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Unofficial Field Umpire Matrix 2026

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

Limit appointments by date

Recalculate the entire page using appointments on or before a selected date. Leave it blank to use every appointment currently in the cache.

Appointment simulator Choose a match, field umpiring crew and optional observer.

See how a proposed senior appointment would change the current Matrix. This calculation is temporary and does not alter the appointment cache.

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.

Peer % measures who an umpire was appointed alongside. The top and bottom 30% cohorts are frozen from the Matrix before peer weighting is applied, avoiding a circular rerank. Each top-cohort co-umpire slot contributes positively, each bottom-cohort slot negatively and middle or unranked peers are neutral. The net percentage contributes up to plus or minus 4 Matrix points.

Current ladder sources: GFL · BFL · GDFL

87 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, the hidden 2025 continuity adjustment and peer exposure 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, reviewed anomaly corrections, the tapered 2025 continuity adjustment and the capped peer-exposure adjustment.
2026 evidence
Average strength of the umpire’s best 6 senior appointments, plus the weighted observation bonus and any reviewed manual correction.
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.
Peer %
Net co-umpire exposure: top-30% peer slots minus bottom-30% peer slots, divided by all valid co-umpire slots. Positive is stronger peer exposure; negative is weaker.
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, the hidden 2025 continuity adjustment and peer exposure 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, reviewed anomaly corrections, the tapered 2025 continuity adjustment and the capped peer-exposure adjustment. Average strength of the umpire’s best 6 senior appointments, plus the weighted observation bonus and any reviewed manual correction. 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. Net co-umpire exposure: top-30% peer slots minus bottom-30% peer slots, divided by all valid co-umpire slots. Positive is stronger peer exposure; negative is weaker. 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.
1 107.4 98.2 #3 ↑ 2 +45.2% 7 #1 12 2 7 21 14 Rising
2 107.1 99.8 #7 ↑ 5 +28.6% 5 #1 7 5 9 21 12 Rising
3 106.7 98.5 #4 ↑ 1 +26.7% 6 #3 11 6 6 23 14 Rising
4 103.0 96.9 #12 ↑ 8 +37.0% 10 #1 11 7 5 23 14 Rising
5 98.8 90.5 #5 — +39.5% 5 #1 9 6 4 19 14 Rising
6 98.7 88.9 #2 ↓ 4 +53.2% 5 #1 13 9 2 24 14 Rising
7 97.3 89.9 #8 ↑ 1 +40.0% 6 #1 11 9 3 23 12 Rising
8 96.6 90.3 #11 ↑ 3 +36.8% 6 #1 7 4 8 19 11 Rising
9 96.1 94.5 — New +38.5% 9 #1 10 3 7 20 10 Rising
10 95.7 94.2 — New +36.2% 8 #3 13 6 5 24 13 Rising
11 94.8 88.2 #9 ↓ 2 +27.1% 6 #7 10 5 9 24 16 Rising
12 94.1 86.9 #10 ↓ 2 +47.8% 4 #1 9 6 8 23 17 Rising
13 92.2 88.7 #19 ↑ 6 +25.0% 5 #1 8 3 7 18 13 Rising
14 91.5 83.8 #6 ↓ 8 +30.6% 4 #7 8 7 3 18 13 Rising
15 90.8 86.1 #16 ↑ 1 +33.3% 4 #1 10 8 3 21 14 Rising
16 89.8 87.5 #24 ↑ 8 +32.5% 5 #1 8 7 5 20 12 Rising
17 87.2 81.2 #13 ↓ 4 +44.4% 3 #7 6 7 5 18 9 Rising
18 86.6 82.5 #17 ↓ 1 +23.5% 4 #7 6 6 5 17 11 Rising
19 86.1 85.5 — New +16.7% 4 #1 10 3 5 18 9 Rising
20 85.8 85.9 — New -3.3% 5 #1 7 3 5 15 6 Rising
21 85.0 82.2 #20 ↓ 1 +16.7% 2 #3 9 7 5 21 12 Rising
22 84.0 83.2 — New +20.0% 2 #1 7 3 8 18 13 Rising
23 83.8 81.5 #21 ↓ 2 +13.2% 2 #3 6 4 9 19 7 Rising
24 83.3 82.6 #26 ↑ 2 +10.7% 3 #3 4 6 4 14 8 Rising
25 82.5 78.8 #18 ↓ 7 +23.8% 1 #3 8 7 6 21 14 Rising
26 82.4 78.6 #14 ↓ 12 -5.0% 1 #6 4 8 8 20 7 Rising
27 81.8 80.1 — New +41.7% 2 #14 8 7 3 18 10 Rising
28 81.0 81.7 #27 ↓ 1 -15.6% 4 #15 3 7 6 16 7 Rising
29 81.0 79.6 #22 ↓ 7 -2.6% 2 #14 4 7 8 19 6 Rising
30 80.8 80.8 — New 0.0% 3 #15 6 5 3 14 7 Steady
31 78.7 78.4 — New +7.5% 2 #6 8 5 7 20 8 Easing
32 78.4 77.7 — New +16.7% 1 #14 5 3 4 12 8 Rising
33 78.2 73.4 #15 ↓ 18 +27.3% 1 #20 4 3 4 11 5 Easing
34 77.8 75.8 — New +50.0% 2 #7 5 1 2 8 6 Rising
35 77.6 75.6 — New +50.0% 3 #3 4 2 2 8 8 Steady
36 77.5 78.4 — New -20.7% 1 #1 4 4 7 15 7 Steady
37 77.1 76.8 — New +6.9% 2 #15 1 9 5 15 7 Steady
38 76.6 75.9 — New +16.7% 2 #15 2 7 3 12 5 Easing
39 76.2 76.5 — New -6.3% 2 #15 0 9 7 16 7 Rising
40 75.1 75.0 — New +3.3% 2 #3 1 7 7 15 9 Rising
41 75.0 75.2 — New -3.6% 1 #15 1 6 7 14 7 Rising
42 73.9 74.7 — New -17.6% 1 #7 2 7 8 17 11 Rising
43 73.4 74.3 — New -22.2% 1 #20 3 6 9 18 9 Rising
44 71.6 71.1 — New +14.3% 1 #7 1 5 8 14 4 Rising
45 70.2 69.7 — New +12.5% 0 #25 1 4 7 12 5 Easing
46 69.8 70.0 — New -5.6% 0 #32 1 4 4 9 6 Steady
47 68.4 69.5 — New -28.6% 0 #25 0 5 9 14 5 Rising
48 67.5 66.9 — New +15.0% 1 #15 0 4 6 10 4 Easing
49 66.5 66.3 — New +5.0% 0 #30 1 4 5 10 3 Steady
50 66.4 67.9 — New -36.4% 2 #15 0 6 5 11 1 Rising
51 66.2 66.9 — New -16.7% 1 #15 1 6 5 12 7 Rising
52 63.2 65.0 — New -45.8% 0 #27 0 5 7 12 4 Rising
53 63.2 63.2 — New 0.0% 0 #23 3 4 3 10 5 Rising
54 59.5 60.9 — New -35.0% 0 #25 0 3 7 10 4 Easing
55 56.0 56.2 — New -5.0% 0 #41 0 2 8 10 5 Rising
56 53.5 54.5 — New -25.0% 1 #15 0 4 4 8 5 Easing
57 51.8 51.5 — New +8.3% 0 #30 0 3 3 6 3 Steady
58 19.3 9.3 #1 ↓ 57 +50.0% 5 #1 11 5 0 16 7 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