Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Mason Cox Show. Now, as always a start off the show, like subscribe to our seven platforms we got Spotify, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube smashing that now. But today is a very special guest, a man that I've got so much respect for. You cops a lot of criticism in his job and he does it with an utmost passion that you can possibly think of. He's a great man named Razor Ray Chamberlain. Now he has got a story to tell.
I'm telling you he's one of the most iconic people in the IFL industry. And it is an absolute great chat. So really excited for you to listen in. I want to actually start off with a quote of yours. Now, I did a bit of research on you, right hows to do with oh my guests? And I've read this quote. I really vibe with this. This is a really good one. And the quote is elite performance is a sum of all the micro moments. It's a craft and it's what
underpins the most special moments. Now, is that a quote from you?
It is? Actually?
Yeah, that is that is good good research.
I'll do I'll do my best I'll do my best work for people come on, and then it kind of goes downhill once again. A mine, No, but it kind of I guess gives you a bit of an idea the kind of personality you are. There's so many little things that probably happened in your life to lead you to where you are today. And yeah, we'll just jump into it. Because you're born in act. You're not a Melbourne man, not a ben.
Man, not a Melbourne man.
And thank you for that. Man, that's really kind of you. I think one of the first lessons I learned here in Melbourne. I was in the VFL and mate, you ain't this way vibe, but you will not have seen this stuff. I'm as old as dirt, right, And so what would happen is they would play curtain raisers yep, before the big dogs rolled out, right. So Richmond may be playing Essendon at the MCG and so there'll be a curtain raiser at like nine to thirty am, right,
like proper early. And you know, so this whole notion of kicking the jew off is legit, right, So you'd be drying the ground for when the big show started. And I remember one day I was walking across the MCG and one of our coaches was there and he said to me, he goes, you know, mate, he goes, I think you're a horrible Hayden Kennedy. Now, Hayden Kennedy was the games record holder, he was our coach. He's a legend. I have always just held Hayden on a pedestal.
He's a legend, right in what we do. He goes, you'll be a worse Darren Goldspink. So Darren goldspin compied are Besquilian Grand Finals and whatever. Right, he goes, you're a dog shit Matthew James, who was the it guy, right, and he goes, but you know, he goes on that you make a bloody good Ray Chamberlain. And it was really funny because this guy only observed me in like three or four games ever so early doors like I'm talking two thousand, you two thousand and But I remember
this conversation so vividly, like it resonated with me. The kind of thing what I kind of came to an understanding because I was only packed it in and went home. I trial, you're trying to make the AFL list. Missed out again, missed out on trialing again. I was like, you know what, shove it. I'm out. And my now wife said to me, you regret it, you regret stop being a silk.
Have another dig. You will regret this if you go now.
And it was midway through the following season that I got a phone call and got promoted onto the AFL. And the thing that resonated with me back then was, you know, if you're authentically who you are, You've got no evil to anyone, You're not trying to treat anyone poorly, You're not doing anything wrong per se, and you're just being authentically yourself and you fall short. I can live with that, that will be okay with me. But if you're trying to put yourself forward to something you just
it's just not who you are and you fail. I don't think. I don't think that would I would, It would be very restless.
I would. I would not forgive myself for that.
So I just I don't know when it stopped being cool to treat people well right and just for you right, like what is del buckleyy? Everyone else has taken right? So like, just just be yourself and I don't know any other way.
Mate, Yeah, and it's it is a crazy too. I mean, I don't think there's anyone that's ever done it even remotely close to what you do. Like you, you're very unique, and you've got such a good relationship I feel like with the industry itself and players and coaches and everyone else, and you're so well respected within the a f L. And it's it is a credit to you, and it's yeah, I look at it and at some point, I guess we're somewhat similar stories. That's probably really going after it.
That's a really good question a little bit, but yeah, I don't. I don't think you you grew up probably wanting to be an umpire because you originally were cricket players. What I've looked up, it's just true, did a little bit of a little bit of creen and you're a part of the national championship is what I actually read.
I love my cricket and I and it was something that I considered myself to be good at. I'm okay, I'm a wicket keeper and I could bat a little bit, and I loved the game and the sides I played in.
We won premierships and all that sort of stuff. When we weren't meant to.
So I played, uh well from a kid, but I played senior cricket for Tagronong in the in the act that's in.
Camera, mate, Ye don't ask me how to say that.
And we played against guys like so Brad Hadden who was a wicket keeper for Australia and is now a coach at the level. There were guys like there, there's a big West Indian guy I used to play. There's lots of names that won't resonate with you at all.
Right, we're nearly on. It was she really just tested my knowledge.
But it was really competitive, and we were all these young guys because we were out I think of south of the city and then go further south that like as far south as that's where I grew up, right and that, and so we were like in a nappy valley. So we're all these young guys and I remember the paper said, oh, you know they had us finishing last young, lots of potential too soon.
Sounds familiar, right, you heard this song and we won the camp, right, we won the camp and so you know that was off the back of lots of people contributing.
But I loved cricket and I played national championships and got offers to go and play in Sydney and overseas and stuff like that for little bits and bobs. But I wasn't ever going to be like elite. I wasn't that like you look at guys like I remember coming down and I played at Melbourne. I got invited down to play from a friend and I remember seeing Brad Hodge hit the cricket ball and it just sounds different, like they just like the guys who are the best, Yeah,
like they just do it different. Hads was the same. He'd hit a ball I need a seven nine hit, he like he'd hit a cricket ball, right, So the guys. I was never that level ever. But I was a good clubby right, and I loved it. But umpiring I got into by chance. So you know, this whole thing about six thousand umpires short and you know, like I was.
Going to ask you about that's fair, God keep going.
Well, we haven't discovered fire, because you know, twenty odd years ago when I umpired my first game by accident, I went down to watch my youngest brother play. So my mom and dad were a bit worried about him come and take an interest in him. So I went down to watch him play and no umpire turned up. Yeah, And so then the club president comes over and I'm
playing in the under eighteen's that day goes ray. If you umpire, the game will fill your cart with petrol, right, and we won't let anyone hang any shit on you, right, Like that's.
Literally it by college of us my crew.
So I can't see Marma. He's still giving me two twenty bucks for petrol. She's like yep. So I pocketed that a commerce and then I went back and I said, all right, nah, I'm in. And it got to halftime and this old skinny guy come over. His name's Bob Stacey, ripping human being. I learned more about umpiring in the three years that Bob was my coach and mentor. Then I've probably learned technically since he was just brilliant. This
man's huge loan, right, and he is incredible. And he says to me, oh, how long you how long you been doing this for? And I said forty five minutes? And he has no, no, not today, like like how long? I said, no, one I understood the question forty five minutes face like and he goes, you know, you can earn six figures part time doing this. And I think at the time, because I was in college, like I was in year eleven, I think.
