Raudino receives JJ Lussick Award

South West based umpire Tony Raudino was named the best field umpire at last weekend’s Landmark Country Championships.

Having commenced in 1996 on the boundary in Albany with the support of experienced Great Southern umpire coaches Terry Eaton and Adam Peacock, Raudino quickly rose through the local umpiring ranks. Raudino said he quit his job at the fish food factory to concentrate on umpiring.

“I told my Dad I was going to earn more money running the boundary than at my two shifts in the factory,” he said.

“The money I earned from that first weekend went towards the best shoes I could afford and I then ran colts and league boundary every week for the rest of the year. I was lucky enough to boundary umpire the league Grand Final also.”

Raudino moved to Perth the following year and within 12 months his talent was identified and he was invited to join the 1998 Academy of Umpiring Panel.

A rare feat, Raudino officiated as both a WAFL boundary and field umpire that year.

But Raudinos’ time at WAFL was relatively brief, leaving Perth in early 2000 due to work commitments with CALM in Bunbury, and then Geraldton, before returning back to Bunbury.

Raudino is returning to live in Perth shortly and has his eyes firmly set on hopefully returning to the WAFL Umpire Panel. The WAFL umpire panel trialling process is set to commence within a few weeks of the season’s conclusion.

Achievements include:

1996 GSFL League Grand final – boundary

1997 Northern Suburbs Junior FL Under 18’s Grand Final. NSJFL Umpire of the Year

1998 – 1999 WAFL Panel Umpire

2000 SWFL Colts Grand Final Umpire

2003 GNFL Grand Final Colts

2004 – 2006 GNFL League Grand Final

2007 Landmark Division 1 GF Boundary, SWFL Grand Final League Boundary Umpire

2008 Landmark Division 1 GF League Field. Represented WA in Shepparton, Country Football Championships. SWFL Grand Final League

2009 Landmark Division 1 GF League Field. JJ Lussick Umpire of the Carnival. SWFL GF Umpire League

2010 Landmark Division 1 GF League Field. JJ Lussick Umpire of the Carnival. Represented WA in Canberra Country Footy Championships. SWFL GF Umpire League. SWFL Umpire of the year

2011 Landmark Division 1 GF League Field. SWFL GF umpire League

2012 SWFL GF umpire (Drawn match)

2013 Landmark Division 1 GF League Field. JJ Lussick Umpire of the Landmark Carnival.