BENDIGO'S Bronte Annand certainly won't forget her debut as a senior field umpire, mainly because it was over quicker than expected.
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The 20-year-old university student was one of two emerging Bendigo Umpres Association whistleblowers to officiate their first senior game on the weekend, along with Tom Floyd.
But Annand's game was cut short after play in the Marong-Mitiamo LVFNL clash at Malone Park was halted for more than 30 minutes and then called off following an injury to the Panthers' Cam Muir.
Annand admitted it was not how she envisaged her first senior game as a central umpire panning out.
"I didn't expect it to finish half way through, but you have to follow the rules," she said.
"I definitely won't forget it ... eight years of umpiring and I have never had that happen in one of my games.
"I hope it doesn't happen again - (but) the important thing is the player is okay."
There was no confusion surrounding the rules, with Marong experiencing a similar fate in its reserves game the previous week against Pyramid Hill.
Annand, who partnered Dion Prange in Saturday's match, has been an umpire for eight seasons, but only made the switch to field umpiring last season.
She initially took up officiating as a means of getting fit for volleyball and tennis, but those passions soon took a back seat to her umpiring.
Evidence of how far the physical education student has come in a short time lies in Annand's involvement in the Women’s Academy of Umpires, which is a pathway to AFL.
She views umpiring as a potential career path and hopes her continued good performances put her in contention for a grand final berth this season.
"I haven't got to do a grand final as a field umpire, I ended up tearing my ligament in my ankle at the end of the last year," she said.
"It would be interesting to see what level I could do.
"Hopefully one day I can get down to the VFL and see what happens from there."
Bronte is not the only umpire in her family.
Sister Adelaide has run the boundary for the last six years, while their father Geoff is a field umpire.
Floyd's senior BFNL debut came in the clash between Kangaroo Flat and Eagehawk, in tandem with one of his mentors Dean Goodridge.
The 18-year-old has been a central umpire for the last five years and certainly has the pedigree for officiating.
His dad Bayne is a goal umpire and also stood in Saturday's game at Dower Park, while younger brother Matt currently runs the boundary.
Floyd said above all he was happy with the feedback on his performance.
"Dean (Goodridge) said he was really happy with it, he wanted me to go over the video of the game and see what things I could improve on," he said.
It was Goodridge, who had strongly encouraged a then 13-year-old Floyd to pursue umpiring.
"I initially took it up for some pocket money - Dean dropped me down because I was playing cricket with his son and he got a few of us down," he said.
"It was a good move.
"Hopefully next year I can do a full year of Bendigo league senior umpiring and hopefully from there I can get into the VFL development squad a year later."
Floyd will have to wait at least two weeks before adding to his senior games tally.
The Bendigo Senior Secondary College year-12 student is away on a family holiday this week.
