Andrew Wright reaches the 300 game umpiring milestone in Goulburn Valley League

The veteran umpire does his best work on the football field and, after 35 years of officiating, he is showing no signs of slowing down just yet.

Wright celebrated a significant milestone on June 29, overseeing his 300th Goulburn Valley League game when Seymour hosted Shepparton Swans at Kings Park.

What a way to do it, too.

The Seymour resident’s big 300 came in the teeth-chattering cold accompanied by sideways, pelting rain and low visibility — oh, and a certain Fremantle legend on the field.

“If it wasn’t raining it would’ve been better,” he said with a laugh.

“No, it was good; it’s been a little while, we put it back a couple of weeks a few times, so it was good to get out there and have some fun.

“To see (David Mundy’s) abilities and the way he can move the ball was fantastic too.”

Wright’s journey began in the crawling, quaint suburbs of Melbourne.

It was the late 1980s in the Diamond Valley Football League, now known as the Northern Football Netball League.

He loved his footy, but at 16, he discovered that his skill set didn’t quite match up.

His talents lay elsewhere.

“I was no good as a footballer, so the only real way to stay involved — and it is the greatest way to stay involved — was umpiring,” he said.

“Sometime in the 1990s — I can’t even remember what year it was now — I was awarded the Golden Whistle which is a privileged award for umpires who show potential and may be able to move on to bigger and better things.

“For me, it showed potential and that’s where it finished.”

Nabbing the Golden Whistle — umpiring’s equivalent to AFL’s Rising Star award — was a testament to Wright’s budding promise.

In another life, he could’ve shared the same field as Mundy during his halcyon days at the Dockers, but instead, Wright’s noble path eventually took him up the Hume Hwy and into the Goulburn Valley.

The now GVL 300-gamer has also umpired games in the Kyabram District, Murray and Picola District leagues as well as his fair share of junior football throughout the years.

According to the man himself, the latter brought about one of his best memories in footy.

“Early on, there was a junior grand final that ended in a draw,” he said.

“There’s not too many drawn grand finals that occur and that was probably my first big game as such.

“It was only under-15 footy, but it was a drawn grand final and just the feel and the atmosphere of that, as to we now play extra time and move forward. That was always good.

“Probably the biggest game though was the Nagambie and Tallygaroopna grand final.

“Nagambie were eight goals down after quarter-time and no-one ever expected them to win, and they came back and won that grand final.”

Wright’s memory bank is undoubtedly full of moments from his umpiring career, and even when he does hang up his boots, thanks to his son, he’ll still be able to hear excerpts from the great game.

Lachlan Wright has followed in his father’s footsteps, donning the fluro and treading the path of an umpire.

Like his dad, he’s no slouch either.

Lachlan was awarded the prestigious AS McLean Medal for his outstanding officiating at the School Sports Australia Australian Football Carnival held in Tasmania in 2019, becoming the third Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association representative to do so.

Last year, the Victorian Football Umpires Association bestowed him the 2023 Courage Award, and his dad reckons big things are in store.

“He’s a boundary umpire down in the VFL system trying to endeavour to hopefully become an AFL-listed umpire one day,” he said.

“He’s very self sufficient — every weekend is a big weekend for him and he knows what it all means. He’s doing extremely well.”

While his son’s umpiring journey is in its relative infancy, at 51, Wright has just about seen it all: grand final glory, high-flying marks, 60m roosts — the lot.

He’s probably copped his fair share of stick, too.

Pressing your tongue to your cheek is just as crucial as a whistle to your lips for an umpire, but when asked why Wright has carried on for so many years, it boiled down to one reason.

“It’s just keeping the game going and keeping involved,” he said.

“If someone tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘you’re finished’, I’d happily walk away.

“I’ve done plenty and I’ve experienced a lot, but at this stage they keep inviting me back, so I just keep coming back.”