By Renae Smyth
Spending five years together in Netball Australia’s umpire pathway, it’s a craft they have worked on together. A journey they have been on together.
Round 10 of the Suncorp Super Netball was no different. The round culminated with Barnes and Begley being awarded their All Australia Umpire Awards, the highest achievement for an umpire in Australia. They had reached the top.
“I got tears to the eyes. It was a moment that I had been waiting for, for a long time. I had my A badge for 8 years. Having to work as hard as we did, it was a massive reward and it’s still a bit surreal,” Justin said.
Even after noticing the third umpire coach on the sideline, the pair remained composed to get the job done at Nissan Arena.
“Some umpires know before they get tested, but we didn’t know. So, when we got there and saw three coaches, watching us the whole time, we put A and B together,” Nathan said.
“The match for me, was really about focusing on the fact that you're still there to do a job. The players need you to do that job. This is the top league in Australia, so you’ve got to perform whether you’re being tested or not.”
Being in the hub, meant that celebrating the extraordinary milestone, was like most things this year, a little different.
Justin jumped into a post-match ice bath and was still very much pinching himself, wondering “Is this real?”
Once it had sunk in, he shared the exciting news with his family back home in Victoria via a group chat. A chat which we can only assume was filled with thumbs up and love heart reacts.
But, looking back, the duo can see that it certainly wasn’t a natural linear journey by any means, and nor has is it been a lonely one.
“If we had to draw a map of how we got there over the years, I can guarantee you the map would be an ugly two-year old mess of a drawing,” Justin said.
“Looking at our pathway into the program, we have literally tracked the same way through,” Nathan said.
“We’ve gone through all the highs and lows together - two international tournaments, three Australian Netball League seasons and three National Netball Championships. We’ve done it all together.”
All their incredible achievements and success, the humble two can only put down to the support they have received along the way.
“From your first umpire coaches who instilled some of those fundamental basics that you have to use even at this level to the support received from Netball Victoria and Netball Australia,” Nathan said.
“It’s people in the netball world, my partner, my family, my friends. There have just been so many people who have been a part of the journey and have helped me get here.
“It’s your colleagues too, so obviously Justin, we’ve helped each other, and there are people in the cohort of umpires who aren’t even AA themselves, but you know who have just championed you through it.”
With so much to be proud of in this year alone, Nathan and Justin continue to look to the future.
“It’s about making sure to I’m continuing to perform at the best of my ability,” Nathan said.
“The AA is something we’ve both worked towards for a good six years, the learning doesn’t stop there, and the development doesn’t stop there.”
