occurs, and 0:34:45.239 --> 0:34:48.120 set kick control is a cock up, and there's a 0:34:48.120 --> 0:34:50.200 miss fifty or a fifty paid that shouldn't have been 0:34:50.320 --> 0:34:54.120 or whatever's things start to just you start picking at 0:34:54.160 --> 0:34:56.479 the pulling it and next thing go a big hole 0:34:56.840 --> 0:34:59.160 in your jump. Right, it's the same thing, but what 0:34:59.200 --> 0:35:02.799 you've got is the three best. They do everything right, 0:35:02.840 --> 0:35:06.399 and it's not sexy talk. It's just disciplined every time 0:35:06.480 --> 0:35:08.279 getting it right. And you know they're going to do it. 0:35:08.640 --> 0:35:11.640 You don't even have to look. So why do we 0:35:11.719 --> 0:35:12.960 umpire differently? We don't. 0:35:13.400 --> 0:35:15.160 We've just got three dudes who are killing it. 0:35:15.440 --> 0:35:19.000 Yeah, right with the best players who aren't prepared to 0:35:19.000 --> 0:35:21.839 take the piss because games are so tight. I'm not 0:35:21.880 --> 0:35:24.759 going to be the dude that does something with ill 0:35:24.760 --> 0:35:28.360 discipline cost fifty costs a goal and we get twidded 0:35:28.400 --> 0:35:28.879 by a point. 0:35:29.200 --> 0:35:30.920 I can't live with myself. I'm not doing it. 0:35:31.640 --> 0:35:35.520 So it's all these inputs that result in the overall product. 0:35:36.120 --> 0:35:38.839 It's not done differently, mate, it's just done well. It's 0:35:38.880 --> 0:35:40.400 a good way to put it, very good way to 0:35:40.400 --> 0:35:40.719 put it. 0:35:40.840 --> 0:35:42.640 I ask this because there's you're told abally the three 0:35:42.640 --> 0:35:44.200 and you have to have gel between three people, and 0:35:44.239 --> 0:35:46.880 that do you kind of travel as umpire as as groups? 0:35:47.160 --> 0:35:47.879 We do? Yeah? 0:35:47.880 --> 0:35:47.960 Like? 0:35:48.120 --> 0:35:50.480 And is there kind of like some that you guess. 0:35:50.280 --> 0:35:53.160 Like are more experienced with each other therefore they kind 0:35:53.160 --> 0:35:56.040 of travel more often together, if that makes sense? Because 0:35:56.160 --> 0:35:58.360 I remember back to COVID days and this is probably 0:35:58.360 --> 0:36:01.360 where I really gained I think an enormous amount of 0:36:01.360 --> 0:36:04.359 respect for empires because you never really think of all 0:36:04.400 --> 0:36:07.680 the I guess things people give up to do their job. 0:36:07.880 --> 0:36:10.359 And then whenever that happened and the world's got turned 0:36:10.400 --> 0:36:13.880 upside down, you realize, like everyone gave up everything to 0:36:14.160 --> 0:36:16.160 do this career of AFL and to go and travel 0:36:16.160 --> 0:36:18.279 the world or travel the country and do all the 0:36:18.320 --> 0:36:22.680 quarantine everything else. I remember being in quarantine Perth, and 0:36:22.719 --> 0:36:24.840 I remember like traveling on planes with you guys, and 0:36:24.840 --> 0:36:26.640 you're doing hotels with you guys and everything else, and 0:36:26.680 --> 0:36:29.239 it was like these guys are doing the exact guys 0:36:29.239 --> 0:36:30.919 and girls are doing the exact same that we're having 0:36:30.960 --> 0:36:34.560 to do and don't get like the you know. 0:36:34.440 --> 0:36:36.720 The praise and the glory and all this other stuff. 0:36:36.760 --> 0:36:38.880 Like they just get bashed like twenty four to seven, 0:36:39.200 --> 0:36:40.719 and they're doing all the same, Like you know, they're 0:36:40.719 --> 0:36:41.839 giving up as much as we are. 0:36:42.120 --> 0:36:43.799 Yeah, and they're having to travel around. 0:36:43.600 --> 0:36:45.680 All these crazy things, and these governments are making everyone 0:36:45.719 --> 0:36:49.239 do and it's not even like reported on and it's 0:36:49.280 --> 0:36:51.120 like this is just expected from the IFL. 0:36:51.160 --> 0:36:52.560 Otherwise we wouldn't be able to play a game. 0:36:52.680 --> 0:36:55.759 There was a game where the three umpires flew in 0:36:55.880 --> 0:36:59.120 on a charter to Adelaide, and this is when. 0:36:58.960 --> 0:37:00.439 Things were really on the move. 0:37:01.000 --> 0:37:04.480 And we'd all been essentially in New South Wales and 0:37:04.520 --> 0:37:09.319 then they dispersed us to Queensland Perth. Right, depending on 0:37:09.360 --> 0:37:16.960 the different border issues. Anyway, two of the three I think, 0:37:17.640 --> 0:37:19.480 but certainly at least two, if not all three, had 0:37:19.480 --> 0:37:21.680 been in New South Wales within a certain time period, 0:37:21.680 --> 0:37:23.960 which meant South Australia wouldn't let him in. 0:37:24.560 --> 0:37:26.000 So they've arrived, they've landed. 0:37:25.719 --> 0:37:27.520 And the coppers are there and they've gone they can 0:37:27.600 --> 0:37:29.520 do bro and you're gonna go to the hotel for 0:37:29.520 --> 0:37:31.439 two weeks and park yourself there? 0:37:31.600 --> 0:37:32.120 What now? 0:37:32.200 --> 0:37:34.680 Fortunately one of them was a barrister and he goes, 0:37:34.719 --> 0:37:36.440 I don't think that's how it's going to unfold. A 0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:43.600 conversation ensued anyway, So they weren't going umpire the game 0:37:43.640 --> 0:37:45.040 and off they can get back on a plane. They 0:37:45.080 --> 0:37:47.240 went back to the Gold Coast, right, but they weren't 0:37:47.239 --> 0:37:49.840 going to So now we've got no umpires there. 0:37:49.920 --> 0:37:51.000 So phones are going berserk. 0:37:51.080 --> 0:37:55.000 Right, dudes are on the golf course where and they're 0:37:55.040 --> 0:37:56.880 looking for people who have not been in Sydney in 0:37:56.880 --> 0:37:57.879 the last fourteen days? 0:37:58.000 --> 0:38:00.359 Right, and again they go get to. 0:38:00.360 --> 0:38:04.040 The airport now, so dudes are just grabbing their staff 0:38:04.200 --> 0:38:05.200 hoofing it to the airport. 0:38:05.200 --> 0:38:10.560 They've got a private jet private cannot make yourself huge, 0:38:10.760 --> 0:38:13.440 hoof it in land. They're in their kit. 0:38:13.280 --> 0:38:16.160 There's no change of clothes whatever. They are ready to 0:38:16.280 --> 0:38:19.240 roll into the car. Copper's wolf them to the ground. 0:38:19.640 --> 0:38:22.040 Everyone's out there warming up the broadcast as a talk 0:38:22.080 --> 0:38:24.200 and Mark Raschudo has got his thing gun whatever, right, 0:38:24.719 --> 0:38:27.279 and then like two minutes before they're meant to start 0:38:27.280 --> 0:38:30.480 the game, these umpires come barreling out the barreling out 0:38:30.520 --> 0:38:33.640 the race and start paying away to go right. 