I was working at Eagle Boys Pizza.
Shout out to Eagle Boys Pizza.
Let's go, mate, pink Pole.
So the bonus structure at Eagle Boys was how many garlic breads you could knock off in a shift drive.
That's so huge.
So six figures part time. I'm like, mate, I'm in. And I loved footy. I've always loved DFEL footy and I played two hundred and fifty games for my club. Guys like Aaron Hamil who is now coach at Carlton oh yeah yeah, and Craig Bolton who played for Brisbane and Sydney. Justin Bloomfield's a premiership player at Essendon. So these those lads were all in the same age group and they are a year younger than me. But that was sort of where I grew up. But I was
no good and they were awesome. So anyway, I ended up umpiring and I loved it, mate. I loved it because it's anyway. But the point being is that there was shortage of Umpires thirty years ago.
Yeah. Yeah, so it's been a consistent like headline for thirty years.
Have you. Yeah, And there's lots of reasons for that.
I think it's just the fear of not having someone like and there's always constant scrutiny around it where everyone goes, oh, well, you know, like we need get better in this when you get better in this, And the reason is because we don't have enough resources. We don't have this with that, you know, and it's like it's like an easy excuse maybe.
I think also like there's lots of inputs, there's lots of simple things we could do, I think to help it. But I know lots of people are genuinely invested in trying to help recruit, retain, and make empiring something that's more appealing to broader community, so you know what, all power to them.
Yeah, it's interesting. You've kind of died on a few things that we're going to talk about definitely, but we'll go back to So I guess you talked about it recently or sorry just a second ago about going and starting I guess a bit of school and then getting into umpiring and then from there having those kind of
mentors and everything else. Now, you're a man who's got a lot of experience in AFL, and you've had a lot of mentors along the way, and you're probably now on the other side of the spectrum where you're actually mentoring young kids along the way.
What is some of your best advice?
Because you've had a successful career and it's not even done, Like, yes, you're I need to actually ask you this.
How are you feeling? You've been injured, so I need to actually get an update here.
So I've gone through the sorry, off, the time, denial, denial, and I'll be fine, right, I'll be fine. Right, It's only a torn tendon in the hip, You'll be fine. I mean we've run a bit, but I'll be fine. To trying to rehab and realizing that potentially I won't be fine, so then anger, right, and then you know, you get your The office sook for a few days
and I'm at acceptance, acceptance, acceptance. So I've been I've done my rest, I've been in the gym, building the serena and and just trying to yeah, get the strength and everything back, and I tomorrow I'll do my fifth run back.
So I'm I'm where we're working back in towards the direction. You know what I do.
I love the game, as I said, and I have such incredible regard for those who you know, the coaches, the players, and the fans. I mean you know that yourself, Like last couple of years where we didn't have fans there, like it was a different.
Suck.
So I genuinely really highly value the game and everyone who's involved in it. And so yeah, I'm filthy when you watch these games that kicks after the sire and draws and rarah, and you're like.
It's the last ten games of ours.
There just watching on the couch, going man.
But but yeah, so I'll get there, I'll get back.
Yeah.
Well, with all the experience you have, what is what's some advice from maybe someone who's maybe listening, who doesn't quite know what they're going to do with her life, maybe doesn't have a thirty year plan. I mean obviously you're probably life in general. You weren't probably planning to be an mPire. You're probably you know, as a kid, wishing to be a cricket player and play for Australia and all that, and then maybe playing the AFL and then now you can't take a bit of a left turn.
You're kind of doing something different, Like what is your advice to someone who may be a bit lost in the sense of what their career is going to be going forward?
This is awesome.
And I was speaking to a young fellow only just last week actually and caught up with him and his parents. And I don't think you don't need to have a destination in mind.
Really.
I think it's great to be aspirational and have people that are your heroes. I love George Gregan. He played for the Wallabies, right, And this guy was just the most fierce competitor and he was a cricket out and he was from Canberra, right, So I love this dude, right, Yeah, absolutely, And then you know I so that's all cool, right, But I think what it's about is just trying to understand that being being happy, right, treating people well. So you know we all at different times, Mason are We're
givers and takers at different times, right. And there's this saying that I kind of like, which is, you know, takers eat better, but give us sleep better, right, And I think if you can just go, I'm not here to be interesting. I'm actually wanting to be interested. Yeah, that's really hard, and I think I've learned some of this stuff since being a dad. To be air right, Well, you know, we get caught up, and I'll be doing this today because it's the nature of what we're doing, right.
I will listen to your question and my intentions to respond, right, But when you're a dad, you actually you need to listen to hear them. Yeah, is actually more important. So then when you come back to your question, young person not sure what they want to be, you don't need to know the outcome. And you can have dreams and goals and aspirations and all that bullshit, but really what it is just bringing the best version of yourself every day feet hit the ground and the world goes. Look out,
old mates into it, and enjoy your life. So treat people well, find the joy, right, and then follow your nose and I just you know, we're learning all the time. My mum is a great example. Hey, we love moms on the show, right, my mum's a great example of the answer to this question, or just trying to give an illustration as to what I'm trying to say. Right, my mom went to typing school mate, right, I still give a shit about that before Patricia Elle and Chamberlain.
Do you realize you're that old? You typing school Raymond John? Right? It's madness, right. So the point being is the world.
Just evolves so rapidly, right, and all.
These different bits and pieces, and you're zigging and zagging. So you were learning nothing's done every day as a school day, all that gear, right, So don't fret about the outcome, right, Immerse yourself in what you're doing by all means, as I said, have aspirations and goals.
But immerse yourself in the day and the people you're with.
That's sharing the experience with those such a massive part of like actually being happy.
I feel like totally and I don't want to get all number stay on people or whatever, but it is it's like, don't worry about where you land, right, it's that whole travel piece and you know, winning and losing together, the cool, the results whatever. I can think of some of our games where we've come up. I remember coming off a game with the SCG, I thought we were
going to get the crap beat out of it. So well so the security guards there I've known since I was a kid, right, because I was doing with the security those tight right, so AFL reserves and that and that I'd always you get the AFL would bring out these the broadcasters have a tie every year, that have a broadcaster's tie, and I'd get one, and I'd always give it to the security guard. He loved it, and he still looks after me today, this bloke, he's a
legend in city. Anyway, we do this game and there'd been an error and this is back before your time. There's only one boundary on pire on each side, right, so those boys had to shammer mate and if the ball got rebounded out of deep fifty, there's no way they could see it on the half of a flank, like it's physically impossible.
