DANIEL Patrick, Jack Howard and Patrick Burns all began their umpiring careers in the EDFL ranks.
Now, after many years of hard work, the EDFL contingent have been rewarded with careers in the VFL.
How many years have you been umpiring?
Daniel Patrick: This is my seventh year.
Jack Howard: I think it’s my tenth season.
Patrick Burns: This will be my tenth (year).
What made you decide to come to the EDFL?
Daniel Patrick: I had an injury playing footy and I broke my collar bone. Patrick (Burns) was down there at the time and his dad, Peter, got me into umpiring some years ago.
Jack Howard: I started at the St Bernard’s Academy in 2007. Hayden Kennedy (current AFL Umpires coach) was my coach. I came down (to the EDFL) in the next year where Pete (Burns) coached us and then I worked my way through.
Patrick Burns: My first year of umpiring was my last year of footy. I was just sick of getting knocked out and getting smacked in the head. I didn’t really grow in my second year of U14s so I decided to just keep going with umpiring and stop footy.
When did you get to the VFL?
Daniel Patrick: This is my second year.
Jack Howard: (This is my) first year.
Patrick Burns: This is my fifth (year) so I started in 2013.
What is your average week like on the fitness side of things?
Daniel Patrick: We’re usually running on Saturday, Sunday or possibly Friday night. Usually the day after (the game) will be a rest day. The second night after a game, it’s probably expected that you do some sort of running session, whether it would be steady or just a swim or something. Then come Tuesday, we’ve got our main running session where we’ll probably average 6 or 7km of running at high intensity. Then on the Wednesday, it’s up to you to recover. On Thursday, it’s more of a skills night so we’ll do 45 minutes of rotating through skills with a little bit of fitness involved. The day before game day is more about our nutrition.
How many kilometres do you cover in a game?
Daniel Patrick: In a TAC Cup Game, you cover about 13-14km.
Patrick Burns: I used to do 16km but I was running too much. Even if you can run, you don’t have to run. Judge the play better and move off earlier. If you’re in a position where you can see the bloke’s head and everything, you’ve got the best view so why move? So now that I’ve learnt that, I do about 13-14km (per game). I do about 3.5km per quarter.
Can you tell me about a memorable moment during your time in the VFL?
Daniel Patrick: I got concussed in a game earlier this year. We (Daniel and the player) had a head clash and they thought that he’d broken his jaw. I ended up being on the sidelines for a month.
Jack Howard: I think probably this year, getting on (getting a game). It was a Friday night game at Craigieburn. It was a good game, different footy. It’s good to finally get your first game.
Patrick Burns: My first TAC Cup Grand Final with Tom Christy and Daniel Butcher. Tom Christy’s an EDFL umpire. That was sick. The teams were Oakleigh Chargers and Calder Cannons. Oakleigh Chargers won and Darcy Moore played. He got best-on-ground I think. That was obviously at Etihad.
What advice would you give to aspiring umpires who want to get to the VFL?
Daniel Patrick: Just don’t give up and enjoy it. Make sure that you’re always enjoying it. If you’re not enjoying it, it’s going to be tough to go where you want to go.
Jack Howard: Listen to Row (Rowan Sawers) because you’ve probably got one of the best local coaches.
Patrick Burns: I’d just say don’t give up and just train hard. I mean, it’s easy to stop when it gets hard but when you push through, it makes you into a stronger umpire, a stronger runner and a more resilient person. You’re going to get told “no” but it’s about how you react from that and how you come back.