0:38:33.680 --> 0:38:36.480 So it was just madness. It was madness. 0:38:36.520 --> 0:38:39.839 And you know, in the two seasons that we had 0:38:39.840 --> 0:38:43.200 in twenty twenty one, and I'm only representative of everyone 0:38:43.280 --> 0:38:46.239 else on the list. I'm not special, right, I spent 0:38:46.360 --> 0:38:51.719 eight months out of my house. Yeah, like so, and 0:38:51.760 --> 0:38:53.440 you know, you've got a young one and a wife, 0:38:53.480 --> 0:38:55.400 and you've got a small business that you're trying to 0:38:55.440 --> 0:38:57.600 run and all those things, and we're all impacted differently, 0:38:57.719 --> 0:39:02.120 we're everyone globally. It's a pandemic, right, But yeah, it 0:39:02.160 --> 0:39:05.960 was pretty full on. Our group knew that it was 0:39:06.000 --> 0:39:10.400 so important that we fronted because it's not about us. 0:39:10.440 --> 0:39:13.600 But unfortunately, if we don't lob there's no game, doesn't 0:39:13.640 --> 0:39:17.520 happen and that I remember initial conversations and there was 0:39:17.560 --> 0:39:19.520 all this concern about, you know, because we didn't know 0:39:19.560 --> 0:39:20.879 about anything to. 0:39:20.800 --> 0:39:23.400 Get paid, you know, how we're going to see our family, 0:39:23.880 --> 0:39:24.399 what will happen. 0:39:24.840 --> 0:39:28.000 But we just had to have faith that the AFL 0:39:28.480 --> 0:39:31.840 would do everything they could to support us. I remember 0:39:31.880 --> 0:39:34.279 having this conversation with the group at some point we 0:39:34.320 --> 0:39:36.640 actually just need to put our faith in that we're 0:39:36.640 --> 0:39:39.680 going to get treated the right way, and we were 0:39:40.120 --> 0:39:43.879 and we were in space right. So I will look 0:39:43.920 --> 0:39:48.640 back on it if it's a twenty chapter book right 0:39:48.840 --> 0:39:52.040 that twenty twenty and twenty twenty one, they will probably 0:39:52.040 --> 0:39:54.440 be the best read to hold that. 0:39:54.520 --> 0:39:56.560 Yeah, because you had the Wirbnb with a few other 0:39:56.760 --> 0:40:00.120 umpires the release of that. 0:40:00.320 --> 0:40:01.120 I remember how we had. 0:40:01.880 --> 0:40:05.440 A Scarborough beach pad for a period of time. It 0:40:05.640 --> 0:40:08.680 was it was like I think Kanya had been there, 0:40:09.480 --> 0:40:12.200 like it was pretty good, and that was that was 0:40:12.280 --> 0:40:14.400 just a lucky sort of thing, but the best you know, 0:40:14.760 --> 0:40:18.920 and you know, hanging with hanging with your colleagues and 0:40:18.960 --> 0:40:22.759 actually hearing about and meeting their families and all those things. 0:40:22.760 --> 0:40:25.120 When they came in for a period. So true, it 0:40:25.200 --> 0:40:27.680 was really cool, Like it was a unique experience out 0:40:27.719 --> 0:40:32.239 of the twenty year chapter twenty chapter career. Yeah, so 0:40:33.239 --> 0:40:36.239 it was. It was full on, but I got to 0:40:36.239 --> 0:40:37.799 be honest, I really loved it. 0:40:38.000 --> 0:40:38.239 Yeah. 0:40:38.360 --> 0:40:39.959 I think one of the coolest things. Like we because 0:40:40.000 --> 0:40:42.399 we were up in twin widers and we had two 0:40:42.400 --> 0:40:44.160 other teams that are always up there with us, and 0:40:44.200 --> 0:40:46.440 like you talk about all the other families, like everyone's 0:40:46.520 --> 0:40:49.360 kids became friends and they're like you go playing against 0:40:49.360 --> 0:40:50.759 these guys on the weekend. You know, I don't really 0:40:50.760 --> 0:40:52.359 know each other because like you just kind of maybe 0:40:52.400 --> 0:40:54.160 you played against each other growing up whoever it is. 0:40:54.200 --> 0:40:56.520 But like you actually really got to know like people 0:40:56.600 --> 0:40:58.600 and their families and like hung out together and stuff 0:40:58.640 --> 0:41:01.160 like that, which is really cool, Like that doesn't really 0:41:01.160 --> 0:41:03.040 happen anywhere else or any other experience. 0:41:03.880 --> 0:41:07.319 And I remember, I remember, so all the families come 0:41:07.360 --> 0:41:09.400 from a period, right, And that was a bit controversial 0:41:09.400 --> 0:41:12.319 on that going to quarantine and there was all the 0:41:12.400 --> 0:41:14.279 a f L and a few of the officials that 0:41:14.280 --> 0:41:17.640 have to come up, and I remember going, Okay, who 0:41:17.719 --> 0:41:22.080 do I know? It probably really matters, and like so 0:41:22.160 --> 0:41:24.840 I took I would get on their LinkedIn page or 0:41:24.880 --> 0:41:27.200 whatever and takes screenshot and sent them to my wife 0:41:27.239 --> 0:41:31.680 and go show some respect across this person, just to 0:41:31.680 --> 0:41:37.399 say hello, right, for God's sake. But no, as I said, 0:41:37.440 --> 0:41:43.360 you know, we were looked after incredibly well. And we 0:41:43.440 --> 0:41:45.759 always you will have issues that bob up along the 0:41:45.800 --> 0:41:48.760 way and you can have it, be a bit aggrieved 0:41:48.800 --> 0:41:50.960 about something or whatever, but in a time that was 0:41:51.200 --> 0:41:55.959 you know, really no one Jesus right, we were looked 0:41:56.000 --> 0:41:56.800 after brilliantly. 0:41:57.160 --> 0:41:59.680 Yeah, you talk about that with the AFL, And I 0:41:59.680 --> 0:42:01.680 guess the connection between the umpires and the AFL because 0:42:01.680 --> 0:42:03.640 you're very religant on them, they're religing on you. It's 0:42:03.640 --> 0:42:06.439 a very very mutual I guess respect in that sense. Now, 0:42:07.680 --> 0:42:10.480 whenever it comes to I guess like reviewing games like 0:42:10.719 --> 0:42:14.000 AFL and yourself, like let's say AFI wants to adjudicate 0:42:14.040 --> 0:42:15.440 something now or a change a rule or whatever it 0:42:15.440 --> 0:42:18.080 may be, or look at things in a different light, 0:42:18.239 --> 0:42:21.280 like I mean, obviously we'll probably dabble on it because 0:42:21.480 --> 0:42:25.120 there's obviously quite I guess Top Court the MoMA is 0:42:25.120 --> 0:42:29.239 guinea and had high tackles and all that, But how 0:42:29.360 --> 0:42:31.680 is the I guess, like the stream of communication come 0:42:31.680 --> 0:42:34.080 from the AFL to umpires to I guess, change things 0:42:34.120 --> 0:42:36.200 when you need to change it or adjudicate things in 0:42:36.200 --> 0:42:37.680 different ways whenever they come. 0:42:37.600 --> 0:42:42.279 Up without getting too forensic, if a rule is going 0:42:42.320 --> 0:42:45.040 to be changed, not an interpretation that's been an actual rule, 0:42:45.080 --> 0:42:46.360 it's going to come from the commission. 