And this ball on the replay it looked like the ball almost hit the fence. It was that far out right, and got the goal. Results on.
Now they're up by two points because fans are cutting losing it anyway, Essendon win and we're like Jesus, now I'm in the field, so I'm washing my hands clear of this.
Has got nothing to do with me.
Right, We're about to make our way off and you've got to walk through the crowd in Sydney, right, and the security guards.
Come barreling out. Now they don't normally do that.
They meet us about five meters off the ground and he's come running out Jesus and he just looked at me.
He goes, keep your mouth shut and your head down.
Right.
Wow.
Anyway, it was a pretty ordinary reception this day, right, But we still talk about that night. Yeah, Like Scott McLaren and Chris Donlin and myself we were the three umpires right as forever ago. But I remember that like it was last night. So it wasn't a great night for it.
Off the field, no, no, we walked off yeah, I would have been dead spread, no chance.
Yeah, it wasn't great.
And I remember I learned a lot because so we were the embryos, right and Scottie he was like the old boy who was responsible. Now, it had nothing to do with him that because it was a boundary on pire. Yeah, but he knew he was going to be held accountable. Boy our coaches that things didn't go the way they're meant to, right. He was so flat after the game because we had this umpiring issue, right, And I learned
the responsibility actually that is accompanied in the role. Up until that, I thought it was really cool to be doing these games. I didn't realize for the big dogs back and ending of it, what comes with it, right, because I'm still too knew to understand. So even in the losses, you've got these great stories and memories.
And it's because of the people that you're with.
So really, mate, that's a long way for us getting to answer your question, but quite frankly that you get on with your day.
It's about the people you were with and the experiences you have, memories you create, agreed numbers. Correct, we'll go back to your university. Now your teacher pastel are in teaching?
Is that right?
Now?
I feel like teaching and the way a lot of people know you as you Someone might have a crack at you and you kind of go, oh, that's inappropriate. Now it puts you to know, don't say those kind of words. We're not about that. You know, like very you like a teacher two players. I feel like sometimes there's a bit on that. Now, what lessons have you learned in teaching that you apply to your life now? Because teaching is something that we I think undervalue as
a society. Teachers have the hardest job that you will ever find anyone else in this world.
To have you spent four years doing your bachelor of education, right, come out, you get a job. If you're any good, they load up with every other responsibility that you can think of because they're so underresourced. Right, this is within the system. And then so what happens then the very last thing that you get to is actually the pedagogy, right,
the science of teaching and learning. It's the last You don't even get to it because you're doing every other thing within the system and your three steps from the door, and it's like, what lesson is this?
Who's here? What are we doing today? And I feel on that really hard to actually accept. I was actually I.
Meant to be engaging with each of these individuals and understanding them and then conveying things in a way that you understand versus they understand versus. And I'm not doing any of that because I'm doing administering all these other programs and whatever, right, So that I found that really really quite frustrating.
So, yeah, teaching is a challenge.
What I mean, I think one of the cool things like if I talk to you in a certain and we've got an issue to discuss or whatever. I can talk in a certain way. But if I'm talking with Dustin Martin as an example, it will be far more succinct and it'll be just move on, right, versus if I talk to somebody over here where they don't even want to be spoken to.
So you've taken personalities of players before you tike to on.
So you absolutely understand that you've got to have the whole golf set right.
You can't just bring a driver to everyone every event.
You know, maybe just laying up with a seven, I'll be fine, right, And that's the craft of what we do. So it's not necessarily an athletic event that we do. It's not I don't think it's a young dude's game at the elite level. Actually, yeah, because you haven't learned enough, failed enough as a human rights life experiences drying and go. Actually, and so as much as you want to, I think
you're challenged. It's challenging to have the empathy that's required and then also understanding, well, yeah, that's fine, but this is my.
Job, especially in the heat of the moment.
So the other part to it is we're in a really weird time, right, where we want everything to be perfect and see that you know it's got to be right or wrong. Well, that's actual, that's not what happens in our game, mate, But we're dealing in things like reasonable time, prior opportunity, genuine attempt. So it's subjective in nature, right the AFL right, drop it. This is where you got to You got to just get just sip on the tea for sip on the tea.
For a minute and just consider this.
Right.
So one hundred thousand at the g right, you're taking hangers against the tigers and it's going nuts, right, and there's a tackle on center wing. Okay, one hundred thousand people, they're fifty right, and fifty thousand go back, and then this little dude in the green shirt goes play on right, and then one hundred thousand people Mason come together and they agree on one thing.
I don't know what I'm doing, But.
Then they talk about it all week, and it's TV shows and it's coffees and it's newspapers and it's podcasts. Right, And that's actually the beauty of the game, mate, So it's not a black and white game. You want that, go to the tennis, they'll have a seat, lots.
Of empty seats.
Okay, I'll tell you right, boring, you.
Can do that if that's your stick.
But that's not what we're trade in here, Okay, Right, and so, and the whole game itself is predicated around this ambiguity but also this management. So we run around with this whole idea that we've got to be right all the time, just get it right. And they're different, they're different, Yeah, and we have trouble with that. We have trouble selling that, and we have trouble understanding that. I think, yeah, And I think that's where we get some of the the fights.
Yeah, Because I've always had a thing with IFL is very there is a lot of ambiguity around stuff, and rules change every year, which is a wild thing to say about a sport. It's like it might be that one year, might not be. You were telling me a story about bouncing the ball in the middle of the games, not in the center bounce, and I was just like, oh, that actually happened.
I had no idea sorted out.
Which people are wondering whether bounces are going to be in the IFL in five years and it was like that was everywhere. So it is changing quite a bit, but we all dive into more of you on piring because I've got you here and I can talk to you forever, to be honest.
But all fast forward a bit.
Now you have done what is probably some of my supporters have remembered and one of the most unique experiences has ever happened.
A Grand Final rematch. Yes, now can you talk to that day?
Maybe some like smaller stories that happened kind of in there of that, maybe some people don't know about. That was just because that day is iconic and not just for that fan of Saint Kilda and Collingwood and all that. But I think just as for the sport itself, to have a Grand Final rematch is something that's just you'll never maybe see again.
No you won't. They've changed the rules, so they won't. They'll finish it on that day no matter what overtime blah blah blah.
They might change it.
I reckon they won't.
There's a couple of really cool things, and I've got to say I was blessed in that the support that I had with my colleagues, so I had two of our umpires who apart from being fabulous umpires like in what we do, they're our greats. Okay, they're ripping humans and they're different. They're different guys. They're really smart there that they and they're bloody brilliant at what they do, and so they they I knew I was so well
protected and surrounded, right. So I'm forever indebted to Sean Ryan and Brett Rosebery in terms of how they treated me for the whole week and then and then the.
