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Unofficial Field Umpire Matrix 2026

A running estimate based on senior appointment quality and selector observation.

How this bit of fun works

The strength of each GFL, BFL and GDFL senior match is calculated from the current ladder positions of both teams and how closely matched they are. Competition levels overlap, so a leading BFL game can outrank a lower GFL game and a leading GDFL game can outrank a lower BFL game.

The top and bottom 33% of each ladder are treated as bands, rounded up to whole teams. A top-band versus bottom-band match receives no positive ladder or closeness bonus. A match between two bottom-band teams receives a 5-point penalty from its league base score.

Matrix score = average quality of the umpire’s best 6 senior appointments, plus 0.75 points for each senior field appointment where an observer was recorded. Premium observer weighting: Joshua James ×1.25, Davin Reid ×1.25. The observation bonus is capped at 6 points. A 2025 continuity bonus then adds up to 8 points, tapering from rank 1 to rank 27. This is unofficial and does not measure match-day performance.

Current ladder sources: GFL · BFL · GDFL

260 senior games ranked. Ladder positions updated 31 July 2026. “Top 25%” shows how often an umpire received a game in the highest quarter of the current game rankings. Select an umpire row to expand their senior field appointments.

What the columns mean
Rank
The umpire’s current position after 2026 evidence and the hidden 2025 continuity adjustment are combined.
Field umpire
Field umpires with more than five combined GFL, BFL and GDFL senior appointments. Select a row to expand the umpire’s senior field season.
Matrix score
The final score used for ranking: 2026 evidence plus the tapered 2025 continuity adjustment.
2026 evidence
Average strength of the umpire’s best 6 senior appointments, plus the weighted observation bonus.
2025 rank
The umpire’s supplied finishing rank from 2025. It contributes a tapered continuity adjustment.
Movement
How many positions the current Matrix rank is above or below the umpire’s 2025 rank.
Top 25%
Number of senior appointments ranked in the strongest quarter of all current GFL, BFL and GDFL senior games.
Best game
The highest-ranked senior appointment received. Lower is stronger; #1 is the strongest current game ranking.
GFL
Number of 2026 GFL senior field appointments.
BFL
Number of 2026 BFL senior field appointments.
GDFL
Number of 2026 GDFL senior field appointments.
Total
Combined 2026 GFL, BFL and GDFL senior field appointments.
Observed
Senior field appointments with a recorded observer. Standard observations add 0.75 points; configured premium observers receive extra weighting. The bonus is capped at 6 points.
Trend
Compares the strength of the three most recent senior appointments with the umpire’s season average: Rising, Steady or Easing.
The umpire’s current position after 2026 evidence and the hidden 2025 continuity adjustment are combined. Field umpires with more than five combined GFL, BFL and GDFL senior appointments. Select a row to expand the umpire’s senior field season. The final score used for ranking: 2026 evidence plus the tapered 2025 continuity adjustment. Average strength of the umpire’s best 6 senior appointments, plus the weighted observation bonus. The umpire’s supplied finishing rank from 2025. It contributes a tapered continuity adjustment. How many positions the current Matrix rank is above or below the umpire’s 2025 rank. Number of senior appointments ranked in the strongest quarter of all current GFL, BFL and GDFL senior games. The highest-ranked senior appointment received. Lower