|
This years AFL grand final umpiring panel will feature a new face, with Scott Jeffery to officiate in his first premiership decider.Jeffery will be joined by experienced field umpires Matt Stevic and Simon Meredith for Saturdays clash between Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.Jeffery will umpire his first grand final after officiating in 308 AFL games, while Stevic and Meredith have umpired three grand finals each.Stevic is likely to take the opening bounce after performing the task in last years grand final, which he described as the scariest, most nerve-wracking experience of his life.He said the umpires wouldnt be afraid to make tough decisions, but agreed theyll have done their jobs if the game, not the umpires, are the main talking point.I think the best umpires still step in when required and take control but also blend into the game in a manner that is unobtrusive, Stevic said.Ultimately (hopefully) the fans and everyone associated with the sport are talking about what a wonderful game it is.(But) we know we have a job to do and we need to make decisions - were not out there to not pay free kicks throughout the game.While he will be umpiring his first grand final, Jeffery is actually the most experienced of the trio having debuted in 2001.His appointment is the culmination of a lot of hard work, but he admitted he missed the highly-anticipated call from umpires boss Hayden Kennedy when he rang to give him the good news.It was rather embarrassing - I sat around all morning waiting for it then went to do some training and hed rung, Jeffery said.I initially thought (Id missed out) because Hayden does all the hard calls.But it was a pretty special call. Its everything Ive dreamt of and worked towards for a long time.Justin Schmitt was named as the emergency umpire for Saturdays clash. . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. . PAUL, Minn. . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Nedeljko Prijovics layup with just under eight minutes left gave Texas State the lead and the Bobcats held on for a 64-57 win over Prairie View A&M Saturday.Ojai Black hit a 3-pointer and Prijovic hit a jumper to give Texas State breathing room and the Bobcats closed the game out from the free throw line.Kavin Gilder-Tilbury and Nijhal Pearson each scored 14 points to lead Texas State (5-4), which extended its home record to 3-1 with the victory. Prijovic addded 10 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench.ddddddddddddDaquan Cook scored 20 points to lead Prairie View (2-8), which now is 1-7 in road games to start the season and have lost five straight -- to Houston, Kansas State, and No. 16 Wisconsin on the road and to Lamar at home.Troy Thompson hit 5 of 10 from the field for 12 points off the bench. ' ' '
|
