Ken Wright reflects on his umpiring career which spans more than 1100-matches

BRENT GODDE: You are well-known for your nickname 'Lefty.'?

KEN WRIGHT: I was dubbed that at school and I hate it. I acknowledge it when people call me that but I would much prefer if everybody just called me Ken.

BG: Were you born and bred in Albury?

KW: I was born in Western Australia and adopted at birth.

BG: Your adopted mother suffered a freak accident that left her a paraplegic?

KW: Mum suffered a burst blood vessel in her spine and was paralysed from the waist down. Her marriage disintegrated and mum, my sister and I relocated back to West Heidelberg.

BG: Your adopted father remained in Perth?

KW: He passed away from cancer when I was ten.

BG: No doubt a tough upbringing?

KW: Mum raised my sister and I living on a pension and we lived in an Olympic village flat. I learnt how to run fast and jump six foot fences.

BG: You first visited the Border in 1967?

KW: We stayed at the Hume weir for a holiday and mum loved the area and made the big decision to relocate from Melbourne to Wodonga.

BG: Did you ever play football?

KW: I played junior football for Wodonga Golds and was coached by the late Colin Zuber. I was named vice captain and Dave Wortmann was captain.

BG: You have fond memories of Zuber?

KW: I used to spend a lot of time at Colin's and his wife Pam's house and there was a bit of underage drinking going on.

BG: How did you rate yourself as a footballer?

KW: I remember Colin gave me some sound advice one day and said 'Ken, I don't think you would get a kick in a football factory.' Maybe you should consider taking up umpiring.

BG: Was that a fair assessment of your football ability?

KW: I loved the game but I will be the first to admit that I lacked a bit of ticker for the hard ball.

BG: Your teammates dubbed you 'Sheepy'?

KW: They did because I used to scout around on the outside of the packs because I didn't want to get injured.

BG: You took Zuber's advice and decided to go to training with the Albury Umpires?

KW: It was at the Albury Sportsground on a Tuesday night in 1978 and I umpired my first match shortly afterwards between Culcairn and Holbrook in the Farrer league schoolboys when I was 17.

BG: You predominantly umpired juniors in your first season?

KW: At the end of the season I did my first O&M thirds match between Myrtleford and Rutherglen. The late Bob Mannering umpired the reserves.

BG: You umpired your first senior match the following season?

KW: It was between Boree Creek and Oaklands in the Coreen league. I was 18 and probably looked about 15.

BG: You were a scrawny teenager?

KW: I weighed 55kg and a lot of people used to think I was a jockey.

BG: Speaking of jockeys, your passionate about racing?

KW: I own a few horses and love going to the races and having a flutter.

BG: During that era there was only one umpire?

KW: That was standard for every league.

BG: You instantly became hooked on umpiring?

KW: With umpiring, you have the best seat in the house.

BG: How long did it take you to graduate to umpiring O&M seniors?

KW: My first O&M senior match was in 1982 and that was because the VFL/AFL umpires went on strike. During that era two VFL/AFL umpires would umpire every O&M match.

BG: What are your memories of your first O&M match?

KW: It was Benalla against Corowa-Rutherglen at Benalla and Peter Chisnall was coach of Corowa. I umpired with Ross Castle who went on to be a VFL/AFL umpire.

BG: Did you have ambitions to umpire at the highest level?

KW: Not really because I don't think I could handle living in Melbourne.

BG: Do you remember your first senior grand final?

KW: It was in 1980 and it was Tumbarumba against Federal.

BG: It was a memorable experience?

KW: I went into Tumbarumba's rooms to check the players boots and the late Bob Murphy who previously played for Fitzroy was sitting there without any boots.

BG: Where were his boots?

KW: Turns out a player in the reserves had borrowed Bob's boots. Bob had false teeth so he was sitting there with no boots and no teeth.

BG: The Tumbarumba supporters had quite a few mascots?

KW: We were walking out onto the ground at the start of the match and they let eight kangaroos onto the ground. But we had a good day and night and got home in the wee hours of the morning.