0:42:46.880 --> 0:42:48.640 Yeah, so they have to sign off on all of that. 0:42:48.880 --> 0:42:51.799 Okay, so there's due process there, and of course you've 0:42:51.800 --> 0:42:55.440 got the executive and then Brad Scott and his team 0:42:55.600 --> 0:42:58.399 in that part is a streamline there, and then they'll 0:42:58.440 --> 0:43:03.239 be having conversations driven by data, coaches, players, association. 0:43:03.760 --> 0:43:06.120 Right, all of that stuff's getting thrown around. 0:43:06.480 --> 0:43:08.960 And then ultimately what will happen is there'll be a 0:43:09.000 --> 0:43:12.839 direction that will be afforded to the umpiring department. YEP, 0:43:13.320 --> 0:43:16.759 this is what we're seeking, this is why, this is 0:43:16.800 --> 0:43:19.280 what underpins it, this is what we're trying to change. 0:43:19.800 --> 0:43:23.520 These are the reasons for the change rather right, and 0:43:23.560 --> 0:43:25.880 so then we will get taken along on that journey 0:43:25.880 --> 0:43:30.799 with examples, questions, all really important stuff when you're trying 0:43:30.840 --> 0:43:35.040 to contextualize this amendment that you're not going to get 0:43:35.080 --> 0:43:39.600 two exact examples. They might be similar, but no two 0:43:39.640 --> 0:43:42.239 are exactly the same, and we have to and then 0:43:42.239 --> 0:43:44.920 make the right call. Right, So you need to understand 0:43:44.920 --> 0:43:45.960 it to a depth. 0:43:46.160 --> 0:43:47.360 That will allow you to do that. 0:43:49.000 --> 0:43:51.200 So there's a lot of that, but we get to 0:43:51.239 --> 0:43:54.719 see a whole heap of vision, multiple examples plenty. As 0:43:54.760 --> 0:43:57.480 I said, all this debate and not as though we're 0:43:57.520 --> 0:43:59.200 going to change anything. That's not what it's about. It's 0:43:59.200 --> 0:44:02.040 about making sure that cemented in our head what am 0:44:02.080 --> 0:44:07.680 I looking for? Yeah, and why so that we're very 0:44:07.680 --> 0:44:11.719 well supported in that sense and ultimately our responsibility. So 0:44:11.760 --> 0:44:14.440 I'd say to people of the time, my opportunity to 0:44:14.440 --> 0:44:17.480 have a like, to have choice around decision making is 0:44:17.480 --> 0:44:19.920 at its highest when. 0:44:19.800 --> 0:44:21.759 I'm ordering off the room surface menu. 0:44:22.520 --> 0:44:26.319 Right, Like, we're told, Hey, these are the rules, these 0:44:26.320 --> 0:44:28.759 are the interpretations, this is what we want, you want 0:44:28.760 --> 0:44:31.359 to get picked, this is what you need to do. 0:44:31.760 --> 0:44:34.480 Right, So I need to park. 0:44:35.000 --> 0:44:38.719 Whatever individual view of the game I may have, which 0:44:38.719 --> 0:44:41.320 will be different to yours and the person at the 0:44:41.320 --> 0:44:47.080 coffee shop. Right, my job is to implement the instructions 0:44:47.760 --> 0:44:50.960 in accordance with what I've been given. Yeah, yeah, your 0:44:51.000 --> 0:44:55.719 extension of the end of and so park your fan 0:44:55.800 --> 0:44:59.720 hat and do your job. And that's that's actually really challenging, 0:45:00.400 --> 0:45:02.319 right because we're all passionate about it. We can't get 0:45:02.320 --> 0:45:04.240 involved in an elite level if you don't have a passion 0:45:04.320 --> 0:45:06.680 for it. No, exactly, you won't survive because it sucks. 0:45:06.680 --> 0:45:08.799 It where's you're down and you're at right. So we're 0:45:08.840 --> 0:45:12.080 all passionately involved, and so then you've got to park 0:45:12.320 --> 0:45:16.200 whatever emotional attachment you might have to something and go, 0:45:16.280 --> 0:45:18.880 what's my job here. I'm supposed to deliver on this. 0:45:19.200 --> 0:45:23.279 That's what I'm here to do. So that's that's part 0:45:23.280 --> 0:45:26.080 of the lens through which umpires view the game. 0:45:26.480 --> 0:45:28.440 Yeah, yeah, it's going to be such a tough thing 0:45:28.480 --> 0:45:33.520 to to be. I guess like someone else's voice in 0:45:33.560 --> 0:45:38.000 a sense, like very much probably makes sense the ifl's 0:45:38.080 --> 0:45:40.520 voice on what is the rules of the game? I 0:45:40.640 --> 0:45:42.320 get there's stuff to say, like a paperwork of for 0:45:42.360 --> 0:45:44.120 like you know, this is this rule, this is this rule, 0:45:44.120 --> 0:45:46.640 But like you're the one in the pressure of the 0:45:46.640 --> 0:45:49.479 moment that's actually adjudicating and making those rules actually stand 0:45:49.560 --> 0:45:52.560 up correct. And I feel like that that bit's actually 0:45:52.600 --> 0:45:55.520 just as hard as actually making rules and understand like 0:45:55.600 --> 0:45:57.320 changing everything else like that. I feel like it's almost 0:45:57.320 --> 0:46:00.120 the hardest thing is to actually be the conduit of 0:46:00.120 --> 0:46:02.319 the AFL and the players to say this is how 0:46:02.360 --> 0:46:03.560 the game's going to be played. 0:46:03.760 --> 0:46:06.520 And I think it's actually, really I've not had it. 0:46:07.000 --> 0:46:08.520 I don't think it's been I've never been in a 0:46:08.560 --> 0:46:11.480 conversation with someone who's articulated in that way, and I 0:46:11.480 --> 0:46:14.200 think it's a really I think it's brilliantly articulated and 0:46:14.200 --> 0:46:17.200 it's exactly what we do. And one thing that's changed 0:46:17.640 --> 0:46:22.800 in my twenty years involvement is this understanding and acceptance 0:46:22.840 --> 0:46:25.200 from the industry that a couple of things. One is 0:46:25.239 --> 0:46:27.640 that umpires will make a mistake. So if they've cocked 0:46:27.680 --> 0:46:30.920 one up, that's not the rule or the interpretation they 0:46:31.120 --> 0:46:33.400 they were a human being, like you miss a target, 0:46:33.960 --> 0:46:37.560 you double clutch a mark, whatever, right, you make mistakes. 0:46:38.280 --> 0:46:42.080 And then there's the other bit where the game, the 0:46:42.120 --> 0:46:46.680 industry media even I think are much more empathetic around this, 0:46:46.719 --> 0:46:50.520 where they go, actually, no, that's what they're being asked 0:46:50.680 --> 0:46:53.600 to do. They don't pile on umpiring so much. They'll 0:46:53.640 --> 0:46:56.800 talk more in reference to the individualize the person. And 0:46:57.280 --> 0:47:00.359 I think that's awesome. I think that's been the good 0:47:00.360 --> 0:47:05.480 progression and an understanding that hey, like you've intimated, you're 0:47:05.560 --> 0:47:08.200 just you're just a conduit. So it's not don't blame here. 0:47:08.239 --> 0:47:10.720 If you've got a problem with the rule, go upstream. 