Eleni Glouftsis among four umpires to go into 14-day isolation in South Australia before umpiring Round 2 Showdown
The AFL umpiring boss has revealed the four umpires who enabled a Round 2 Showdown to happen. And among them is an umpiring trailblazer. He says how they selected the quartet and whether they will be paid extra for their sacrifice.
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Umpiring trailblazer Eleni Glouftsis is among the four umpires who will travel to Adelaide a fortnight in advance to officiate the hotly anticipated Showdown clash in Round 2.
The Herald Sun revealed on Sunday that four AFL umpires will travel to Adelaide and undergo strict 14-day isolation to umpire a single game.
AFL umpiring boss Grant Williams said Glouftsis, veteran umpire Matt Nicholls, Leigh Haussen and Craig Fleer will officiate the Port Adelaide and Adelaide match-up.
He lauded the “dedicated bunch” who allowed the prime time match to happen, saying the quartet’s personal circumstances were best suited among the candidates.
The chosen four are able to juggle non-umpiring work commitments and three of the four umpires have family in the city of churches.
All four umpires will receive a living away from home allowance during their 14-day isolation period.
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“These four that are going across to Adelaide are all juggling their outside life as well and their situation allows them to do it,” Williams said on SEN.
“Some of those will be working from home so to speak or working from isolation, others their current jobs are not currently underway.
“They’ve got personal circumstances that allows them to do it and we are very grateful that that’s the case and super excited that it means there’s a Showdown in Adelaide.”
But the quartet won’t all travel together.
Nicholls and Fleer have decided to drive over, while Glouftsis and Haussen will fly to Adelaide.
FOUR UMPIRES PUT THEIR HAND UP
The AFL’s umpires were desperate to help the season get underway, with many putting their hand up to subject themselves to 14 days of isolation.
The AFL’s only two umpires based in Adelaide – which has strict border measures – are rookies who are yet to umpire a senior game.
It means four AFL umpires will travel to Adelaide later in the week and put themselves in two weeks of isolation to umpire the Adelaide-Port clash.
The lack of AFL umpires for the clash was the sole sticking point which hampered the AFL’s ability to schedule a Round 2 Showdown which would keep those clubs out of Gold Coast hubs until mid-June.
AFL Umpires association boss Rob Kerr confirmed to the Herald Sun the umpires were determined to do whatever it took to help the AFL resume its season.
“We have been pretty flexible all along and have taken the position that we are keen to get help get the game back on track,” he said.
“The need to have finished isolation the day before the game.”
There are AFL goal and boundary umpires in South Australia so only field umpires will enter isolation.
MORE NEWS:
AFL considering scheduling Hawthorn-Geelong clash in bumper Round 2
Originally published as Eleni Glouftsis among four umpires to go into 14-day isolation in South Australia before umpiring Round 2 Showdown
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