Ensuing week because it's massive.
It's a different experience.
It's massive.
You get hundreds of text messages and there's media, and there's training eventually, and then there's buddy parades and all this stuff that you've never done before and you're naked, mate, Like Friday, I got home from the Grand Final parade whole war was knackered, mate.
When I said to my honestly, we'll pick this up.
Right.
So it's a huge week and so they did all the heavy lifting, Sean and Brett, and I just had to try and manage myself. So I owe them massively. But a couple of really I think interesting stories. Well, certainly for us, we had not had a draw yeah. I remember at the end, Nick Maxwell and Nick Reewelt were here and Nickreewelt said to me, what happens now out right? And I said, well, if that's if that's accurate,
we have to come back next week, jees. So he dropped a few, so he gave me some feedback, the big fella. And then I remember we're walking off and Adrian Anderson was walking onto the ground with Peter Material and they were going to present the Norm Smith Medal for the best player on the ground. And Adrian's a really disciplined, straight, you know workface bang right, and he's walking on and obviously realizes it's they're going to sell it out again next week. You know stuff. I ever
heard him swear? Right, He's like, great job. And I said the boys, I said, I reckon, we're sweet for next week.
Another braain, let's do it again.
But we come off the ground and like normally, what happens is there's a bath and it's full of you know, champagne and all that, right, and that quickly got emptied, right, and all the hierarchy came in and like very much, get ready for it, well done, pull your heads in, get ready for next week, You've got a week to go, and like we have all like you guys, do you know, we have our silly Sundays and all those sorts of things.
And you've bought the outfit and you.
Couldn't go, couldn't go right, So all of those things spilled out of it.
I remember different different parts of the game.
I remember going out there and Brett took the first bounce and they said just get it in an end zone and just get into the vibe of the game. Relax, you know, and Darren Jolly kicks a goal twenty three seconds in. I'm standing in the middle of the MCG with go up straight, you mustard right.
So that was that was cool, and I just remember how hot it was.
So you know, your umpire back then, the way you got appointed to games was different to now. So if you're going well, you got the bigger games, yeah, deemed the.
More high profile games Friday, Friday.
Night, Saturday night.
And so for the last eight weeks of the season, I umpired at nighttime in Melbourne every week. So it's like four degrees, right, different Grand Final day it's twenty six degrees. I just remember, and I could run, right, I remember going She's hot. So it was just all those little nuances. I remember seeing the screen at one stage and there's they've cut Eric Banner and Michael Klymm.
Go geez, all the big dogs are in town, you know.
So it was it was a really unique experience and I got to say, yeah, one of the coolest, so of the coolest two weeks of my sporting career for sure. Do you know how many guys and at this stage it's only been men in the field. Do you know how many umpires in one hundred eighty years have unpied an AFL Grand Final as a field umpire, So one hundred eighty years of foot year, it's like a sta
yeah years, that's unpacket's hundred eighty years. So you've got one umpire for a while, and then they went to two and for like twenty five or plus years. It might be longer than that, might be closer to thirty. Actually now we've had three in the field. So one hundred and eighty years, how many people have had the opportunity to umpire an AFL Grand Final? Like one fifty less than sixty what less than sixty fifty? Yeah, one hundred percent in the field, right, so they don't just
hand these out. Yeah, Like people always go, oh, you're doing the Grand Final.
This year, mate, walk through this with me.
I know.
So it's really hard. It's a special club to be afforded the chance. And so yeah too, Like I've did two in one year, which was super cool. And I've sat on the bench three times. That's the worst seat in the world, the first loser. And then I got to do another one in twenty and nineteen. So to be involved six times and three times on the field. Yeah, it's just it's just the best.
It's cool.
I were in twenty eighteen. Sorry, yeah, twenty eighteen and replayed. I walked out on the ground before the game and you were there and you were filthy. You were not you were not in a good meet this trap to be there. You were right to be there, but I mean, like you wanted to be on the field. You were the subset of the day. And I was like, I remember talking and you were just like I was like happy, excited about the Grand Final, like just locked in.
You're like, oh, I just want to be on fire in to day.
And the hardest thing about it is that the three people who have the spot that you have jealously want to be in.
Yeah, the mates, oh exactly, and you were trained with them all the time, all the.
Time, right, and like those three people who unpighted in that game, we don't pied together. And we've known each other since we're like in our early twenties. Yeah, we've gone out to get weddings and birthdays and children being born and all that stuff.
So they're your.
Mates, right, and you only want them to succeed because the group is being represented by and the game is being represented by those three people on the field at that time, and we all just we're just waiting to exhale, right, we don't win, all lose, right, we don't want to breathe out and be able to get on with life. Right, So you want them to do super well. But at the same time, you've got this thing where you go.
Man that client, come on, you know.
So yeah, one hundred percent and what a great game, Like I know you guys would be a result whatever, but brilliant match and like incredible day.
Would you have called it?
I got a better idea first quarter? First quarter when Langdon didn't want to rush the ball, would have you rushed it.
Remember that, because there's there's two hours. We can go back to any moment you want. It's a foot off the line. You just got to rush for all of us.
It's just implanted in my head.
Okay on grand finals though, because as players, I didn't understand this when I first went to a grandfather and people told me, I said, oh, grandfather was unpired totally different. Now I didn't get it. I didn't. I didn't think I, Oh, you know, it's a game. Everyone does the same thing. You know, you get umpired the same way you would on a regular match day, and it is umpired differently. Now I want to ask you why, why is that? Out of curiousity and a fan of it, I'll answer
that openly and honestly. But I'm going to start with a question. So you've made it, you've made an assertion. You've said that it's umpired differently.
Yeah.
Right, So I'm going to say, how, tell me how in your eyes? Right, because this is cool you've played in them. Yeah, how is it unpied different?
It is not. It's not ticky tack. It is loose.
It is that can be too many high tackles or holding the balls or holding the man or anything like that.
It is just play on and just it is. It's really just an arm wrestle.
I feel like at times trying to get like the ball, are trying to get pass the one whoever it is, because you realize that like you're not going to get you really have to actually get a disposal off and do it correctly because.
It's no gifts. There's no gifts.
Catching kid, that's fine. I would so I get that. I understand where you're coming from with that. I'd ask you to consider this, right, So, of the twenty four players that took the field in twenty eighteen, yep, for you guys, were they you're considered your best twenty four players.
That we had available. I'd so, yeah, yeah, it'd have to be.
Yeah.
Great.
So we have thirty four umpires on our list. Yeah, some have just debuted, some of umpired four hundred and fifty games, right, So we've whittled them down, and there are three left standing.