0:47:10.800 --> 0:47:13.719 If there's a problem with the implementation, then yeah, that's 0:47:13.760 --> 0:47:16.960 on the individual. Yeah, you make an error. It's a 0:47:17.320 --> 0:47:20.080 what is it? It's a wins and losses industries right 0:47:20.200 --> 0:47:23.880 where they're saying right, get it right or get out. Yeah, 0:47:23.920 --> 0:47:26.479 So you know, that's that's part of the challenge because 0:47:26.480 --> 0:47:27.680 I feel like people don't realize that. 0:47:27.800 --> 0:47:31.719 I guess umpires are kind of they're similar in the 0:47:31.760 --> 0:47:34.480 sense of like to players, as like you are reviewed 0:47:34.520 --> 0:47:37.480 every week and like if you're not going well, like 0:47:37.640 --> 0:47:39.319 you get dropped and then you get moved up if 0:47:39.360 --> 0:47:41.399 you are going well, And like it's kind of weird 0:47:41.400 --> 0:47:44.840 because I think the AFI makes it seem as empires 0:47:44.880 --> 0:47:47.240 are supposed to be in the background. They're not supposed 0:47:47.239 --> 0:47:49.239 to be seen. Really, they're not really supposed to be 0:47:49.320 --> 0:47:53.239 part of necessarily like the highlights package every day, you know, 0:47:53.480 --> 0:47:56.399 like they want them to just you know, maneuver things 0:47:56.440 --> 0:47:58.360 to make sure all works out. Everyone understands they're in 0:47:58.360 --> 0:48:00.000 the same place, in the right places at the right time, 0:48:00.360 --> 0:48:02.080 telling them in direction what they need to do, but 0:48:02.480 --> 0:48:06.279 they don't want them to be in front of like 0:48:06.480 --> 0:48:10.279 the camera per se. Yep, and I'll talk back to 0:48:10.320 --> 0:48:12.840 a you did make a highlight recently? 0:48:13.480 --> 0:48:15.759 This is this is a few a few years ago now, 0:48:16.640 --> 0:48:17.399 an eron ball. 0:48:17.800 --> 0:48:20.120 Let's just say it was kicked and this is a 0:48:20.200 --> 0:48:21.960 very iconic moment of your career. Probably not something you 0:48:21.960 --> 0:48:23.800 want to have in your highlights. 0:48:22.800 --> 0:48:22.880 But. 0:48:24.760 --> 0:48:27.879 Let's say it hit your package. Let's just say that 0:48:28.360 --> 0:48:29.719 for your highlights package of all. 0:48:30.239 --> 0:48:32.440 If you know, someone kicks it offside and hits you 0:48:32.480 --> 0:48:34.880 in the package and you just you just take it, 0:48:34.960 --> 0:48:37.279 like some people would just go you kidding me, like 0:48:37.360 --> 0:48:39.799 this ridiculous full of you just take it strong, and 0:48:39.840 --> 0:48:43.200 you're like, there's the first time probably I realized what 0:48:43.239 --> 0:48:46.719 this meant, and that means I'm bold, And that was yeah, 0:48:47.000 --> 0:48:49.759 I'm out. Whatever it was, you know, ten outs, whatever 0:48:49.760 --> 0:48:52.840 the hell isn't that's right? And I couldn't stop but laughing. 0:48:52.920 --> 0:48:54.759 I think it was such like an iconic moment that 0:48:54.880 --> 0:48:57.520 just described you so well. I was like, this man 0:48:57.680 --> 0:48:59.920 just gets on with it. He just is himself, has 0:48:59.920 --> 0:49:02.440 a laugh, it joys life and just moves on. 0:49:02.640 --> 0:49:09.200 That can come at me like a trace trable. So 0:49:09.320 --> 0:49:09.959 he's monk. 0:49:10.080 --> 0:49:11.000 I never apologized. 0:49:11.200 --> 0:49:12.880 I really didn't do it on purpose. He doesn't know 0:49:13.000 --> 0:49:13.799 me an apology at all. 0:49:14.120 --> 0:49:16.360 And he's bollyed this thing and it's come out of 0:49:16.400 --> 0:49:18.960 it like a cannon and I couldn't go under it. 0:49:19.040 --> 0:49:21.040 I couldn't go over it. I'm like, oh man, and 0:49:21.080 --> 0:49:21.600 it hit me. 0:49:21.760 --> 0:49:26.120 And so you carry your spare whistle like a pocket 0:49:26.440 --> 0:49:31.680 inside like like where you put your keys and a bruise. 0:49:31.680 --> 0:49:32.560 I got hit my crick. 0:49:33.880 --> 0:49:38.680 And you know, the crowd went nuts and they loved it. Right, 0:49:39.760 --> 0:49:42.759 We were never happier and I just about that went 0:49:43.600 --> 0:49:48.600 that's out right, and they lost it. But I think again, right, 0:49:48.680 --> 0:49:52.279 this is again coming down to understanding, like what's there 0:49:52.320 --> 0:49:52.960 to fred about? 0:49:53.440 --> 0:49:54.520 Yeah, like it's. 0:49:54.320 --> 0:50:01.160 Okay next, you know so, but a bit of fun. 0:50:01.480 --> 0:50:04.239 Now we'll move into well, actually we'll finish this foot 0:50:04.239 --> 0:50:06.359 each chatter off because a lot of people obviously it's 0:50:06.440 --> 0:50:08.000 very top author the moment, and I won't go to 0:50:08.080 --> 0:50:09.239 in depth into because I want to get you in 0:50:09.239 --> 0:50:11.440 trouble by any means, but I want to get your take. 0:50:11.320 --> 0:50:12.920 On high tackling at the moment. 0:50:14.200 --> 0:50:15.879 It's a lot of a lot of media around it, 0:50:16.000 --> 0:50:19.160 a lot of media I'd like to get I guess 0:50:19.239 --> 0:50:25.959 your take on the ruling that is, and what's being 0:50:26.040 --> 0:50:28.879 told from the umpire's side of things, if that makes sense. Yeah. 0:50:28.880 --> 0:50:29.280 Absolutely. 0:50:29.280 --> 0:50:32.560 I spoke about this publicly last week on a different 0:50:32.600 --> 0:50:34.640 like on a radio thing I do. So that's not 0:50:34.680 --> 0:50:39.239 a problem. So what's really important to understand this is 0:50:39.520 --> 0:50:43.120 what's underpinning it is actually care, a duty of care 0:50:44.000 --> 0:50:48.799 for the players holistically across the entire competition. Right, So 0:50:49.320 --> 0:50:52.160 what fundamentally underpins the laws of Australian rules football, And 0:50:52.200 --> 0:50:54.520 it's in the very first page of the role of 0:50:54.560 --> 0:50:57.080 the Umpire. Okay, And I know how much you've read 0:50:57.120 --> 0:51:00.239 the law book Huge Fano, cover to cover, baby, and 0:51:00.640 --> 0:51:03.640 it talks about the role of the umpire and one 0:51:03.680 --> 0:51:06.520 of is there's sort of three key factors in particular, 0:51:07.160 --> 0:51:08.879 and one of them is to ensure that the game 0:51:08.960 --> 