NEAFL for former Saints player

Former St Kilda player Leigh Fisher hung up his boots late last year after being de-listed by the club for the second time but he is nearing a return to the AFL – this time as an umpire.

Fisher is currently part of the AFL’s fast-track umpiring scheme for former players. The program currently includes Jordan Bannister and Scott Howard and now Fisher.

This weekend at Manuka Oval the 26-year-old will umpire the match between Belconnen and Ainslie in the new North East Australian Football League.

“He comes to us at the right age, he’s still very fit and capable physically and he’s a fitness fanatic,” AFL Director of Umpiring Jeff Gieschen told afl.com.au.

“He’s got a good size and presence about him and he’s mature, calm and composed, so he brings a lot of good traits to umpiring.”

Fisher was initially courted at the end of 2009 after being delisted by the Saints. He was rookied by the club later that year and put any idea of umpiring on hold for another 12 months.

At the end of last season, the 55-game player contacted the AFL about joining the program after being cut again by the Saints.

With a passion to remain in the game, Fisher is plying his trade as an umpire and is tracking along nicely to return to the AFL.

“He was enthusiastic and passionate about wanting to do it, when they’ve got that passion for it and really want to do it, they’re going to be relatively successful at it,” Gieschen said.

“Where we’ve learned from the past, trying to make people do it and convince people it’s worthwhile doing is not the same as them putting their hand up.”

Fisher has umpired in the VAFA and Southern Football League this season along with the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships. Then only two weeks ago, he umpired his first NEAFL game between Sydney Swans and Eastlake.

Fisher umpired very well in the match and according to NEAFL umpires’ coach Graham Glassford he held his own with the field umpires.

“It’s hard to believe that Leigh has only umpired 15 games of football,” Glassford said.

“A lot of footballers in their first season still look like footballers when they umpire but he’s shown remarkable progress. It’s great to see former players making the transition to umpiring.”