BG: Back in that era it was common practice to check the boots and stops of players. Did you ever discover anything dangerous?

KW: Quite often you would find stops that had been sharpened or were too long.

BG: Players would sharpen their stops?

KW: Absolutely. On a few occasions I found players who had nails in their stops as well. It was a bit barbaric when you think about it and hence why we checked every player's boots.

BG: Were there any occasions where players would try to avoid having their boots checked?

KW: Quite often you would come into the rooms and see a player whiz off to the toilet. But I would wait until they came back and made sure that I checked their boots.

BG: Undoubtedly you are best known for umpiring the 1990 Bloodbath between Wodonga and Lavington at the Albury Sportsground?

KW: Probably for the wrong reason but if you take away the fights it was a cracking game of football.

BG: Do you watch a replay of the match often?

KW: I only sat down and watched a full replay of the match last year during lockdown. There was some unbelievable talent on both sides.

BG: Do you think umpiring the Bloodbath raised your profile as an umpire?

KW: A lot of people say to me that the Bloodbath put me on the map as an umpire. It certainly did motivate me to continue umpiring.

BG: What do you get asked most about the Bloodbath?

KW: How it all started. I tell people that the late Richard Hamilton and Ernie Whitehead shaped up to each other and Hamilton laid a hook on Whitehead that Jeff Fenech would have been proud of. And it was on.

BG: A lot of players involved in the match are critical of the umpires that the ball wasn't bounced to restart play which was the major reason the fights went for so long?

KW: It's no secret the ball was kicked out of the ground for whatever reason.

BG: A spare football had to be found?

KW: That was the problem, the emergency umpire didn't have the spare football alongside him. It was locked up in the Albury clubrooms which is why it took so long to find another football.

BG: If the emergency umpire had a spare football originally, the Bloodbath may not have eventuated?

KW: No doubt. As soon as the fight broke out I could have grabbed the spare football, administered a 50m penalty to Ernie Whitehead and got the game going again. But you can't do it with fresh air.

BG: Did you report many players as the brawl erupted?

KW: I had three reports and a fourth one when Whitehead lined-up Hamilton during the second quarter.

BG: The tribunal hearing was a marathon?

KW: It went to midnight on the Monday night and we came back the following night and it went to midnight again.

BG: A lot of the charges were trial by video?

KW: It was the first time the O&M had used trial by video. I didn't have to give a lot of evidence, the video was the smoking gun so to speak. It made the umpire's job a lot easier that's for sure.

BG: The late 'Banjo' Pattison rarely reported players because he hated wasting his time at the tribunal. What about yourself?

KW: I was probably the exact opposite to Banjo. I remember one day at Birallee Park when the Raiders were playing Lavington I reported nine players.

BG: No doubt time consuming.

KW: I didn't finish writing all the reports until 8pm after the match.

BG: So you didn't subscribe to Banjo's theory?

KW: I felt it was my responsibility to report a player who did anything wrong and I would never intentionally turn a blind eye.

BG: Do umpires warn other umpires about players who are known troublemakers?

KW: For sure, quite often another umpire would see which match you were umpiring and might tell you to keep an eye on 'Joe Blow' for instance.

BG: Is there a standout player who you regard as the hardest to handle?

KW: I would have to say Maurice Eames.

BG: You can recall one particular unsavoury incident when Eames was playing for Holbrook?

KW: Maurice decked Dederang's Daryl Price. I was umpiring by myself and was in the forward pocket and the incident happened in the centre of the ground which I didn't see.

BG: You took matters into your own hands?

KW: Daryl was in Disneyland and got carted off on a stretcher. I paid Dederang 16 free kicks in-a-row. I was that furious with Maurice because it was just a blatant assault on Daryl.

BG: Robbie Mackinlay was the runner for Holbrook?

KW: Robbie ran past me and said 'Ken, you won't get them up.' I replied 'Well I'm going to try bloody hard.' Holbrook ended up winning by a slender margin.

BG: Eames was lucky to get off the ground in one piece?