0:51:12.719 is played in a fair and safe manner. Okay, So 0:51:12.880 --> 0:51:16.120 protection of the ball player is paramount. That is still 0:51:16.160 --> 0:51:20.280 the same. But the problem is, right that broadly across 0:51:20.320 --> 0:51:24.120 the competition, this doesn't relate to one player right across 0:51:24.200 --> 0:51:26.520 the competition, and I'm going to bang bang bang any 0:51:26.520 --> 0:51:28.919 game you like, any club you like, I can show 0:51:28.960 --> 0:51:34.680 you examples the game and by extent talking about players 0:51:34.960 --> 0:51:37.719 are taken the PI double five with the laws of 0:51:37.760 --> 0:51:40.160 the game to induce free kick because as you know, 0:51:40.600 --> 0:51:45.000 set shot and goal inside forward fifty in particular, that's king, 0:51:46.200 --> 0:51:49.080 it's so hard, so you can get a free kick 0:51:50.160 --> 0:51:54.799 tick right, you buy farms, guys are take contestant market 0:51:54.800 --> 0:51:59.440 inside fifty by farms, right, So I understand what drives 0:51:59.440 --> 0:52:02.960 that behavior. That's okay, right, But then the extension of it, 0:52:03.000 --> 0:52:06.799 if you pull back for a moment, is that factions 0:52:06.840 --> 0:52:10.000 and those behaviors are inducing the very thing that we're 0:52:10.040 --> 0:52:17.040 trying to minimize and remove. So at some point, so 0:52:17.160 --> 0:52:21.960 let's say, when you're raising a child, or even if 0:52:22.000 --> 0:52:24.560 for those without children, you've got a dog and you're 0:52:24.560 --> 0:52:30.080 training the dog. Right, if you reward shitty behavior, what 0:52:30.200 --> 0:52:34.399 do you get? Same, you get more shitty behavior made right. 0:52:34.760 --> 0:52:37.800 So it's the same with this whole unpouring piece. Right, 0:52:37.960 --> 0:52:41.319 there's a carrot there being dangled out. You'll keep doing it. 0:52:41.960 --> 0:52:44.920 Got to remove it. So nah had a gupfull not 0:52:45.000 --> 0:52:49.960 happening anymore. Play actually win the football so that the 0:52:50.040 --> 0:52:52.080 people will get in these freeze. That's the first thing 0:52:52.120 --> 0:52:56.080 they're getting the ball first, tick the box right now, 0:52:56.160 --> 0:52:59.360 run carry handball kick what play? 0:53:00.520 --> 0:53:01.760 Not secure ball? 0:53:02.160 --> 0:53:07.880 Feign defender, lower tilt, hook arm, look for high contact. No, no, no, 0:53:08.040 --> 0:53:12.399 don't do that play. That's I think if we're trying 0:53:12.440 --> 0:53:15.960 to capture it, that's how I would articulate it. 0:53:17.000 --> 0:53:18.560 So it is to ensure that. 0:53:18.520 --> 0:53:21.120 You can protect the players. And what happens with you, guys, 0:53:21.160 --> 0:53:23.560 because you are brave to a point where you need 0:53:23.600 --> 0:53:27.520 protecting from yourselves. You're mad, You're bloody mad, right, and 0:53:27.800 --> 0:53:31.560 I've got the most incredible respect, Holy shit, but what 0:53:31.560 --> 0:53:32.560 do you do in son? 0:53:32.680 --> 0:53:32.879 Right? 0:53:33.840 --> 0:53:35.920 You need to be protected from yourselves at times, and 0:53:35.960 --> 0:53:37.719 this is one of those moments. And we've had it 0:53:37.760 --> 0:53:40.960 with contact below the knees, right, go back a few years. 0:53:41.000 --> 0:53:45.480 You'd slide in and like Rugby, clear the ruck. We'll 0:53:45.600 --> 0:53:49.480 knock them out. Teammate come in, right, needed protecting from yourself. 0:53:49.760 --> 0:53:55.040 You rule, can't slide in feet and boots first, canniball behavior, right, 0:53:55.040 --> 0:53:58.160 you need protecting from yourselves. And I truly believe, and 0:53:58.200 --> 0:54:02.200 this is just my opinion. That's in a in a nutshell, 0:54:02.239 --> 0:54:04.479 what's trying to be undertaken here. 0:54:05.480 --> 0:54:07.839 It's a tough thing to I guess, try to to 0:54:07.840 --> 0:54:10.120 be correct on It's very hard. 0:54:11.000 --> 0:54:12.440 I've never got a high tackle in my life, so 0:54:13.239 --> 0:54:14.920 by the worst person to ask, to be honest, but 0:54:15.640 --> 0:54:15.840 it is. 0:54:16.200 --> 0:54:18.560 There's a few. There's a few key because someone's. 0:54:18.280 --> 0:54:18.960 Getting the high tackle. 0:54:20.280 --> 0:54:21.879 If it's me, you're getting a heart tagle with someone 0:54:21.880 --> 0:54:25.839 else like they're jumping of of their standards. But yeah, 0:54:26.000 --> 0:54:27.680 it is such an interesting thing. It's great to hear 0:54:27.719 --> 0:54:29.360 your your side of it because I feel like you 0:54:29.360 --> 0:54:32.640 do articulate very well. I guess the we've talked about 0:54:32.719 --> 0:54:33.920 being the voice of the i FL and how to 0:54:33.960 --> 0:54:36.520 adjudicate rules, and it's it's not an easy thing to do. 0:54:36.680 --> 0:54:38.600 It's not an easy thing to do, but we'll move 0:54:38.640 --> 0:54:40.359 into it. I want to I want to pump up 0:54:40.360 --> 0:54:42.200 what you're doing right now because you've got so much 0:54:42.200 --> 0:54:43.360 going on outside of football. 0:54:43.440 --> 0:54:43.600 Now. 0:54:43.719 --> 0:54:47.520 You've got your founder and director of the Chamberlain and 0:54:47.600 --> 0:54:49.120 Co Mortgage broken services. 0:54:49.280 --> 0:54:51.680 That's true. Yeah, so that's that's keeps me off the 0:54:51.680 --> 0:54:52.720 main streets. 0:54:52.360 --> 0:54:53.919 Because every armpire has got a side gig. 0:54:54.080 --> 0:54:59.959 Yeah, well we all we all are either studying or working. 0:55:00.200 --> 0:55:02.120 And you've started your own company, which is pretty cool. 0:55:02.239 --> 0:55:06.120 Yeah, And so that was that's eighteen years now and 0:55:06.640 --> 0:55:09.280 I've been undertaking this and got a really awesome team 0:55:09.560 --> 0:55:11.160 so that I get in their way. 0:55:11.320 --> 0:55:13.120 Like the more I'm away, the better they go. 0:55:14.160 --> 0:55:16.960 So my job is really to resource them effectively and 0:55:17.000 --> 0:55:19.920 then allow them to be the best they can be. 0:55:20.880 --> 0:55:23.920 So I got a great team there. And the thing 0:55:24.000 --> 0:55:24.399 I like. 0:55:24.360 --> 0:55:28.799 About it is you get to advocate for people. So 0:55:28.880 --> 0:55:31.920 like we write, we look at budget and how many 0:55:31.960 --> 0:55:33.839 lanes we've got to write and what our volume's got 0:55:33.880 --> 0:55:36.640 to be and what that equals, and right, really sort 0:55:36.680 --> 0:55:41.520 of just clunky ears with running business, Right, But what 