Danny O'Brien racing manager Jack Howard to make AFL field umpire debut in Richmond-Sydney clash at MCG
Jack Howard, an Australian Rules field umpire and racing manager for Flemington trainer Danny O'Brien, is set for a dream AFL debut on Saturday at the MCG.
The passionate AFL-listed whistleblower, called up for the Richmond-Sydney clash, has officiated the past two VFL grand finals and performed well in the state league.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
'It was a bit more relief for me but you do realise how important it is when you start calling friends and family and they're just over the moon,' Howard said.
'The old man burst into tears … they've (parents) sacrificed a lot, a lot before I got my licence, driving me around.'
Howard started umpiring Essendon District junior football at 12 and advanced into senior ranks, including a career-shaping season in Darwin, with a goal to make the AFL.
Working in racing the past decade, a stable hand initially mucking out boxes before going to university to complete a teaching degree, has steeled field umpire Howard.
'I've sort of chosen three careers in my life where you get more criticism than praise and they've all helped with each other,' Howard said.
Howard credited the ongoing support of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer O'Brien and stable general manager Matt Harrington.
'It's been a sustained couple of years of really putting my head down,' Howard said.
'I had a good chat with Danny four years ago and had to make a decision whether I continued on … set some goals I had to achieve and got them.
'I couldn't have done it without his and Matt's support … It helps Danny and Matt love footy and we've got a great group of staff … that allow me to chase both careers.'
Howard conceded Monday footy banter could become tricky should he be allocated any Hawthorn (O'Brien) or North Melbourne (Harrington) games in the future.
'I have joked I might have to chuck a sickie on a Monday to let the water go under the bridge before I walk back into the office,' Howard laughed.
'To be honest, outside the standard banter there's not a lot of football discussion, especially umpiring and that.
'They understand it's a difficult job and very much like racing, you get a lot more criticism than you do pats on the back for it.'
O'Brien is able to be at the MCG to support Howard, with one important stable runner on Saturday, Politely Dun, in the Group 1 Queensland Derby.
'Dan's decided he's going to come along to the 'G, it just shows the support I've got from him and his family,' Howard said.
'When I told them (Danny and wife Nina on) Monday when I found out they were over the moon.'
The Richmond-Sydney match should be finished in time, and Brownlow votes logged accordingly, for Howard to catch the Queensland Derby live at 3.52pm.
'It's actually worked out well,' Howard said.
'We don't have any runners at Flemington this week and Politely Dun in the rescheduled Queensland Derby.
'He's a really good chance up there, I really like the horse. It would be, hopefully, a great day for the stable.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
25 minutes ago
- ABC News
Maya Joint digs deep at Eastbourne Open to beat Alexandra Eala for maiden grass-court title
Teenage sensation Maya Joint has earned an epic, back-to-the-wall victory at the Eastbourne Open to give Australia's challenge at Wimbledon the perfect launch pad. The US-born 19-year-old, who has been making a stratospheric rise in the sport since relocating to Queensland less than two years ago, saved four match points on her way to defeating fellow rising star Alexandra Eala in a pulsating tie-break finale on Sunday (AEST). It meant Joint became the first Australian player to win the women's title in the 50-year history of the British seaside event, which has become the traditional curtain raiser for the grass-court grand slam, which begins on Monday. "It's been an amazing year, an amazing two years," Joint said at Devonshire Park, while saluting Aussie coach Chris Mahony, who she credits with transforming her career. "Thank you for everything you've done. You're a lifesaver." The astonishing 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win will rocket Brisbane-based Joint, who only turned 19 in April, to number 41 in the world when she kicks off her maiden Wimbledon with a tough opener against Russian number 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova on Tuesday. "I'm very happy right now, feeling very relieved as well. It was a very difficult match," Joint said. "I'm proud of myself for coming back and staying in the match, even though I'd lost about nine of the last 10 games." Joint had been 5-2 down, and almost out, in the final breaker, having to come up with fabulous defensive scrabbling to stay in contention as Eala came agonisingly close to becoming the Philippines's first ever WTA champion. But the teenage daughter of former Sydney squash professional Michael Joint demonstrated real courage and calm in a terrific showdown which, after a nervy spell from both players as they both homed in on the title, really hit the heights in the youngest final since Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger in 1981. For Eala, who has become a young heroine in the Philippines, it was all so crushing after Joint sealed the deal with a backhand cross-court winner that the 20-year-old was in tears, with the Australian trying to console her that "we will definitely play in more finals". Remarkably, Joint's run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open five weeks ago also came on the weekend before a grand slam, and she then got knocked out in the first round by Ajla Tomljanović. "It's really great preparation. I've got a lot of matches in before Wimbledon, and hopefully I can be in Wimbledon a little bit longer than I was in the French," Joint said. "I think this time's a tiny bit different. I get one more day of rest, and I'll just detach myself a little bit more from the last match, and just focus on the match coming up. "But I'm just really excited to get to London later today and step into Wimby for the first time." AAP
News.com.au
31 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘That's a week': AFL umpire strikes young Demon in Suns beat down