Four four.
Well, I've been there three times, no, and I was I was sitting, was standing. There are three left standing, trust me, right, and.
And they are the best. They are the best, And.
That doesn't make them infallible. We're human and we will make errors, etc. But they are pretty damn good and have demonstrated at it. At that time they are flying, and so what happens is everything gels right.
So on field you'll.
Have system at structure, at stoppage and behind the ball, and when you turn it over you know you know where you've got to fall back to and what you've got to do and whatever we have same, we've got system and structure, and what happens for you. If someone doesn't fall back and do their job in the matter in which they are meant to, you get picked apart.
You can see to goal right.
If we don't have somebody doing what they're meant to do, we get picked apart, and free kicker error occurs, and set kick control is a cock up, and there's a miss fifty or a fifty paid that shouldn't have been or whatever's things start to just you start picking at the pulling it and next thing go a big hole in your jump. Right, it's the same thing, but what you've got is the three best. They do everything right, and it's not sexy talk. It's just disciplined every time
getting it right. And you know they're going to do it. You don't even have to look. So why do we umpire differently? We don't.
We've just got three dudes who are killing it.
Yeah, right with the best players who aren't prepared to take the piss because games are so tight. I'm not going to be the dude that does something with ill discipline cost fifty costs a goal and we get twidded by a point.
I can't live with myself. I'm not doing it.
So it's all these inputs that result in the overall product. It's not done differently, mate, it's just done well. It's a good way to put it, very good way to put it.
I ask this because there's you're told abally the three and you have to have gel between three people, and that do you kind of travel as umpire as as groups?
We do? Yeah?
Like?
And is there kind of like some that you guess.
Like are more experienced with each other therefore they kind of travel more often together, if that makes sense? Because I remember back to COVID days and this is probably where I really gained I think an enormous amount of respect for empires because you never really think of all the I guess things people give up to do their job.
And then whenever that happened and the world's got turned upside down, you realize, like everyone gave up everything to do this career of AFL and to go and travel the world or travel the country and do all the
quarantine everything else. I remember being in quarantine Perth, and I remember like traveling on planes with you guys, and you're doing hotels with you guys and everything else, and it was like these guys are doing the exact guys and girls are doing the exact same that we're having to do and don't get like the you know.
The praise and the glory and all this other stuff.
Like they just get bashed like twenty four to seven, and they're doing all the same, Like you know, they're giving up as much as we are.
Yeah, and they're having to travel around.
All these crazy things, and these governments are making everyone do and it's not even like reported on and it's like this is just expected from the IFL.
Otherwise we wouldn't be able to play a game.
There was a game where the three umpires flew in on a charter to Adelaide, and this is when.
Things were really on the move.
And we'd all been essentially in New South Wales and then they dispersed us to Queensland Perth. Right, depending on the different border issues. Anyway, two of the three I think, but certainly at least two, if not all three, had been in New South Wales within a certain time period, which meant South Australia wouldn't let him in.
So they've arrived, they've landed.
And the coppers are there and they've gone they can do bro and you're gonna go to the hotel for two weeks and park yourself there?
What now?
Fortunately one of them was a barrister and he goes, I don't think that's how it's going to unfold. A conversation ensued anyway, So they weren't going umpire the game and off they can get back on a plane. They went back to the Gold Coast, right, but they weren't going to So now we've got no umpires there.
So phones are going berserk.
Right, dudes are on the golf course where and they're looking for people who have not been in Sydney in the last fourteen days?
Right, and again they go get to.
The airport now, so dudes are just grabbing their staff hoofing it to the airport.
They've got a private jet private cannot make yourself huge, hoof it in land. They're in their kit.
There's no change of clothes whatever. They are ready to roll into the car. Copper's wolf them to the ground. Everyone's out there warming up the broadcast as a talk and Mark Raschudo has got his thing gun whatever, right, and then like two minutes before they're meant to start the game, these umpires come barreling out the barreling out the race and start paying away to go right.
So it was just madness. It was madness.
And you know, in the two seasons that we had in twenty twenty one, and I'm only representative of everyone else on the list. I'm not special, right, I spent eight months out of my house. Yeah, like so, and you know, you've got a young one and a wife, and you've got a small business that you're trying to run and all those things, and we're all impacted differently, we're everyone globally. It's a pandemic, right, But yeah, it
was pretty full on. Our group knew that it was so important that we fronted because it's not about us. But unfortunately, if we don't lob there's no game, doesn't happen and that I remember initial conversations and there was all this concern about, you know, because we didn't know about anything to.
Get paid, you know, how we're going to see our family, what will happen.
But we just had to have faith that the AFL would do everything they could to support us. I remember having this conversation with the group at some point we actually just need to put our faith in that we're going to get treated the right way, and we were and we were in space right. So I will look back on it if it's a twenty chapter book right that twenty twenty and twenty twenty one, they will probably be the best read to hold that.
Yeah, because you had the Wirbnb with a few other umpires the release of that.
I remember how we had.
A Scarborough beach pad for a period of time. It was it was like I think Kanya had been there, like it was pretty good, and that was that was just a lucky sort of thing, but the best you know, and you know, hanging with hanging with your colleagues and actually hearing about and meeting their families and all those things. When they came in for a period. So true, it was really cool, Like it was a unique experience out of the twenty year chapter twenty chapter career. Yeah, so
it was. It was full on, but I got to be honest, I really loved it.
Yeah.
I think one of the coolest things. Like we because we were up in twin widers and we had two other teams that are always up there with us, and like you talk about all the other families, like everyone's kids became friends and they're like you go playing against these guys on the weekend. You know, I don't really know each other because like you just kind of maybe you played against each other growing up whoever it is.
But like you actually really got to know like people and their families and like hung out together and stuff like that, which is really cool, Like that doesn't really happen anywhere else or any other experience.
And I remember, I remember, so all the families come from a period, right, And that was a bit controversial on that going to quarantine and there was all the a f L and a few of the officials that have to come up, and I remember going, Okay, who do I know? It probably really matters, and like so I took I would get on their LinkedIn page or whatever and takes screenshot and sent them to my wife and go show some respect across this person, just to
say hello, right, for God's sake. But no, as I said, you know, we were looked after incredibly well. And we always you will have issues that bob up along the way and you can have it, be a bit aggrieved about something or whatever, but in a time that was you know, really no one Jesus right, we were looked after brilliantly.