0:55:41.560 --> 0:55:46.160 you're doing is like this person's able to take their 0:55:46.239 --> 0:55:49.719 kids to Disneyland, or this lady is able to buy 0:55:49.719 --> 0:55:54.359 her daughter her first car, or there's always that under 0:55:54.520 --> 0:55:57.480 all of these things. I love those stories and I 0:55:57.520 --> 0:56:02.160 love helping people obtain that, yeah, reach their goals. It's 0:56:02.160 --> 0:56:05.600 so cool, right, So that that's the thing that that 0:56:05.760 --> 0:56:10.400 actually gets me fired up Monday through Friday with that Yeah, yeah. 0:56:10.320 --> 0:56:14.120 And you shout out to the website, Yeah, we'll get. 0:56:15.160 --> 0:56:17.759 No, no, no, that's fine. Chamberlain and Co dot Com get 0:56:17.800 --> 0:56:19.800 on it and yeah, reach out. 0:56:19.719 --> 0:56:22.279 And they can help you out with everything you possibly Well, 0:56:22.320 --> 0:56:23.400 you won't speak to me. 0:56:23.440 --> 0:56:25.520 Its chill out, all right, it won't get to me. 0:56:25.640 --> 0:56:27.799 There's a front line there. I don't see that it 0:56:27.800 --> 0:56:30.200 gets It gets filtered before it gets to make mote. 0:56:30.280 --> 0:56:30.960 That's so good. 0:56:31.360 --> 0:56:34.560 The other thing you're doing Chamberlain Foundation, Now I love 0:56:34.600 --> 0:56:37.359 this because this is something that you're passionate about. 0:56:37.520 --> 0:56:38.680 I've known you've done this for a while. 0:56:38.719 --> 0:56:41.480 And it raises funds to revide support for suicide prevention 0:56:41.560 --> 0:56:44.200 and mental health awareness. Now can you speak a bit 0:56:44.239 --> 0:56:46.279 to that because I feel like that's something that in 0:56:46.280 --> 0:56:48.160 today's society is so so so important. 0:56:48.719 --> 0:56:48.919 Yeah. 0:56:48.920 --> 0:56:54.000 So this this goes back six years now. And I remember, 0:56:54.960 --> 0:56:57.400 so I grew up in Canberra with my brothers and 0:56:57.440 --> 0:56:59.680 they still reside in Canberra and they've got families and 0:56:59.719 --> 0:57:02.880 business and jobs and all that sort of stuff. And 0:57:02.960 --> 0:57:05.120 I would ring them and it'd be have you have 0:57:05.200 --> 0:57:08.600 you spoken to mom this week? Who's paying for Christmas? 0:57:08.760 --> 0:57:09.399 That kind of gear? 0:57:09.400 --> 0:57:12.200 And that was okay when I first left home, but 0:57:12.239 --> 0:57:14.640 it got to a point was like, hey, mate, who 0:57:14.640 --> 0:57:17.200 are you again? What have you got that role? Right? 0:57:17.680 --> 0:57:19.440 So I thought I wouldn't it be cool if we 0:57:19.560 --> 0:57:22.320 all did something there was a bit challenging and fun 0:57:22.800 --> 0:57:26.600 together and the boys went, no, that's as actually, let's 0:57:26.640 --> 0:57:27.000 do that. 0:57:27.160 --> 0:57:29.360 And then life gets busy. 0:57:30.000 --> 0:57:33.360 And I was driving home one night down the Pena 0:57:33.400 --> 0:57:35.840 Highway and I was getting towards Southland and the phone rang. 0:57:35.880 --> 0:57:38.080 It was my brother, and I started giving him a 0:57:38.080 --> 0:57:40.880 bit of stick, you know, as you do, and then 0:57:40.920 --> 0:57:43.320 I realized he was actually quite upset, and he was 0:57:43.400 --> 0:57:49.760 emotional and he said, he said, Robbie took his own life. 0:57:50.160 --> 0:57:56.120 And I remember thinking he was referencing my cousin and 0:57:56.200 --> 0:57:59.560 my best mate and my best man. But that's rob 0:58:00.440 --> 0:58:02.920 and he said Robbie. So he was talking about his 0:58:03.400 --> 0:58:08.160 best mate. And so now I'm feeling better, which was weird. Yeah, 0:58:09.440 --> 0:58:12.360 And Robbie left behind two young kids and a whole 0:58:12.480 --> 0:58:17.120 range of stuff. Now it's not we're not special, Sadly, sadly, 0:58:17.120 --> 0:58:18.960 we're not special, like you know, this is this is 0:58:18.960 --> 0:58:20.920 out there. Everyone's got a story around this, which is 0:58:21.280 --> 0:58:25.880 kind of the point. But if nothing else, Robbie's passing 0:58:26.240 --> 0:58:28.360 put a rocket up us and it gave us a purpose, 0:58:28.600 --> 0:58:31.800 so that really narrowed our our scope in what we're 0:58:31.800 --> 0:58:36.640 going to do. And so we created our foundation and 0:58:36.640 --> 0:58:39.520 it's you know, it's legit, no one and by the way, 0:58:39.520 --> 0:58:42.040 everyone who runs it is a volunteer. No one takes 0:58:42.080 --> 0:58:46.480 ano that out of it fully like deductible gift recipient 0:58:46.800 --> 0:58:50.919 ordered the whole bag. So that's super good. And we've 0:58:50.960 --> 0:58:55.520 been able to you know, raise and then move on 0:58:56.240 --> 0:58:59.800 nearly four hundred grand, which is good, right, that must 0:58:59.880 --> 0:59:02.400 be feel great about it, right, And we get to 0:59:02.520 --> 0:59:06.520 fund programs that support and where we like to really 0:59:06.800 --> 0:59:10.320 channel into our return servicemen and women and our first responders. 0:59:12.000 --> 0:59:15.040 Whenever things go to the ship, we're looking at them, right, 0:59:15.800 --> 0:59:18.400 And yet I feel yeah, and I feel like they're 0:59:18.400 --> 0:59:23.200 probably not as rewarded or as supported as they really 0:59:23.240 --> 0:59:27.040 deserve to be. So our most recent donation was to 0:59:27.120 --> 0:59:30.480 the Police Association of Victoria, which was all around stuff 0:59:30.640 --> 0:59:36.040 pertaining to PTSD resources and training for their graduates. So 0:59:36.120 --> 0:59:37.840 that's really cool. But that's what we do. So we 0:59:37.880 --> 0:59:41.200 run events, we do things. Our first event was Boots 0:59:41.200 --> 0:59:42.920 in the Water in Burmaghuey, which is on the New 0:59:42.920 --> 0:59:44.959 south West South Coast, I know you know the Burma guy. 0:59:45.000 --> 0:59:50.040 Well mate, and then hike to the top of Meta Posiosco. 0:59:50.360 --> 0:59:53.360 Oh yeah, So those are the sorts of things we do. 0:59:53.400 --> 0:59:56.880 These we do these bike tours, we have luncheons and 0:59:56.920 --> 0:59:57.600 all that sort of stuff. 