FIELD umpire Craig Hendrie will join the most elite group in umpiring when he officiates in his 300th league game in Round 12 of the WAFL.
Hendrie, who made his debut in 1995, will join field umpires Mike Ball, Grant Vernon and Ray Montgomery, boundary umpire Greg Smith and goal umpires Paul Smith and David Shawcross as the only people to achieve the feat.
A four time WAFL grand final umpire, three time umpire of the year and veteran of 69 AFL matches, a modest Hendrie said the achievement spoke more about longevity than anything else.
“It means I’m old,” the 35-year-old joked.
“I can still remember my first game though. It’s true that your career flashes before your eyes. It just goes so quick. I really do cherish every moment. From my first game in the WAFL, to my first AFL game, they were big moments. All the grand finals have been great. Umpiring a league game with my dad and brother was a fantastic day and I’ve got a photo from that at home. AFL derbies were huge and running around on the MCG was a massive buzz.”
Hendrie’s AFL career ended last season but he has returned to the WAFL to pass on his experience and remains a standout performer, having been appointed to the recent state game.
He is on track to break Vernon’s field umpiring record of 313 games, but must umpire every home and away game and all three weeks of the finals to do so this year.
“Grant’s a legend so it’s hard to even think about that,” Hendrie said.
“It’s not the reason I’m still umpiring. His achievements are much better than mine. I just keep going because I enjoy it. I haven’t even thought about retiring.”
Another WAFL veteran, Stuart Parry, umpired his 150th game in last week’s Fremantle derby. Parry is at the peak of his career after being selected to umpire the last two grand finals and the state game. Injury prevented him from completing an AFL trial in 2009 and he missed selection on the national panel in 2010.
One of the most passionate people in umpiring, he is also one of the few people to be involved in a sporting relationship. Parry’s wife Leah represents Australia in softball and they’ll celebrate a double milestone this year when she plays her 100th international game, just weeks after his 150th WAFL outing.
He said the husband/wife sporting combination had helped both of their careers.
“Leah understands fully what I have to commit to umpiring-wise with the preparation and what’s required on Friday nights before a game. And she’s so professional with the way she trains. She’s amazing,” Parry said.
“We started going out when I’d only done seven or eight games so she’s been there for pretty much the entire journey. She’ll play her 100th game in Venezuela at the world championships and I’ll go and meet up with her in LA in a couple of weeks.’
State Umpire Coach Darryl Sinclair said it is wonderful that we can retain senior umpires like Hendrie on our list.
“I think Craig could umpire for another four years if he keeps fit and looks after himself, he brings so much leadership to the whole umpiring team and has a very positive outlook on umpiring and is great to coach.”
