Ruling the court

ruling the court We’re about to blow the whistle on the full extent of a local netball enthusiast’s sporting talent.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by Leon Schoots

Maddie O’Nial works as a nuclear medicine technologist in Bendigo Health’s radiology department and is known among friends and colleagues as a keen netball player and official. But few outside her centre circle realise she’s part of the elite umpiring pathway program, regularly running courtside at Victorian Netball League matches and twice earning selection to officiate at national championships. “It’s like I have this secret life,” she laughs. “I have many good friends outside of netball who know I play and umpire, but I don’t think they know exactly what I umpire. And a lot of people at work have no idea I umpire down in Melbourne, or anything like that.” Maddie will take the court this season for Kangaroo Flat in the Bendigo Football Netball League, joining the club last year after moving here mid-2019 to take up her dream job, but not getting the chance to pull on the Roos’ uniform due to the pandemic. She also plans to resume VNL duties, driving to Melbourne each Wednesday night to officiate the state’s premier domestic competition. Her umpiring journey has been challenging, especially as a country kid from Echuca making five-hour round trips to the big smoke as a teen to gain experience and access top-level coaching. “I started at the Echuca and District Netball Association, originally as a player, but when I was 14, I decided to give umpiring a go to get that extra challenge,” Maddie recalls. “I was 15 when I got my C-grade badge and at 17, received my B badge doing Regional State League matches in Bendigo. I’d finish school on Wednesdays, jump in the car with Mum and drive down for games. It was then I realised I actually wasn’t too bad at it.”

When Maddie joined Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley league, her whistle skills were quickly noticed by the local umpiring convenor. “I umpired a B-reserve match in round two and from round three I was doing A-grade and that’s where I stayed. It was quite abnormal to see a 16-year-old running around umpiring A-grade and at first, people didn’t pay me much regard because they thought I was just a little girl. But I think I surprised a few.” Her impartiality was highlighted by the fact her sister Steph played A-grade for Kyabram and for a long time opposition teams were unaware of the family connection. “That’s probably the best compliment you can get as an umpire. I don’t treat Steph differently to any other player, even when I had to caution her once (though I did have a little smile on my face). “She might give a little eye roll at times, and our team-mates say they’d hate to be in the car with us on the way home, but it’s fine because we both treat our roles very professionally. Mum taught us integrity is something you have to maintain, and is hard to regain if it’s lost, so it’s important to us.” Maddie spent nine years at Kyabram, playing 150-plus games, before taking a break to focus solely on umpiring. “I’d been invited to the 17/Under and 19/Under national championships in 2016, which I wasn’t expecting. I got a letter from Netball Australia, opened it and bawled my eyes out. To get that experience felt like I was on the cusp of taking the next step and I decided that while I loved playing, if I wanted to take umpiring more seriously I had to devote more time to it. “That turned out really well because I got my A badge in 2018 after testing during VNL. I remember going into the rooms and being told I’d passed and just starting to cry. I’d worked towards it for so long and not many umpires get to that stage, especially from regional areas. It was very gratifying. “I was thinking about everyone who helped me along the way and all the sacrifices, particularly from family. Early on, I was asked to umpire state team training and practice matches in Melbourne early on Sundays. It was a big opportunity but I couldn’t drive, so Mum was always up for the task; Dad as well, when he was home from work. All those hours spent in the car from Echuca, I’m very fortunate they could do that for me.” That A-badge opened other doors for Maddie, including selection for the 2019 national championships and being named as a reserve umpire for the Australian Netball League. It also means she is eligible to pursue her AA (All Australia) accreditation, the highest level available. “Umpiring ANL is my next goal,” she says. “Even reserving, it was fantastic to be on the sidelines and see some of the top up-and-coming netballers. It’s a whole different level of netball and you have to step up to an even greater commitment of fitness, nutrition and time on the road travelling interstate. But I hope all that’s in the pipeline.” In the meantime, Maddie looks forward to making her BFNL debut in the midcourt for the Roos. “It’s exciting to be back playing netball at a new club. It’s a fantastic environment with great girls and really good coaches and I can’t wait to get out there alongside them. I also want to do as many VNL games as I can. And being in Bendigo is closer to home so it means I can see my family a bit more, so I’m really excited for what this year holds.” Her advice for emerging regional netball umpires is to grasp every opportunity. “Every chance to umpire trials, or attend tournaments, where you can get exposure to Netball Victoria officials is invaluable experience and gets you on their radar. That’s how it worked for me. Put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to take the next step. You never know where it might get you.”

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