Melbourne has been left bloodied and battered during its 19-point loss to the Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon. The Demons kicked five goals in the final quarter to put some gloss on the scoreboard, but they trailed 5.7 to one point at quarter-time en route to a 15.14 (104) to 12.13 (85) defeat that turns the heat up on coach Simon Goodwin. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Their disappointing afternoon might have been personified by an incident between young midfielder Harvey Langford and umpire Martin Rodger late in that awful opening term. Rodger bounced the ball after the Suns' fourth unanswered goal and then backed away from the centre circle with his arms raised, inadvertently clipping Langford on his path backwards. Watch the umpire clip in the video player above The 19-year-old was briefly rocked before opting to continue playing, heading back into defence and trying to get involved in the play before he was spotted by the umpire and sent off with the blood rule. The moment with Langford was initially missed by the commentators before he was seen on the bench receiving treatment and a replay was then shown. 'Umpire elbow, Langford,' Jonathan Brown said when he saw the replay. Ben Dixon added: 'Yeah umpire elbow boys.' Alastair Lynch then joked: 'That's a week!' Dixon replied: 'Yeah that's a week to the ump.' Dwayne Russell then added some insult to the injury by wondering if Langford might cop a fine. 'Would he get fined for umpire contact?' he asked. 'Because he was behind the umpire and they've been paying free kicks and fining players for it, so he might get stitches and a fine.' There was more trouble to come for the Demons, and not just on the scoreboard, when Clayton Oliver attempted to dive on a loose footy and clashed heads with Suns star Touk Miller. The three-time All Australian came off second best, with blood pouring from a wound on his head as he came from the ground. That sparked a bloodied rest of the game for Oliver, with the team's medical staff trying valiantly but mostly unsuccessfully to patch him up. 'Have a look at Clayton Oliver,' Dixon said late in the game as blood poured down his heavily bandaged face. 'They're trying to get him off. He looks like Hannibal Lecter, fair dinkum. 'It's just leaking from everywhere, they're just trying to get him off to get some more tape on it.' Fans on X were also noticing the carnage. Lucy Cuzzupe tweeted: 'How is it concussion's a thing in football today but Oliver can run on the ground with all that bandage covering his face and head? Such a bad look. If he's that bad sub him off.' @GreyCommentator said: 'Someone get the record books out. What's the record for the most number of concussions/blood rules for one team in a match? 'Melbourne so far 2 concussions, Oliver with blood streaming, Langford with blood after an umpire elbowed him.' It all summed up a pretty miserable day for the Dees, who will likely be spared more intense scrutiny after kicking 12 goals to the Gold Coast's 10 after quarter-time. While Michael Voss is copping the most heat over the performances of his Carlton side, Melbourne fans were voicing their concerns about 2021 flag winner Goodwin. 'We need to have a talk about Simon Goodwin being coach at the end of the season. This is just bad,' one fan wrote on X. 'Goodwin will always have the flag and I don't have any animosity for him, but the list deserves a different look at the caper, so Simon should read the tea leaves and step aside,' wrote another. 'Simon Goodwin is a kindergarten level football coach. Bloke has been fidgeting for 4 years. Biggest waste of a post premiership era of all time. My nan could have won 2 premierships with that list,' said a third. The Demons, who are sitting 14th with five wins for the season, head to Adelaide next up to take on the high-flying Crows.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Aussie bloke baffled over barista's ‘creepy' coffee act to girlfriend
A Sydney man's dilemma over his girlfriend's special treatment at their local coffee shop has gone viral, prompting a flood of advice from thousands of viewers. Jake Craig explained in a TikTok that he moved in with his girlfriend, Beth, to a suburb that's new to him but not to her. Mr Craig, keen to establish a nice morning routine with his girlfriend, always offers to make her a coffee at home each day using a French press. But Beth, a self-confessed coffee enthusiast, prefers to get her caffeine fix from their local cafe, which she's been visiting for about three years. 'They know her, they know her order, the main guy knows her name, and everyone knows each other,' he explained. Most of the cafe staff have even begun to recognise Mr Craig and are 'friendly enough,' he says. However, things took a turn when Beth took a week-long break from her local haunt, and upon her return, was greeted with an extremely warm welcome. 'The main guy said, 'Oh Beth, it's been so long, we missed you.' He looked over his shoulder at one of the staff and said, 'Oh, he really missed you.'' Things heated up when her coffee cup that day arrived with love hearts drawn on it and the words, 'my love' – from the man who supposedly missed her. The next time she visited, her cup read 'my secret' and then the third, 'My secret love'. Each time, Beth returned home giggling about the situation, seemingly amused by the attention. Mr Craig, for his part, insists he isn't 'threatened' – but described the whole situation as 'crazy' and 'odd', before turning to the comments for advice. Many suggested practical solutions – like getting an espresso machine at home, or buying Beth a reusable coffee cup that can't be written on. Others simply praised the couple for being able to laugh about the situation. 'Can we just appreciate the healthy relationship, though? The fact you can all just laugh about it,' pointed out one. However, not everyone was laughing. Some thought the responsibility was on Beth to put an end to the barista's behaviour. 'Kinda curious why Beth isn't setting the record straight?' asked one person. Another said Beth needed to 'put in the boundaries'. Others called out the barista's behaviour. 'If someone flirts with me and knows I have a partner, I get very upset that they're so happy to blatantly disrespect my partner to my face,' one user said. However, one fellow barista argued that cafe staff often joke around with regulars like this and don't mean any harm by it.