Yeah, you talk about that with the AFL, And I guess the connection between the umpires and the AFL because you're very religant on them, they're religing on you. It's
a very very mutual I guess respect in that sense. Now, whenever it comes to I guess like reviewing games like AFL and yourself, like let's say AFI wants to adjudicate something now or a change a rule or whatever it may be, or look at things in a different light, like I mean, obviously we'll probably dabble on it because there's obviously quite I guess Top Court the MoMA is guinea and had high tackles and all that, But how is the I guess, like the stream of communication come
from the AFL to umpires to I guess, change things when you need to change it or adjudicate things in different ways whenever they come.
Up without getting too forensic, if a rule is going to be changed, not an interpretation that's been an actual rule, it's going to come from the commission.
Yeah, so they have to sign off on all of that.
Okay, so there's due process there, and of course you've got the executive and then Brad Scott and his team in that part is a streamline there, and then they'll be having conversations driven by data, coaches, players, association.
Right, all of that stuff's getting thrown around.
And then ultimately what will happen is there'll be a direction that will be afforded to the umpiring department. YEP, this is what we're seeking, this is why, this is what underpins it, this is what we're trying to change. These are the reasons for the change rather right, and so then we will get taken along on that journey with examples, questions, all really important stuff when you're trying to contextualize this amendment that you're not going to get
two exact examples. They might be similar, but no two are exactly the same, and we have to and then make the right call. Right, So you need to understand it to a depth.
That will allow you to do that.
So there's a lot of that, but we get to see a whole heap of vision, multiple examples plenty. As I said, all this debate and not as though we're going to change anything. That's not what it's about. It's about making sure that cemented in our head what am I looking for? Yeah, and why so that we're very well supported in that sense and ultimately our responsibility. So I'd say to people of the time, my opportunity to have a like, to have choice around decision making is at its highest when.
I'm ordering off the room surface menu.
Right, Like, we're told, Hey, these are the rules, these are the interpretations, this is what we want, you want to get picked, this is what you need to do.
Right, So I need to park.
Whatever individual view of the game I may have, which will be different to yours and the person at the coffee shop. Right, my job is to implement the instructions in accordance with what I've been given. Yeah, yeah, your extension of the end of and so park your fan hat and do your job. And that's that's actually really challenging, right because we're all passionate about it. We can't get involved in an elite level if you don't have a passion
for it. No, exactly, you won't survive because it sucks. It where's you're down and you're at right. So we're all passionately involved, and so then you've got to park whatever emotional attachment you might have to something and go, what's my job here. I'm supposed to deliver on this. That's what I'm here to do. So that's that's part of the lens through which umpires view the game.
Yeah, yeah, it's going to be such a tough thing to to be. I guess like someone else's voice in a sense, like very much probably makes sense the ifl's voice on what is the rules of the game? I get there's stuff to say, like a paperwork of for like you know, this is this rule, this is this rule, But like you're the one in the pressure of the moment that's actually adjudicating and making those rules actually stand
up correct. And I feel like that that bit's actually just as hard as actually making rules and understand like changing everything else like that. I feel like it's almost the hardest thing is to actually be the conduit of the AFL and the players to say this is how the game's going to be played.
And I think it's actually, really I've not had it. I don't think it's been I've never been in a conversation with someone who's articulated in that way, and I think it's a really I think it's brilliantly articulated and it's exactly what we do. And one thing that's changed in my twenty years involvement is this understanding and acceptance from the industry that a couple of things. One is
that umpires will make a mistake. So if they've cocked one up, that's not the rule or the interpretation they they were a human being, like you miss a target, you double clutch a mark, whatever, right, you make mistakes. And then there's the other bit where the game, the industry media even I think are much more empathetic around this, where they go, actually, no, that's what they're being asked to do. They don't pile on umpiring so much. They'll
talk more in reference to the individualize the person. And I think that's awesome. I think that's been the good progression and an understanding that hey, like you've intimated, you're just you're just a conduit. So it's not don't blame here. If you've got a problem with the rule, go upstream. If there's a problem with the implementation, then yeah, that's on the individual. Yeah, you make an error. It's a what is it? It's a wins and losses industries right
where they're saying right, get it right or get out. Yeah, So you know, that's that's part of the challenge because I feel like people don't realize that.
I guess umpires are kind of they're similar in the sense of like to players, as like you are reviewed every week and like if you're not going well, like you get dropped and then you get moved up if you are going well, And like it's kind of weird because I think the AFI makes it seem as empires are supposed to be in the background. They're not supposed
to be seen. Really, they're not really supposed to be part of necessarily like the highlights package every day, you know, like they want them to just you know, maneuver things to make sure all works out. Everyone understands they're in the same place, in the right places at the right time, telling them in direction what they need to do, but they don't want them to be in front of like the camera per se. Yep, and I'll talk back to a you did make a highlight recently?
This is this is a few a few years ago now, an eron ball.
Let's just say it was kicked and this is a very iconic moment of your career. Probably not something you want to have in your highlights.
But.
Let's say it hit your package. Let's just say that for your highlights package of all.
If you know, someone kicks it offside and hits you in the package and you just you just take it, like some people would just go you kidding me, like this ridiculous full of you just take it strong, and you're like, there's the first time probably I realized what this meant, and that means I'm bold, And that was yeah, I'm out. Whatever it was, you know, ten outs, whatever the hell isn't that's right? And I couldn't stop but laughing. I think it was such like an iconic moment that
just described you so well. I was like, this man just gets on with it. He just is himself, has a laugh, it joys life and just moves on.
That can come at me like a trace trable. So he's monk.
I never apologized.
I really didn't do it on purpose. He doesn't know me an apology at all.
And he's bollyed this thing and it's come out of it like a cannon and I couldn't go under it.
I couldn't go over it. I'm like, oh man, and it hit me.
And so you carry your spare whistle like a pocket inside like like where you put your keys and a bruise.
I got hit my crick.
And you know, the crowd went nuts and they loved it. Right, We were never happier and I just about that went that's out right, and they lost it. But I think again, right, this is again coming down to understanding, like what's there to fred about?
Yeah, like it's.
Okay next, you know so, but a bit of fun.
Now we'll move into well, actually we'll finish this foot each chatter off because a lot of people obviously it's very top author the moment, and I won't go to in depth into because I want to get you in trouble by any means, but I want to get your take.
On high tackling at the moment.
It's a lot of a lot of media around it, a lot of media I'd like to get I guess your take on the ruling that is, and what's being told from the umpire's side of things, if that makes sense. Yeah.
Absolutely.