is stronger; #1 is the strongest current game ranking. Number of 2026 GFL senior field appointments. Number of 2026 BFL senior field appointments. Number of 2026 GDFL senior field appointments. Combined 2026 GFL, BFL and GDFL senior field appointments. Senior field appointments with a recorded observer. Standard observations add 0.75 points; configured premium observers receive extra weighting. The bonus is capped at 6 points. Compares the strength of the three most recent senior appointments with the umpire’s season average: Rising, Steady or Easing.
1 103.3 95.3 #1 — 12 #1 11 5 0 16 7 Rising
2 103.2 95.5 #2 — 10 #2 10 6 1 17 10 Easing
3 101.2 94.4 #5 ↑ 2 8 #1 7 2 3 12 8 Steady
4 97.7 90.3 #3 ↓ 1 7 #2 9 2 4 15 7 Easing
5 96.3 89.9 #6 ↑ 1 7 #5 7 5 1 13 8 Rising
6 94.0 88.8 #10 ↑ 4 6 #1 8 4 4 16 11 Rising
7 90.8 85.8 #11 ↑ 4 5 #5 6 2 7 15 7 Rising
8 89.9 84.3 #9 ↑ 1 5 #7 8 4 5 17 10 Easing
9 89.0 84.4 #12 ↑ 3 6 #4 7 6 4 17 7 Easing
10 88.5 85.1 #16 ↑ 6 8 #13 8 6 2 16 9 Rising
11 88.4 82.5 #8 ↓ 3 6 #7 8 6 3 17 9 Easing
12 87.5 87.5 — New 6 #4 8 6 4 18 11 Steady
13 86.1 85.2 #24 ↑ 11 9 #11 8 3 5 16 8 Rising
14 85.7 85.7 — New 8 #5 8 4 3 15 7 Rising
15 83.9 81.8 #20 ↑ 5 8 #7 6 7 4 17 9 Rising
16 83.1 80.3 #18 ↑ 2 4 #9 7 5 4 16 9 Steady
17 81.7 81.7 — New 4 #9 10 3 4 17 9 Rising
18 80.9 78.5 #19 ↑ 1 4 #8 5 3 7 15 11 Easing
19 80.1 80.1 — New 4 #5 7 4 5 16 8 Rising
20 79.1 76.0 #17 ↓ 3 3 #17 5 5 5 15 10 Easing
21 78.9 71.8 #4 ↓ 17 2 #8 7 3 6 16 8 Steady
22 78.5 78.5 — New 4 #4 7 3 5 15 6 Easing
23 77.5 77.2 #26 ↑ 3 4 #20 2 6 3 11 7 Rising
24 77.1 73.4 #15 ↓ 9 3 #11 4 2 4 10 4 Steady
25 76.2 72.2 #14 ↓ 11 3 #40 3 6 7 16 6 Easing
26 76.1 76.1 — New 3 #17 5 3 7 15 11 Easing
27 73.7 67.6 #7 ↓ 20 2 #49 5 3 7 15 7 Easing
28 71.9 71.9 — New 4 #20 6 2 5 13 4 Easing
29 70.9 70.9 — New 3 #11 3 1 2 6 6 Rising
30 70.0 70.0 — New 3 #33 1 4 6 11 5 Rising
31 69.8 68.0 #21 ↓ 10 2 #46 3 4 7 14 5 Steady
32 69.6 65.3 #13 ↓ 19 2 #49 4 6 5 15 8 Rising
33 67.9 67.9 — New 3 #11 4 1 2 7 5 Steady
34 67.5 66.0 #22 ↓ 12 1 #22 3 5 8 16 6 Easing
35 67.3 67.3 — New 3 #22 0 6 6 12 8 Rising
36 66.3 66.3 — New 2 #31 4 3 3 10 7 Rising
37 65.2 65.2 — New 2 #45 4 5 2 11 6 Rising
38 64.9 64.9 — New 2 #17 3 3 6 12 6 Easing
39 64.4 64.4 #27 ↓ 12 3 #54 3 5 5 13 5 Rising
40 64.2 64.2 — New 1 #58 1 7 7 15 10 Rising
41 61.7 61.7 — New 1 #50 1 3 5 9 3 Easing
42 61.0 61.0 — New 1 #63 2 6 3 11 4 Steady
43 60.4 60.4 — New 1 #39 3 4 3 10 5 Rising
44 59.7 59.7 — New 0 #83 3 5 7 15 8 Easing
45 59.1 59.1 — New 2 #54 0 6 4 10 1 Rising
46 59.0 59.0 — New 1 #47 0 6 5 11 6 Rising
47 58.3 58.3 — New 1 #54 1 7 5 13 5 Easing
48 57.8 57.8 — New 0 #91 0 4 7 11 3 Easing
49 55.5 55.5 — New 1 #50 0 3 7 10 3 Easing
50 54.2 54.2 — New 1 #60 0 3 6 9 3 Easing
51 53.1 53.1 — New 1 #28 0 5 7 12 6 Rising
52 52.3 52.3 — New 0 #75 0 6 7 13 7 Rising
53 49.8 49.8 — New 1 #58 0 4 8 12 5 Steady
54 46.5 46.5 — New 1 #56 1 3 3 7 4 Easing
55 46.1 46.1 — New 1 #56 0 2 6 8 5 Easing
56 43.6 43.6 — New 0 #102 0 3 3 6 3 Rising
57 43.6 43.6 — New 0 #109 0 4 6 10 4 Easing
58 40.3 40.3 — New 1 #56 0 4 2 6 5 Easing

2025 umpire rankings

Reference table supplied for the previous season. These rankings contribute to the tapered continuity adjustment used in the Matrix score above.

Rank Umpire
1 Chris Jones
2 Daniel Wilson
3 Steve Guarnaccia
4 Errol Burns
5 Scott McLeod
6 Stephen Ritchie
7 David Chaston
8 Hamish Irvin
9 Jack ONeill
10 Jake McLeod
11 Norm Douglas
12 Tim Callander
13 Thomas Hitchcock
14 Mark Nolan
15 Paul McElhinney
16 Shay Huby
17 Mark Davison
18 Brendan Beck
19 Diarmuid Quinlan
20 John Rees
21 Jess Crucitti
22 Nathan Coppock
23 Rohan Smith
24 Adam Jones
25 Patrick Sullivan
26 Jess Heath
27 John Tatnell