0:59:57.600 --> 0:59:58.280 So that's what we do. 0:59:58.760 --> 1:00:01.760 And we've got my others and we've got two sisters 1:00:03.120 --> 1:00:05.480 who have formed the board for the most part of 1:00:05.480 --> 1:00:07.360 the time. This people have come and gome like we 1:00:07.400 --> 1:00:09.560 get accountant and all that type of stuff that represent 1:00:09.640 --> 1:00:14.160 and a cyst. But really the the legends are actually 1:00:14.360 --> 1:00:16.920 like our tribe the kind of lunch every year and 1:00:16.960 --> 1:00:20.880 participate and like they're the ones who drive it and 1:00:21.040 --> 1:00:23.080 they're the reason why we're able to donate the money 1:00:23.080 --> 1:00:24.760 that we do and do the things that we do. 1:00:24.920 --> 1:00:27.440 So they're the ones who make it cool. 1:00:27.840 --> 1:00:29.800 Yeah, get you linked up with the charity I do 1:00:29.880 --> 1:00:32.320 call the Life Changer. Okay, life change, I'm telling you 1:00:32.320 --> 1:00:35.680 and checking them out. But that's awesome. Seriously, Now, I 1:00:35.720 --> 1:00:39.960 love the people that look beyond themselves. Look beyond and 1:00:40.040 --> 1:00:42.320 it's it's a classic kind of quote. I'm probably going 1:00:42.320 --> 1:00:44.640 to butcher this, but it's plant the seeds for trees 1:00:45.120 --> 1:00:47.160 for trees you'll never never sit in the shade of 1:00:47.400 --> 1:00:51.520 correct and it's such just that. 1:00:51.640 --> 1:00:53.160 But that was the moment. 1:00:54.080 --> 1:00:55.880 But no, it's so true that people that have the 1:00:55.960 --> 1:00:58.760 mindset to be able to look past their lifetime, to 1:00:58.800 --> 1:01:01.080 be able to to ate a better future for someone 1:01:01.080 --> 1:01:03.160 else down the road, and to help people out that 1:01:03.200 --> 1:01:06.640 are outside of their inner circle. It's a credit to you, mate, 1:01:06.640 --> 1:01:07.680 It's an absolute credit to you. 1:01:07.880 --> 1:01:11.520 Well, now, thank you. It helped me though, if I'm 1:01:11.520 --> 1:01:16.160 really honest, you know, like so, I I'd love on pie, 1:01:16.200 --> 1:01:18.200 I love footy, but I had I had a tough 1:01:18.240 --> 1:01:20.480 time myself with just dealing with all this sort of 1:01:20.480 --> 1:01:24.400 media staff and whatever, which I embraced. Now I'm like, right, 1:01:24.480 --> 1:01:27.560 you can't take the cordill out the water, right, I'm 1:01:27.640 --> 1:01:27.920 into this. 1:01:29.000 --> 1:01:31.080 There's no way I can dampen it or whatever. But 1:01:31.200 --> 1:01:31.720 I didn't. 1:01:32.280 --> 1:01:34.200 I actually tried not to be part of any of it. 1:01:34.480 --> 1:01:37.120 And I remember being I'm not going to say bullied, 1:01:37.120 --> 1:01:40.880 because that's the wrong word, but I was strongly encouraged. Okay, right, 1:01:41.200 --> 1:01:43.720 pushed the direction right to do an interview with Triple 1:01:43.840 --> 1:01:46.240 M and they were really cool to me, Okay they were, 1:01:46.400 --> 1:01:50.640 and BT and James Brayshaw and carry lyon and all 1:01:50.680 --> 1:01:54.160 that demail on that, and I dropped a silly line 1:01:54.440 --> 1:02:00.480 that they found humorous, and I suggested that potentially the 1:02:00.560 --> 1:02:02.120 Dingo had taken the wrong Chamberlain. 1:02:02.240 --> 1:02:07.880 Right, so I don't know with you, so and so 1:02:08.000 --> 1:02:08.640 then they were wush. 1:02:08.720 --> 1:02:12.080 And that was in two thousand and seven, right, And 1:02:12.160 --> 1:02:16.040 so then that alls, and that all this rais of 1:02:16.040 --> 1:02:20.920 stuff had been happening. And anyway, I got injured and 1:02:20.960 --> 1:02:22.520 I had to have surgery and they and it didn't 1:02:22.560 --> 1:02:25.280 go great, and so then I reinjured. I put my 1:02:25.360 --> 1:02:28.120 kneecup in half in a game colling Wood Cartlein mcg 1:02:28.840 --> 1:02:33.520 and so I was like, okay, you're cooked. And again 1:02:33.560 --> 1:02:35.880 I lose his corner. Right, So I took the family 1:02:35.880 --> 1:02:39.560 where Jeff Geieshon was our boss. He goes, listen, get 1:02:39.560 --> 1:02:42.920 out of the country, going go somewhere, which was so 1:02:43.000 --> 1:02:46.120 kind of Jeff. Right, he's a ripping human being, he 1:02:46.200 --> 1:02:50.160 really cares. He's such a nice man. And so we 1:02:50.240 --> 1:02:52.160 went to Hawaii because I was the only place you'd gather. 1:02:52.200 --> 1:02:54.560 It was a bank drop of a hat, and we 1:02:54.640 --> 1:02:58.400 loved it. And I read this book Robbie McEwen. I 1:02:58.480 --> 1:03:01.320 got I got told read this book. It's a great autobiograph. 1:03:01.320 --> 1:03:02.960 I'm going to mate. It's about a dude in Liker 1:03:03.000 --> 1:03:05.560 on a bike. Like, how exciting going to be such 1:03:05.600 --> 1:03:06.160 a good read? 1:03:06.360 --> 1:03:06.520 Right? 1:03:07.160 --> 1:03:11.640 And in it he had a Poteller tendernopathy injury that 1:03:11.800 --> 1:03:14.800 rocked his career. His was a little more dramatic than mine. 1:03:15.160 --> 1:03:17.600 Came around a blind corner and smashed his knee into 1:03:17.640 --> 1:03:18.760 a concrete pylon. 1:03:19.160 --> 1:03:19.400 Right. 1:03:20.760 --> 1:03:23.800 And what smacked me in my fat head Mason, was 1:03:23.800 --> 1:03:28.600 that this book, this autobiography, his challenge, his injury challenge. 1:03:28.720 --> 1:03:29.400 It was one. 1:03:29.320 --> 1:03:33.040 Chapter, small bar of his whole fucking book, mate, Right. 1:03:33.520 --> 1:03:35.760 And so what I realized was like, Man, I can 1:03:35.800 --> 1:03:37.320 sit here and sook the house down, or I can 1:03:37.520 --> 1:03:40.960 just write this chapter out actually and write it as 1:03:41.040 --> 1:03:44.080 best I can. So I just threw myself into being 1:03:44.080 --> 1:03:46.520 the best rehabit that ever dreary breath. Right, some time 1:03:46.520 --> 1:03:48.760 one hundred and fifty games since then, I was told 1:03:48.800 --> 1:03:51.640 I was cooked. So I had to change a lot 1:03:51.640 --> 1:03:54.080 of stuff and whatever. But what it did was I 1:03:54.160 --> 1:03:57.240 went this whole raisor thing that I don't understand, and 1:03:57.280 --> 1:04:00.000 I get angry about because people are saying stuff about 1:04:00.080 --> 1:04:01.880 out me and I don't have a platform to talk 1:04:01.920 --> 1:04:05.520 back or at least provide my view of it, which 1:04:05.880 --> 1:04:08.880 didn't sit well with my personality, right, And so the 1:04:08.880 --> 1:04:12.000 problem was me. I knew that I wasn't handling it. 1:04:12.120 --> 1:04:13.680 I had to grow up and I had to become 1:04:13.840 --> 1:04:15.680 more evolved and smarter and all that sort of shit. 1:04:17.240 --> 1:04:19.960 This foundation, I went, if I get back and all 1:04:20.000 --> 1:04:23.080 this brew hahas existing, I'm going to use it for 1:04:23.160 --> 1:04:28.439 something good like that, so that I don't. I'm