Umpiring Record An Honour For AdamsWednesday, September 24, 2025 - 8:03 AM

Leading WAFL umpire Matt Adams has expressed his pride at creating history in Sunday’s Grand Final between South Fremantle and East Perth at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Adams officiated in his ninth premiership decider, surpassing legendary whistle blower Ross Capes for the most WAFL League Grand Finals by a field umpire.

“Ross set the standard for such a long period of time in the 1970s and 1980s”, Adams said.

“His contribution to football is something that I and many respect.

“Surpassing the record is something I feel incredibly honoured by.

“I am really grateful for the opportunities to be involved in so many Grand Finals and contribute to the game of WAFL Football.

“Matching Ross’s record last year gave me a bit more motivation to umpire at my best in 2025.

“At the start of the season I obviously set some goals, but I always aim to take each week as they come, and I know that sounds so cliché, but it’s something that I live by.

“Knowing that I could break the record this season, definitely gave me some extra inspiration to put my best foot forward in the games I umpired.”

Adams relished the opportunity to be part of Sunday’s decider.

“Overall, umpiring the Grand Final was such a humbling experience,” he said.

“From the start of 2025, our regime was definitely top notch.

“With a new Umpire Manager, new Field Umpires Coach Ash Coster and more structured coaching support at training and on game days, it was definitely a year where development and growth could prosper. 

Adams believes the field umpire group who officiated the match worked well together.

“The match was such a blast, and the ending was high energy and definitely high pressure,” Adams said.

“Getting to run out with Lachlan Fahey-Gilmour in his first Grand Final and Trent McPhee and Ben Laycock in their multiple grand final appearances was a really special experience.  

“Personally, I feel that I had a solid hit out, letting the players do what they do and trying to go unnoticed.

“As a collective team I was happy with what was delivered.

“Just like the players, we have our moments, but overall, we paid the kicks that needed to be paid and let the players get down and dirty to put themselves in a position to win the game.”

The umpiring group had to keep a cool head with the final free kick of the match and the drama which followed.

“The last few minutes of the Grand Final was intense, and the pressure was high, but there was a sense of calm and composure amongst the team,” he said.

“Our coaching and training sets us up for moments like these.

“Staying cool and collected in such moments is key and we delivered.

“It was good to see the team remain composed in that moment after the siren.

“This composure allowed for the team to process and apply the laws of the game appropriately.

“While we understand that not everyone is aware of the intricacies of every law of AFL, the knowledge of the umpiring team (especially Trent and Lachlan, who were in the middle of it all) was on display in that moment. 

“To know that we delivered and applied the laws of the game as we are trained to apply them, gave the team a sense of relief but also satisfaction.

 “As umpires, we go out to do the best possible job we can.

“Now we know we don’t get it right all the time, but we do take a lot of pride in our craft.

“I was very happy with our team performance on the weekend.”