Thumbs Up for Goal Ump

While he’s not a household name, AFL goal umpire Andrew Curtis bowed out of football in yesterday’s Derby between West Coast and Fremantle in flamboyant fashion.

Ditching the usual index fingers for a goal, he employed the use of thumbs up – approved by the AFL – to signal majors, purportedly for his wife and kids in his final game.

Curtis, who finishes with 107 AFL games under his belt in a career spanning almost a decade, handed his resignation to the League, after accepting a new business position in Brazil.

As one of five Western Australian contracted AFL goal umpires this season, Curtis’ umpiring career ends only a week out from finals, which he was most likely going to play a part in.

He was arguably WA’s most successful goal umpire, with his highlight unequivocally coming in 2004 after standing in the Grand Final between Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions at the MCG with Melbourne-based goal umpire Anthony Black.

David Shawcross, umpiring his 83rd AFL match in Sunday’s Derby with Curtis, now becomes Western Australia’s senior goal umpire in a relatively inexperienced squad.

The remaining three WA AFL-contracted goal umpires for 2006 only account for 33 matches between them – Michael Spear (25 games), Dale Edwick (5) and Adam Peacock (3) – with the latter two making their debuts this season.

Curtis stood in 12 matches this season – the most of any Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane or Sydney goal umpires.

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