really 1:04:28.520 --> 1:04:31.200 lucky that I've got that avenue, Like it keeps me 1:04:31.840 --> 1:04:33.960 motivated and I get more out of it. 1:04:33.960 --> 1:04:35.880 I reckon that I put in what I'm trying to say. 1:04:36.200 --> 1:04:39.400 And yeah, so it's cool and we love it, and 1:04:39.440 --> 1:04:41.560 it's good for our family, you know, the boys like 1:04:41.560 --> 1:04:44.840 it keeps us something and we've met this beautiful these 1:04:44.880 --> 1:04:48.160 two sisters who are just in legends and they sort 1:04:48.160 --> 1:04:50.760 of umpire between us and stop us blowing each other 1:04:50.800 --> 1:04:51.040 and that. 1:04:52.800 --> 1:04:53.400 So it's good. 1:04:53.600 --> 1:04:56.760 Yeah, that's good. Oh that's awesome. Man, It's it's cool, 1:04:56.760 --> 1:04:59.280 like it's to have. It actually is like something your 1:04:59.320 --> 1:05:01.280 whole family does. It is quite unique. I feel like 1:05:01.360 --> 1:05:03.200 everyone says, don't go into business with your family, But 1:05:03.560 --> 1:05:08.000 I'm sure you've probably got stories right the weekly Weekly. 1:05:08.080 --> 1:05:10.760 I love that. Well, do you want to give a 1:05:10.720 --> 1:05:14.560 shout out guess to where you can donate for the foundation? 1:05:14.880 --> 1:05:15.080 Yes? 1:05:15.240 --> 1:05:17.560 I know you also do a motivation motivational speaking, is 1:05:17.560 --> 1:05:17.880 that correct? 1:05:18.000 --> 1:05:18.200 Yeah? 1:05:18.240 --> 1:05:21.080 No, that's that's good fun. Actually, I love getting out 1:05:21.520 --> 1:05:24.480 to commut like particularly like we do like corporate stuff 1:05:24.480 --> 1:05:25.840 and all that, and that's good fun. And you meet 1:05:25.840 --> 1:05:28.520 lots of people and it's always big events and that's 1:05:28.560 --> 1:05:28.959 good fun. 1:05:29.320 --> 1:05:31.160 But the ones that are really cool, like you know, 1:05:31.600 --> 1:05:32.800 I was at a chooker. 1:05:32.920 --> 1:05:35.400 Your chew cut the other week, right, our producers from 1:05:35.400 --> 1:05:41.040 a cheer girl, God's Country stories from a chew gu Yeah, 1:05:41.080 --> 1:05:46.520 I bet, and. 1:05:44.080 --> 1:05:47.120 And I've got to gotta go there. It was brilliant, 1:05:47.600 --> 1:05:49.840 the best couple of days. It was so much fun. 1:05:49.960 --> 1:05:52.640 Met some legends up there, and you know, you get 1:05:52.680 --> 1:05:56.600 immersed in local football and nipall clubs, right, and you 1:05:56.760 --> 1:05:59.440 just takes me back to again, You're gonna You're never 1:05:59.440 --> 1:06:02.480 gonna forget places, the Tagnong Valley where I grew up 1:06:02.840 --> 1:06:06.680 and playing for the Tugerong Lines, and you know, it's 1:06:06.800 --> 1:06:08.840 just all of that again and you go, you remember 1:06:08.920 --> 1:06:10.600 why you love the game. 1:06:11.240 --> 1:06:13.400 Actually I love those sorts of things. 1:06:13.600 --> 1:06:17.520 But yeah, Chamberlain Foundation dot Org is where you can 1:06:17.600 --> 1:06:19.560 go to and find the donate. 1:06:20.120 --> 1:06:22.520 So yeah, we're we're it's a big it's on a 1:06:22.520 --> 1:06:23.760 big build at the moment. We're on it. 1:06:23.840 --> 1:06:27.440 That's actually the task that it's twenty twenty two is 1:06:28.200 --> 1:06:30.840 the creation of our online platform. So we've generated We've 1:06:30.840 --> 1:06:33.880 got a corporate partner who's helping fund that, so we're 1:06:33.920 --> 1:06:36.120 in the build there. But yeah, Chamberlain Foundation dot org 1:06:36.120 --> 1:06:37.840 and you can find us. We donate now and it's, 1:06:37.880 --> 1:06:40.320 as I said, totally tax deductible. 1:06:40.480 --> 1:06:40.720 Huge. 1:06:40.760 --> 1:06:42.360 You get your receipt and all that sort of gear 1:06:43.440 --> 1:06:45.560 and the money goes too directly to. 1:06:47.320 --> 1:06:48.000 Our partners. 1:06:48.000 --> 1:06:50.640 And so we've had the Police Association of Victoria, are 1:06:50.680 --> 1:06:54.200 you okay, Lifeline and Grief Line they've been our beneficiaries. 1:06:54.240 --> 1:06:59.440 And yeah, they're all really really reputable and brilliant organizations 1:06:59.440 --> 1:07:02.560 that are making a difference in people's lives. 1:07:02.880 --> 1:07:05.280 Yeah, yeah, which is really cool. That's awesome, man. 1:07:05.880 --> 1:07:07.560 Well, thank you, thank you, thank you for doing that, 1:07:07.600 --> 1:07:09.400 and thank you for coming on the pod, mate mate, 1:07:09.800 --> 1:07:10.560 It is so. 1:07:10.520 --> 1:07:11.120 Good to chat to you. 1:07:11.160 --> 1:07:11.320 Man. 1:07:11.400 --> 1:07:13.880 Like there's so many different facets of your life. I 1:07:13.880 --> 1:07:16.400 feel like they're so fascinating that I could. I mean, 1:07:16.960 --> 1:07:18.760 we'll go to the USA at the end of the year. 1:07:18.800 --> 1:07:19.800 We're going to go to the US. 1:07:19.880 --> 1:07:23.080 I fell together in California, California, big fan of LA 1:07:23.200 --> 1:07:23.760 Here we come. 1:07:23.840 --> 1:07:25.760 The boys are back. The boys they're back. 1:07:25.800 --> 1:07:28.520 We'll find a couple of just fun, a couple on 1:07:28.560 --> 1:07:29.000 the back end. 1:07:29.080 --> 1:07:31.200 We'll find that I'm sure a few frothies for the 1:07:31.200 --> 1:07:34.560 first season. But honestly, thanks so much for coming on, mate. 1:07:34.720 --> 1:07:36.400 I love your story. I love the way you look 1:07:36.400 --> 1:07:39.200 at life. I love your personality and your the uniqueness 1:07:39.280 --> 1:07:41.240 of what you go about and do them. It is 1:07:41.320 --> 1:07:45.040 so so cool to see someone charismatically be themselves no 1:07:45.120 --> 1:07:47.840 matter what. And hearing some more about your charity and 1:07:47.840 --> 1:07:50.320 your foundation and everything else is just It adds to 1:07:50.400 --> 1:07:52.160 the story of the human you are, mate, and it's 1:07:52.160 --> 1:07:53.960 a It's a credit to you for what you do 1:07:54.000 --> 1:07:55.240 and the way you go about it. 1:07:55.360 --> 1:07:56.240 So massive. 1:07:56.240 --> 1:07:58.440 Thank you for coming on, mate, and can't wait to 1:07:58.440 --> 1:08:00.560 see you running aund again. Hopefully you get the injury 1:08:00.600 --> 1:08:01.600 and back out there. 1:08:01.600 --> 1:08:03.439 Twenty twenty three. Good luck for the rest of you, mate. 1:08:03.480 --> 1:08:05.560 You guys are flying and bring joy to a lot 1:08:05.600 --> 1:08:07.000 of people and thanks for the opportunity mate. 1:08:07.040 --> 1:08:07.640 Now thank you