I spoke about this publicly last week on a different like on a radio thing I do. So that's not a problem. So what's really important to understand this is what's underpinning it is actually care, a duty of care for the players holistically across the entire competition. Right, So what fundamentally underpins the laws of Australian rules football, And it's in the very first page of the role of
the Umpire. Okay, And I know how much you've read the law book Huge Fano, cover to cover, baby, and it talks about the role of the umpire and one of is there's sort of three key factors in particular, and one of them is to ensure that the game is played in a fair and safe manner. Okay, So protection of the ball player is paramount. That is still
the same. But the problem is, right that broadly across the competition, this doesn't relate to one player right across the competition, and I'm going to bang bang bang any game you like, any club you like, I can show you examples the game and by extent talking about players are taken the PI double five with the laws of the game to induce free kick because as you know, set shot and goal inside forward fifty in particular, that's king, it's so hard, so you can get a free kick
tick right, you buy farms, guys are take contestant market inside fifty by farms, right, So I understand what drives that behavior. That's okay, right, But then the extension of it, if you pull back for a moment, is that factions and those behaviors are inducing the very thing that we're trying to minimize and remove. So at some point, so let's say, when you're raising a child, or even if for those without children, you've got a dog and you're
training the dog. Right, if you reward shitty behavior, what do you get? Same, you get more shitty behavior made right. So it's the same with this whole unpouring piece. Right, there's a carrot there being dangled out. You'll keep doing it. Got to remove it. So nah had a gupfull not happening anymore. Play actually win the football so that the people will get in these freeze. That's the first thing they're getting the ball first, tick the box right now, run carry handball kick what play?
Not secure ball?
Feign defender, lower tilt, hook arm, look for high contact. No, no, no, don't do that play. That's I think if we're trying to capture it, that's how I would articulate it.
So it is to ensure that.
You can protect the players. And what happens with you, guys, because you are brave to a point where you need protecting from yourselves. You're mad, You're bloody mad, right, and I've got the most incredible respect, Holy shit, but what do you do in son?
Right?
You need to be protected from yourselves at times, and this is one of those moments. And we've had it with contact below the knees, right, go back a few years. You'd slide in and like Rugby, clear the ruck. We'll knock them out. Teammate come in, right, needed protecting from yourself. You rule, can't slide in feet and boots first, canniball behavior, right, you need protecting from yourselves. And I truly believe, and
this is just my opinion. That's in a in a nutshell, what's trying to be undertaken here.
It's a tough thing to I guess, try to to be correct on It's very hard.
I've never got a high tackle in my life, so by the worst person to ask, to be honest, but it is.
There's a few. There's a few key because someone's.
Getting the high tackle.
If it's me, you're getting a heart tagle with someone else like they're jumping of of their standards. But yeah, it is such an interesting thing. It's great to hear your your side of it because I feel like you do articulate very well. I guess the we've talked about being the voice of the i FL and how to adjudicate rules, and it's it's not an easy thing to do. It's not an easy thing to do, but we'll move
into it. I want to I want to pump up what you're doing right now because you've got so much going on outside of football.
Now.
You've got your founder and director of the Chamberlain and Co Mortgage broken services.
That's true. Yeah, so that's that's keeps me off the main streets.
Because every armpire has got a side gig.
Yeah, well we all we all are either studying or working.
And you've started your own company, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, And so that was that's eighteen years now and I've been undertaking this and got a really awesome team so that I get in their way.
Like the more I'm away, the better they go.
So my job is really to resource them effectively and then allow them to be the best they can be.
So I got a great team there. And the thing I like.
About it is you get to advocate for people. So like we write, we look at budget and how many lanes we've got to write and what our volume's got to be and what that equals, and right, really sort of just clunky ears with running business, Right, But what you're doing is like this person's able to take their kids to Disneyland, or this lady is able to buy her daughter her first car, or there's always that under all of these things. I love those stories and I
love helping people obtain that, yeah, reach their goals. It's so cool, right, So that that's the thing that that actually gets me fired up Monday through Friday with that Yeah, yeah.
And you shout out to the website, Yeah, we'll get.
No, no, no, that's fine. Chamberlain and Co dot Com get on it and yeah, reach out.
And they can help you out with everything you possibly Well, you won't speak to me.
Its chill out, all right, it won't get to me. There's a front line there. I don't see that it gets It gets filtered before it gets to make mote.
That's so good.
The other thing you're doing Chamberlain Foundation, Now I love this because this is something that you're passionate about.
I've known you've done this for a while.
And it raises funds to revide support for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Now can you speak a bit to that because I feel like that's something that in today's society is so so so important.
Yeah.
So this this goes back six years now. And I remember, so I grew up in Canberra with my brothers and they still reside in Canberra and they've got families and business and jobs and all that sort of stuff. And I would ring them and it'd be have you have you spoken to mom this week? Who's paying for Christmas?
That kind of gear?
And that was okay when I first left home, but it got to a point was like, hey, mate, who are you again? What have you got that role? Right? So I thought I wouldn't it be cool if we all did something there was a bit challenging and fun together and the boys went, no, that's as actually, let's do that.
And then life gets busy.
And I was driving home one night down the Pena Highway and I was getting towards Southland and the phone rang. It was my brother, and I started giving him a bit of stick, you know, as you do, and then I realized he was actually quite upset, and he was emotional and he said, he said, Robbie took his own life. And I remember thinking he was referencing my cousin and my best mate and my best man. But that's rob and he said Robbie. So he was talking about his
best mate. And so now I'm feeling better, which was weird. Yeah, And Robbie left behind two young kids and a whole range of stuff. Now it's not we're not special, Sadly, sadly, we're not special, like you know, this is this is out there. Everyone's got a story around this, which is kind of the point. But if nothing else, Robbie's passing put a rocket up us and it gave us a purpose, so that really narrowed our our scope in what we're
going to do. And so we created our foundation and it's you know, it's legit, no one and by the way, everyone who runs it is a volunteer. No one takes ano that out of it fully like deductible gift recipient
ordered the whole bag. So that's super good. And we've been able to you know, raise and then move on nearly four hundred grand, which is good, right, that must be feel great about it, right, And we get to fund programs that support and where we like to really channel into our return servicemen and women and our first responders. Whenever things go to the ship, we're looking at them, right, And yet I feel yeah, and I feel like they're probably not as rewarded or as supported as they really
deserve to be. So our most recent donation was to the Police Association of Victoria, which was all around stuff pertaining to PTSD resources and training for their graduates. So that's really cool. But that's what we do. So we run events, we do things. Our first event was Boots in the Water in Burmaghuey, which is on the New south West South Coast, I know you know the Burma guy. Well mate, and then hike to the top of Meta Posiosco.
Oh yeah, So those are the sorts of things we do.
These we do these bike tours, we have luncheons and all that sort of stuff.
So that's what we do.
And we've got my others and we've got two sisters who have formed the board for the most part of the time. This people have come and gome like we get accountant and all that type of stuff that represent and a cyst. But really the the legends are actually like our tribe the kind of lunch every year and participate and like they're the ones who drive it and they're the reason why we're able to donate the money that we do and do the things that we do.
