An umpiring journey like no other for Cypress

BY ALEX TIGANI

Cypress Hart in his Men’s Premier Division debut in Sydney earlier this season.

It is an early prediction.

Yet there is every chance that Cypress Hart may be our region’s next AFL star.

No, you will not see him battling for the ball on prime time just as former Hunter Central Coast juniors Craig Bird (originally from Nelson Bay) and Isaac Heeney (Cardiff) did for the Swans on countless occasions.

Instead, the cameras will close in on him directing the game’s greatest players as an umpire.

That is if everything goes to plan.

The 18-year-old made a leap off faith alongside fellow rising star umpire Kyan Everson when travelling to Darwin for the 2022/23 NTFL season.

Now in the midst of the AFL’s Community Umpiring Week, he has been selected to officiate a senior game in the AFL Sydney competition.

He says he is excited about the opportunity following a full summer of umpiring in the top end.

“I travelled up there and came back with two league semi-finals and a reserve grade grand final so to me that was a nod that I still have more to offer and still have time to squeeze every bit of potential out of my umpiring,” Hart explained.

Ironically, the teenager commenced his umpiring career in Sydney after his family moved from their farm near Yabberup in Western Australia.

By the end of 2015 the then 10-year-old begged his family for permission to play AFL and was granted the right to change out of his Fremantle Dockers’ supporter gear into the yellow and black playing strip of the newly former Moore Park Tigers.

A young Cypress Hart getting ready to umpire in his first season.

From there I moved to Rosebery in inner Sydney when I was 10 (Late 2015) the following year I begged my mother to allow me to play AFL for the Moore Park Tigers. This is where my love of football took off.

Then came his next big move.

“The following year in 2017 our team manager sent out some information regarding the need for umpires,” he recalled.

“I was dead against this because I wanted to focus on playing.

“My mother forced me to give it a go starting in U/9s in the AFL Sydney juniors competition.

“I continued on playing and umpiring until the following year I broke my arm playing.

“As soon as I got out of the cast I still had 6 weeks to wait, so I focused on umpiring.”

The talented official made his mark and was selected to join the Next Gen program on his way home on the train from a day of umpiring academy games at Blacktown.

It was at this point the 14-year-old set his sights on becoming an AFL umpire, a goal he still has in his sights today.

He was denied a senior debut due to the 2020 covid-lockdown after a long summer of training.

The teenager continued his running and finally officiated his first senior game in 2021 when his family moved to the Central Coast.

Within a week, he was promoted to the Men’s Cup competition and then he added the NTFL onto his CV by the end of season 2022.

“During the 2022 season I really established myself as an umpire in the AFL HCC,” he explained.

Fellow Rising Star and close mate Kyan Everson with Cypress prior to their Premier League Reserve grand final together.

“During the season around June my good mate and star umpire Kyan Everson sent me a link to send a EOI to umpire in the NT.”

It made for an experience of a lifetime for the AFL Hunter Central Coast figures.

He now hopes to welcome future umpires on board.

“Umpiring is about being in an environment where you are challenged every week,” he concluded.

“It could be running, it could be to learn something every single day, it could be the weather, it could be the footy.”