Being ‘savagely attacked’ by a cow would be enough to end most people’s careers, but it wasn’t enough to stop Kevin Nettleton.
The 67-year-old, who is the South West Football League’s games record holder for field umpires, will take to the field for the first time since September 2016 after being seriously injured by a cow early last year on his farm in Boyanup.
Nettleton said the attack resulted in broken neck and femur along with a ‘fairly big piece taken out the back of [his] scalp’.
But despite his injuries, Nettleton said he was determined to return to the field.
“I’ve done it for a long time and I enjoy it,” he said.
“I still think I have something to offer at my very geriatric pace.”
Nettleton began his career in umpiring in 1978 when work and life commitments meant he no longer had time to continue his playing career.
“I played with Harvey-Brunswick and then we bought a property which we needed to do some work on,” he said.
“I couldn’t put in three nights a week plus Sunday for football and also develop the property, so I started umpiring instead.”
That decision kick-started a career that has now spanned 40 years and seen Nettleton given life membership to the league and inducted into the league’s hall of fame.
Nettleton said he was looking forward to being back out in the middle to umpire his 699th game this weekend in the women’s match between Bunbury and the Harvey Bulls.
He said he had put in a lot of work to get back into good enough shape to continue his umpiring career.
“I [umpired] a juniors game last weekend, which I enjoyed,” he said.
“That was my first one. I’ve obviously been training over the last few weeks to try and get right.”
He said while he loves the feeling of being out on the field, he enjoys watching other umpires and even players develop throughout their careers.
“Now that I’m a bit older, it’s the teaching and development side of umpiring that I enjoy,” he said.
“But I also enjoy watching the development of footballers coming through the ranks.”
“I’ve umpired a lot of colts lately and you follow the kids through to league or wherever they go to.”
Nettleton said he had no nerves prior to his return, but that he felt he was getting close to the end of his distinguished career.