So they're the ones who make it cool.
Yeah, get you linked up with the charity I do call the Life Changer. Okay, life change, I'm telling you and checking them out. But that's awesome. Seriously, Now, I love the people that look beyond themselves. Look beyond and it's it's a classic kind of quote. I'm probably going to butcher this, but it's plant the seeds for trees for trees you'll never never sit in the shade of correct and it's such just that.
But that was the moment.
But no, it's so true that people that have the mindset to be able to look past their lifetime, to be able to to ate a better future for someone else down the road, and to help people out that are outside of their inner circle. It's a credit to you, mate, It's an absolute credit to you.
Well, now, thank you. It helped me though, if I'm really honest, you know, like so, I I'd love on pie, I love footy, but I had I had a tough time myself with just dealing with all this sort of media staff and whatever, which I embraced. Now I'm like, right, you can't take the cordill out the water, right, I'm into this.
There's no way I can dampen it or whatever. But I didn't.
I actually tried not to be part of any of it. And I remember being I'm not going to say bullied, because that's the wrong word, but I was strongly encouraged. Okay, right, pushed the direction right to do an interview with Triple M and they were really cool to me, Okay they were, and BT and James Brayshaw and carry lyon and all that demail on that, and I dropped a silly line that they found humorous, and I suggested that potentially the Dingo had taken the wrong Chamberlain.
Right, so I don't know with you, so and so then they were wush.
And that was in two thousand and seven, right, And so then that alls, and that all this rais of stuff had been happening. And anyway, I got injured and I had to have surgery and they and it didn't go great, and so then I reinjured. I put my kneecup in half in a game colling Wood Cartlein mcg and so I was like, okay, you're cooked. And again I lose his corner. Right, So I took the family where Jeff Geieshon was our boss. He goes, listen, get out of the country, going go somewhere, which was so
kind of Jeff. Right, he's a ripping human being, he really cares. He's such a nice man. And so we went to Hawaii because I was the only place you'd gather. It was a bank drop of a hat, and we loved it. And I read this book Robbie McEwen. I got I got told read this book. It's a great autobiograph. I'm going to mate. It's about a dude in Liker on a bike. Like, how exciting going to be such a good read?
Right?
And in it he had a Poteller tendernopathy injury that rocked his career. His was a little more dramatic than mine. Came around a blind corner and smashed his knee into a concrete pylon.
Right.
And what smacked me in my fat head Mason, was that this book, this autobiography, his challenge, his injury challenge.
It was one.
Chapter, small bar of his whole fucking book, mate, Right. And so what I realized was like, Man, I can sit here and sook the house down, or I can just write this chapter out actually and write it as best I can. So I just threw myself into being the best rehabit that ever dreary breath. Right, some time one hundred and fifty games since then, I was told I was cooked. So I had to change a lot
of stuff and whatever. But what it did was I went this whole raisor thing that I don't understand, and I get angry about because people are saying stuff about out me and I don't have a platform to talk back or at least provide my view of it, which didn't sit well with my personality, right, And so the problem was me. I knew that I wasn't handling it. I had to grow up and I had to become more evolved and smarter and all that sort of shit.
This foundation, I went, if I get back and all this brew hahas existing, I'm going to use it for something good like that, so that I don't. I'm really lucky that I've got that avenue, Like it keeps me motivated and I get more out of it.
I reckon that I put in what I'm trying to say.
And yeah, so it's cool and we love it, and it's good for our family, you know, the boys like it keeps us something and we've met this beautiful these two sisters who are just in legends and they sort of umpire between us and stop us blowing each other and that.
So it's good.
Yeah, that's good. Oh that's awesome. Man, It's it's cool, like it's to have. It actually is like something your whole family does. It is quite unique. I feel like everyone says, don't go into business with your family, But I'm sure you've probably got stories right the weekly Weekly. I love that. Well, do you want to give a shout out guess to where you can donate for the foundation?
Yes?
I know you also do a motivation motivational speaking, is that correct?
Yeah?
No, that's that's good fun. Actually, I love getting out to commut like particularly like we do like corporate stuff and all that, and that's good fun. And you meet lots of people and it's always big events and that's good fun.
But the ones that are really cool, like you know, I was at a chooker.
Your chew cut the other week, right, our producers from a cheer girl, God's Country stories from a chew gu Yeah, I bet, and.
And I've got to gotta go there. It was brilliant, the best couple of days. It was so much fun. Met some legends up there, and you know, you get immersed in local football and nipall clubs, right, and you just takes me back to again, You're gonna You're never gonna forget places, the Tagnong Valley where I grew up and playing for the Tugerong Lines, and you know, it's just all of that again and you go, you remember why you love the game.
Actually I love those sorts of things.
But yeah, Chamberlain Foundation dot Org is where you can go to and find the donate.
So yeah, we're we're it's a big it's on a big build at the moment. We're on it.
That's actually the task that it's twenty twenty two is the creation of our online platform. So we've generated We've got a corporate partner who's helping fund that, so we're in the build there. But yeah, Chamberlain Foundation dot org and you can find us. We donate now and it's, as I said, totally tax deductible.
Huge.
You get your receipt and all that sort of gear and the money goes too directly to.
Our partners.
And so we've had the Police Association of Victoria, are you okay, Lifeline and Grief Line they've been our beneficiaries. And yeah, they're all really really reputable and brilliant organizations that are making a difference in people's lives.
Yeah, yeah, which is really cool. That's awesome, man.
Well, thank you, thank you, thank you for doing that, and thank you for coming on the pod, mate mate, It is so.
Good to chat to you.
Man.
Like there's so many different facets of your life. I feel like they're so fascinating that I could. I mean, we'll go to the USA at the end of the year.
We're going to go to the US.
I fell together in California, California, big fan of LA Here we come.
The boys are back. The boys they're back.
We'll find a couple of just fun, a couple on the back end.
We'll find that I'm sure a few frothies for the first season. But honestly, thanks so much for coming on, mate. I love your story. I love the way you look at life. I love your personality and your the uniqueness of what you go about and do them. It is so so cool to see someone charismatically be themselves no
matter what. And hearing some more about your charity and your foundation and everything else is just It adds to the story of the human you are, mate, and it's a It's a credit to you for what you do and the way you go about it.
So massive.
Thank you for coming on, mate, and can't wait to see you running aund again. Hopefully you get the injury and back out there.
Twenty twenty three. Good luck for the rest of you, mate.
You guys are flying and bring joy to a lot of people and thanks for the opportunity mate.
Now thank you