AFL umpire Brent Wallace shares rare insight into Brownlow votes discussion

7NEWS

17-07-2025

The AFL field umpires who officiated GWS's win over Essendon on Thursday night have provided rare insight into their post-match routine.
Viewers almost never hear from the umpires after a game, but Brent Wallace, Nick Brown, Andrew Gianfagna and Nick McGinness welcomed Channel 7's cameras and commentator Brian Taylor into their rooms for a fascinating chat.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Roaming Brian chats to the AFL umpires.
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Wallace revealed the first point of call immediately after a game is the discussion around Brownlow Medal votes.
'We come straight in and lock away the room and get straight into the Brownlow, that's the first thing we like to lock away, make sure it's done and dusted,' he told Channel 7.
'All four of us have input and we make sure we take notes on the game and come together and go through each player from both teams.'
As has widely been reported over the years, the umpires do not have access to player stats after the match.
Wallace admitted the lack of stats can make the process 'challenging'.
'It is (hard) and some days are quite challenging for us and some days are really easy for us,' he said.
'The great thing is we have the four of us and we can work together to get the right outcome.'
The four umpires also receive feedback from coach Bryan Sheehan.
'He comes in and gives us a bit of feedback on how the game went, if there was any trends we need to watch as part of our review and what we need to do over the next couple of days to review the game,' Wallace said.
The AFL have cracked down on umpire contact this year with a rule change allowing players to be sent to the tribunal for four instances over a two-year period.
Carlton midfielder Adam Cerra was the first player to face the tribunal since the change and was handed a $5500 fine as a result.
There was one incident of note during Thursday night's clash, with Jake Stringer making contact with umpire Brown after a ball-up.
'Yeah, we try to do everything we can to clear that space and sometimes they get caught up in it,' he said.
'Sometimes it's just wrong place, wrong time.'
While sometimes the umpires have been accused of being at fault for contact, Wallace insisted they are doing their best to get out of the way
'We're still in the early years of the four-umpire system and we're always trying to evolve the system and make sure that we're trying to stay out of the players' way as much as possible,' he said.
'At the same time, there's that little passage that we need to make sure we get out of the way for the players.'