KW: I remember the Holbrook players formed a ring around Maurice to escort him off the ground because they feared for his safety.

BG: Bomber officials were fuming?

KW: They got stuck into me for not reporting Maurice but I told them I couldn't report a player when I didn't see the incident. I suggested that they cite Maurice which they did.

BG: Eames got a lengthy spell?

KW: Maurice got nine weeks.

BG: Did you ever get manhandled by a player?

KW: I did in the opening round in 1981 in a match between Corryong and Tumbarumba at Corryong.

BG: What happened?

KW: Tumbarumba's Bruce Forbes was the reigning league. .He picked me up, shook me and then put me down. Then he did it again.

BG: Did you get belted?

KW: No, all of a sudden he came to his senses and took off. So I chased after him to get his number and report him.

BG: Forbes was fuming that you reported him?

KW: Kevin Mack Snr was at the match and was one of the witnesses at the tribunal.

BG: What was Mack's evidence?

KW: Kevin told the tribunal that he was driving through the gate and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a player shaking an umpire.

BG: How long did Forbes get?

KW: Bruce got the rest of the season. He relocated to Western Australia and ended up being a coach of the Australian Olympic swimming team.

BG: Do you have any idea on the number of players you would have reported?

KW: I'm guessing it would be more than 500.

BG: Local singer Rodney Vincent penned a song about you?

KW: It's a song about how quick I am to report players.

BG: You are not a fan of Albury supporters?

KW: I rate Albury supporters the worst I've encountered during my career.

BG: Your hatred for Albury supporters started during the early 1990s.

KW: I umpired a game between Albury and Benalla and after the match as I was walking off an Albury supporter on the balcony tipped a beer over my head.

BG: You were the victim of a personal sledge when umpiring at the Albury Sportsground in 1997?

KW: It was my 600th match milestone and it was a top-of-the-table clash between Albury and Wodonga Raiders. Albury were 10 goals up at half-time and I got sledged as I was walking off the ground.

BG: Do you want to reveal what was said to you?

KW: At the time my late wife Carolyn and I were part of the IVF program trying to conceive our first child. It wasn't common knowledge. Anyhow an Albury supporter yelled out 'Ken you can't umpire and you can't even get your wife pregnant.' I was horrified.

BG: How did you react?

KW: I walked into the umpires room and slammed the ball down. The umpire advisor Mike Quinlivan was trying to settle me down.

BG: You went back out into the crowd looking for the culprit?

KW: I wanted to snot him but I had no idea who had said it.

BG: What happened in the aftermath?

KW: Albury president David Kefford was made aware of the comments. Kefford made a statement that the club couldn't find the culprit. To Dave's credit he was very apologetic about the incident.

BG: It was never resolved?

KW: At the end of the day it fell on deaf ears.

BG: You only found out this year who the culprit was?

KW: I was shocked when I found out. I'm not sure of his first name but know he has since passed away.

BG: How did you feel when you found out?

KW: It just brings up bad memories. I never umpired Albury seniors again after the incident.

BG: You late wife Carolyn had a saying that best sums up the situation?

KW: Carolyn often said 'For all those people who treated me wrong, thanks for making me strong.'

BG: Your wife provided you with unbelievable support?

KW: Carolyn and I were like two peas in a pod and I'm forever grateful for the love and support she provided during my umpiring career and life in general. I often say winners never quit and quitters never win.

BG: The IVF program was a success with your son Ben set to celebrate his 22nd birthday on Saturday.

KW: Between Carolyn and I we had 15 operations and it would have cost the equivalent of a new house at the time. It's not cheap, we were part of the IVF program for two years.

BG: One day at Myrtleford the Saints ruckman had a go at you for not bouncing the ball at the centre bounce?

KW: I said listen mate I had a testicle biopsy two days ago and I'm not fit to bounce the ball. I had that procedure done seven times and you are a bit sore and sorry for a few days afterwards.

BG: You weren't fond of Albury supporters, are there any other club supporters that you dislike?

