By Alice Barker
Manthey’s milestone umpiring appointment
Rising Queensland umpire Cameron Manthey will be among a bevy of Queenslanders set to officiate games at the NAB Under 18 National Championships beginning in June this year.
At the ripe age of 22, Manthey is blazing his own trail in the umpiring sector and was one of 11 umpires selected to officiate at this year’s various national championships that will feature the best AFL draft prospects in the country.
Manthey headlines the Queensland contingent on the umpiring panel that will officiate the final two rounds of the Under 18 Championships from June 27 to July 4 at GMHBA Stadium and Marvel Stadium.
On top of his appointment in in Victoria, he along with two others – boundary umpire Ty Duncan and goal umpire Tom Sullivan, will travel to Adelaide on June 22 to umpire the third round of the competition at Alberton Oval.
Along with the Under 18 National Championships, Queensland’s presence in the green will also be felt elsewhere at both the NAB Under 18 AFL Women’s National Championships and NAB Under 16 National Championships.
Umpires Sam Somerville, Sam Whetton, Ryan Hickey, Delson Jones and Zac Mabb have been named to the Under 16 panel while Jonathan Angus, Madeline Lum ad Belinda Stewart have been named to the Under 18 AFL Women’s panel.
Manthey’s appointment to officiate the national carnival has been a big career goal speaking to aflq.com.au, he feels honoured to be a part of it.
“This was my aim for season 2019 and to achieve it makes all the hard work worthwhile,” Manthey said.
“I am really excited for the chance to umpire some of the best up and coming talent in the country and to do it with fellow umpires is a special opportunity.
“I feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of some of Queensland’s best umpires.”
Manthey has been largely successful as an umpire in his career thus far.
He graduated from the AFL Queensland State Umpiring Academy less than two years ago, where he was then promoted to the NEAFL panel following a successful trial.
Within a year of his graduation, Manthey was awarded the Golden Whistle in 2018, a top-honour umpiring award which recognises an individual’s performances throughout the year at QAFL and NEAFL Level.
Manthey was also on the AFLW Umpiring Panel in both 2018 and 2019 and has umpired 23 NEAFL games, including five this year.
But all of those milestones are bypassed in comparison to his new career-high – officiating on the national stage.
“This is most certainly the biggest milestone I have achieved in my umpiring career to date,” said Manthey.
“It is for sure the biggest opportunity I have had to perform in front of National Coaches, which is a really exciting opportunity.”
