By Tim Doutré
THINK you have got some pressure at work?
On Friday night 88,115 people packed the stands of the MCG to watch Geelong and Collingwood battle it out in what was billed as one of the matches of the season.
Among the screaming fans, and the two adrenaline pumped teams was an unassuming figure dressed in yellow – Troy Pannell.
The 33-year-old was umpiring his 60th game of AFL football and the biggest one he has had to date.
“It’s funny, I still get nervous before every game,” he said before the clash.
“I think that means you are really switched on as well if you are nervous.
“I am pretty sure I will be. I have been thinking about the game all week.
“In terms of the biggest game I would say this is clearly the stand-out.”
Pannell has come a long way since his days running around the Western Region Football League, but he credits his time in the West for his standing in the game today.
“I was playing junior footy with Hoppers Crossing juniors. Just for a bit of pocket money I just started running the boundaries. After a year or so I moved over, started field umpiring when I was 15.”
It did not take long for the teenage Pannell to get serious about his umpiring in what was then still the Footscray District Football League (FDFL). He got in to athletics to build his fitness as he aimed for A Grade games.
“I did that (athletics) – I was only 16 at the time but got a good base of fitness to come back and try and umpire A Grade. I was lucky enough to do the A Grade grand final at the age of 16.”
Pannell umpired three A Grade grand finals in a row before moving through the TAC Cup and VFL ranks.
It was in 2005 that he finally got his chance to umpire an AFL game – and boy did he get thrown in the deep end.
“My first AFL game was Hawthorn v Essendon at the ’G round three 2005 – the first game after the line in the sand game.
“Usually when you are umpiring your first game of footy they let you bounce it first but because they thought there was going to be a massive blue they said just sit down the end for the first quarter.
“It was unbelievable walking out there.”
Pannell is supportive of the AFL’s new initiative ‘Umpiring is everyone’s business’ which is aimed at promoting umpiring at a community level.
“It’s probably the best campaign I have seen in the last four or five years. Obviously there has been notable drop-offs of umpires over the last five to 10 years at all levels. “I remember when I started it was just hard enough to get a game in the FDFL. We used to have 300 umpires.
“You look at it 10-15 years later and you have only got 70 or 80. I can’t believe so many people have left and people haven’t come in and taken their place.”
The Mt Macedon resident encouraged young players to get involved with umpiring.
“You can go outside and run around for two hours and earn $50 for a bit of pocket money, keeping fit and you learn life skills as well.
“My basis was I would rather do that than work at Safeway for 10 hours on a Saturday for the same sort of money.”
Pannell started off as a 15-year-old and is hopeful that this year he will get his first chance to umpire an AFL final.
“It’s a goal of mine this year. I finished one spot out of a finals debut last year. The natural progression is to probably make the finals panel this year.
“I was emergency for the NAB Cup final this year – another taste of tougher footy again. With the consistency I have shown for the first eight weeks I guess I would put my best foot forward.”
