Eccles makes umpiring record

COLLEAGUE Dedy Friebe refers to Robert "Locky" Eccles as the face of football umpiring in south-west Victoria.To anyone who knows the 55-year-old whistleblower it is a face with expressions ranging from cheeky grin to broad smile or side-splitting laugh.In between the humour, Eccles has balanced the serious business of controlling football matches for a record-equalling 667 appointments with the Warrnambool and District Football Umpires' Association.Tomorrow at Koroit in an under 18 game he will break the standard set by Michael Corbett in 1993.It caps a weekend of big milestones for WDFUA members.Bernie Bourke will umpire his 500th game and Cory Mahony will reach the 300 mark.The prospect of attracting public attention for his achievement filled Eccles with dread, as he preferred to fly under the radar in his role as an umpires' mentor.He was also reluctant to accept the recognition attached to the games record, deferring to Corbett."He's a bigger legend than I am," Eccles declared."He was one of the best umpires I ever umpired with. He was a quiet achiever."Although Corbett joined the association in 1962 - seven years before Eccles - their careers overlapped for a high point in 1986 when they shared officiating duties in the Hampden league grand final between Warrnambool and Camperdown.The match was a memorable one for Eccles, largely because of the presence of Warrnambool playing coach Grant Thomas.He recalled Thomas was tested physically throughout the contest, with an early head wound leaving his face covered in blood."At three-quarter time I asked him: 'Why don't you wipe that?'," Eccles recalled."I'm leaving that on to inspire my team," Thomas replied.Warrnambool won the game, the first of a record-breaking four successive flags under Thomas.Eccles attributes his longevity to the therapeutic qualities of Lady Bay.His weekday routine begins at 6am on the beach with a four-kilometre run or walk, followed by 150 push-ups and sit-ups.After his weekend appointments he spends up to an hour wading in the shallows."That's my training," he said. "I just keep myself ticking over every day."The water keeps my old legs going. If it's good for horses it's good for humans."While he was inspired by "the old brigade" of Roy Main, Des Munday, Doug Anderson and Ray Carter early in his career, for the past two years the association's rookies have fuelled Eccles' motivation.As an umpiring mentor, he runs with the youngsters through WDFNL under 14, under 17 and HFNL under 18 games before they graduate into senior ranks. He also squeezes in the odd game as club umpire for Merrivale and takes the occasional WDFUA goal umpiring appointment.One of the most important pieces of advice he offers the next generation of umpires is to communicate, have fun and enjoy themselves on the field.It is a philosophy which has served him well for 39 years, including the day he had the crowd in stitches at Reid Oval when he called time-on to address vocal Warrnambool spectator, the late Bill Toleman.Offering his whistle, Eccles yelled: "Hey you up there in the crowd, you with the big mouth, why don't you come down here and do a better job?"The fun-loving whistleblower also found it hard to keep a straight face during a WDFNL match in which Deakin player Rodney Ryan had advertising painted on his shaved head.With appointments outside the WDFUA, Eccles estimated he had umpired 721 games across his 39-year career.He had a simple explanation for such a lengthy involvement: "I love football. I just like being part of the game."Bourke will reach his milestone tomorrow at Old Collegians, umpiring with his sons James (central) and Dominic (goals).Bourke started umpiring in 1977, has served on the coaching panel and has been an active member of the association's committee.