KW: I wasn't a fan of going to Mitta, Howlong, Henty, Cudgewa and Corryong.

BG: Who do you rate as the best player you have seen?

KW: I have got John Brunner a whisker ahead of Robbie Walker.

BG: Obviously both Morris medallists. Would you still give votes to players who were critical of your decisions?

KW: No. Because it's the fairest and best. Quite often there has been a standout player for best-on-ground but he had been lippy so I gave him one vote instead of three.

BG: You feel Simon Bone was robbed of a Morris medal in 1994?

KW: I was walking off the ground after Raiders had played Yarrawonga and I said to the other umpire Jason Dudenas that Bone deserved one vote but he disagreed.

BG: What happened?

KW: Simon was a bit of a lippy player and I'm not sure whether he did give Jason a mouthful that day. But after I pleaded my case, Jason decided to give the one vote to Ant McIvor.

BG: When push comes to shove, how do you decide who does get the votes?

KW: On that occasion there were a few other umpires who had watched the game and it went to a vote. I was outvoted which I was happy with at the time because I'm a democratic person.

BG: What happened on Morris medal night?

KW: Ant McIvor got one vote for the season and Simon got beat by a vote. John Kingston and Tim Scott were equal winners. It should have been a three-way tie.

BG: How many matches have you umpired?

KW: I'm closing in on 1200. I have only missed eight weeks since I first started which included one week for my wedding.

BG: Any coaches that you didn't see eye-to-eye with?

KW: Peter Chisnall is one that comes to mind and the late Jack Clancy.

BG: Have you got a favourite coach over the journey?

KW: Yarrawonga's late Neil Davis was a true gentleman.

BG: You provided a resume for Jeff Geischen when he went for the job as AFL umpires boss?

KW: I did and Jeff obviously got the job. I rate Jeff as the best coach that I have seen tactically and have a lot of respect for him as a person as well.

BG: Gieschen often quizzed you on the discipline of his players when he was coach of Wodonga?

KW: Jeff was big on discipline and wouldn't tolerate his players doing undisciplined acts. I wasn't surprised to see him coach in the WAFL as well as the AFL.

BG: You umpired Gary Ablett when he was at Myrtleford?

KW: Gary would be the most high-profile player that I got to umpire. But I didn't really notice him that day and he certainly didn't get a vote.

BG: Do you think umpires get paid enough?

KW: Not really considering I got paid $120 for umpiring the Bloodbath in 1990. 30-years later we get $180 a match. But it's never been about the money for me. That was never more evident for me last year during COVID and how much I missed not umpiring.

BG: There is only one ground in the district you have never umpired at?

KW: I never got to umpire at Bethanga which annoys me a bit.

BG: You have umpired alongside some high-profile umpires in the bush?

KW: I've umpired alongside Darren Goldspink, Glenn James, Peter Howe and Peter Cameron which was great for my development.

BG: You umpired the Riverina league grand final in 1987 between Wagga Tigers and Turvey Park?

KW: Wagga Tigers were 10 goals in front at half-time and kicked the first two goals of the third term. Turvey Park kicked the next 15 goals to win by three points.

BG: Have you ever been offered a bribe to influence a match?

KW: Never. The worst thing you can label an umpire is a cheat in my opinion.

BG: Did any players try to suck up to you?

KW: Peter Copley and Ray Mack would shout me a cup of tea and sandwiches at Lavington home matches. I presume they were thinking they would get a favour during the match.

BG: Who did you rate as the better player out of the pair?

KW: I always thought Copley was a bit of a pretty boy who was a bit of an attention seeker. Peter was a good player but I rate him as a better coach.

BG: Any players come to mind who had whiteline fever?

KW: Two words - Dean Lupson. I had a heated argument with him once when he was coach of the Raiders and I was the umpire's advisor.

BG: Any players renowned for raising their elbows?

KW: It would be a split-decision between Bert Hollands and Mark McSweeney.

BG: How much longer can you see yourself umpiring for?

KW: Until someone taps me on the shoulder and says it time to give it away Ken.