Peter Carey is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

umpire in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

Career

Throughout his career at

VFL/AFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

level, Carey umpired 307 senior games. He was named the All-Australian umpire in 1992 and umpired four VFL/AFL grand finals, as well as a VFA grand final. Carey achieved lasting notoriety after taking a

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

while umpiring a match. In his 299th

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

match, between

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

and St Kilda at

Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

in 1999, Fremantle's

Adrian Fletcher Adrian Fletcher (born 10 October 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer and current assistant coach. He is regarded as one of football's nomads, having played for five Australian Football League clubs in his 13-year career. Fletcher's p ...

kicked the ball from the wing towards the centre of the oval directly at Carey. Rather than move out of the way, Carey proceeded to take the mark on his chest as if he were the intended recipient of the kick. He immediately stopped the game and called for a ball-up to the general consternation and laughter of the players around him. The AFL summoned Carey for a "please explain" after the incident, but no action was taken against him. The incident is generally considered to be one of the more humorous in the league's history and was celebrated as one of the "150 Greatest Moments" in 2008's celebration of 150 years of Australian rules football. Legendary AFL commentator

Dennis Cometti Dennis John Cometti (born 26 March 1949) is an Australian retired sports commentator, player and coach of Australian rules football. In a career spanning 51 years, his smooth voice, dry humour and quick wit became his trademark. Until his reti ...

remarked soon after Carey's "mark": "Carey by name, Carey by nature", undoubtedly a reference to

Wayne Carey Wayne Francis Carey (born 27 May 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A dual-premiership captain at North Melbou ...

. Carey served for a time on the

AFL Tribunal The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League (AFL), an Australian rules football competition. The Tribunal regulates the conduct of players, umpires, and other officials associated with the AFL and its clubs. ...

's Match Review panel. In August 2010, it was announced that Carey would take up the new position of National Basketball League Referees Manager.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian Football League umpires Victorian Football Association umpires {{aflbio-stub