Veteran AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain says he has not been given a reason for why he was dumped from this weekend’s preliminary finals.
After officiating in last Friday’s semi-final between Geelong and the GWS Giants, Chamberlain was left out of the umpiring line-ups for the two finals this weekend.
It means that the 45-year-old’s hopes of umpiring in a fourth career grand final this year are all but over, with the grand final umpires usually selected from the two prelims.
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Despite being axed from the prelims two years running, Chamberlain said he was dealing with this year’s disappointment better than last year, where he admits he was “filthy”.
“I’ve had 15 different types of phone calls, so nothing is a surprise anymore. You’re hopeful, you’re certainly hopeful,” he told SEN’s Whateley.
“If I reflect on last year, I stewed on it a bit and I was pretty filthy more at me. I gave them (selectors) an opportunity and a reason to move me aside and I wasn’t the best version of myself. That didn’t sit well with me because that was my fault.
“What I’m really comfortable about this year is I was able to do what I’m supposed to do for the players this year. I feel really good about having done that.”
When questioned over whether he’d received clarification on the AFL’s call, the veteran official answered: “Not yet”.
While he will be on the sidelines for the biggest games of the year, Chamberlain said he was “proud” of his showing.
“I’m really proud of having got to where I’ve gotten to this year,” he said.
“I’m really proud of my two performances with the teams I was involved with, the guys that I umpired with in the finals.”