300 up for Nipper

THIS weekend Bruce Alp will umpire his 300th AFL North Coast match.

‘Nipper’ first started blowing a whistle 13 years ago and now he is on the verge of a tremendous milestone.

“It actually means a lot. It’s actually an achievement because of the old age factor and it has been difficult with niggling injuries which is more wear and tear injuries simply through age,” Alp said.

“I’ve said ‘nah, stuff it, just keep persevering’ and a couple of drinks at the end of a match generally will save the day.

“It does mean a lot to me simply because what it signifies is that the perseverance gets you everywhere.”

He still remembers his first game like it was yesterday.

“I’m 67 now and I finished playing at Sawtell/Toormina at 54,” Alp said.

“My first game was at Fitzroy Oval and it was the Coffs Swans and Sawtell/Toormina in the reserves.”

Nipper said the lifelong friends he’s made has been the highlight of his time with the Team Green.

“The lifestyle alongside, and I say this very nicely but with the greatest respect, ‘Fossils’,” he joked.

“‘Rocket’ Rod Macpherson to me is still the number one man in AFL North Coast. And then there’s  obviously Scotty Bellamy and George Massaad as well. Those three blokes have been unbelievable. My 300 games pales into insignificance when you look at the number of games that George, Scotty and Rocket have done and their contribution to the game.”

For the past five years Nipper has even spent his Saturday afternoons during summer being a cricket  umpire.

But his love of footy, and the Geelong Cats, burns brightly within him.

“Footy is in my D.N.A. Football wise I predominantly played in Victoria (in South Gippsland starting with Korumburra then Foster and Wonthaggi) and obviously Sawtell. There was 600-odd games of footy there since I started when I was about 12 or 13. It’s just in the system that you do it. Moving to umpiring was a natural transition just to still be a part of it,” he said.

“The umpire does have the best seat in the house without getting the hamstrings and knees and groins. You’re still part of it but without the injuries attached to it.”

When asked if there was one thing he would change about his time in the game, Nipper fired off a quick response.

“I totally despise laps,” he said.

“I’ve ran to the moon and back over 50-plus years with football training and umpire training.”

But he said one thing he’s learned is that if a new umpire joins the ranks, they will be supported by their fellow whistle blowers.

“The camaraderie within the team, and umpires are most definitely a team similar to your local footy team, it’s exactly the same principles and we do stick together like superglue,” he said.

“Back in the day when I was a footballer thinking about going into umpiring, I was fairly confident umpires were unusual, aliens, they’re weird. That is not the case. I can confirm 100 per cent they’re an excellent bunch of individuals. And I might emphasise that’s female, male, juniors, whoever, it doesn’t matter.

“If you become an umpire you will enjoy the camaraderie, the team and you will better as a person because of it without doubt.”