Boundary Umpire Robert Taylor was recently selected to umpire the National Under 16 Championships Division One Grand Final between Victoria Metro and Western Australia, which was a curtain-raiser to the Geelong-Hawthorn AFL Grand Final at the MCG.
The appointment caps off a stellar 2008 season for the 18 year old. In just his second year umpiring with the Sydney AFL, he has umpired both the Sydney AFL Development Squad vs Black Diamond AFL and Sydney AFL vs VAFA Representative matches.
In July Taylor was nominated for the National Under 16 carnival held on the Gold Coast. More recently he umpired the Sydney AFL Premier Division Reserve Grade Grand Final at Henson Park.
Taylor started his umpiring in the field, running with the AFL GSJ Sydney North. In 2007 he switched to the boundary, which started his amazing journey to an appointment on the MCG on the last day in September!
From everyone at the NSWAFUA – congratulations, Tails!