South West’s Talen Guthrie to Represent Country WA in Adelaide

Country Football WA is proud to announce Talen Guthrie from the South West Football League has been selected as the field umpire for the 2026 WA State Country Men’s Team interstate clash against South Australia Country at Barossa Park on Saturday, 25th July.

Each year, the State Program recognises one of the top-performing country field umpires from the Nutrien Ag Solutions Senior Men’s Country Championships, providing the opportunity to officiate on the interstate stage alongside the state’s best country footballers.

Guthrie earned his selection following an outstanding Country Championships campaign, where he was recognised as the 2026 JJ Lussick Award for Field Umpire of the Championships.

The selection caps off another impressive season for the South West official, who continues to progress through the umpiring ranks after beginning his journey in 2017 while still playing junior football.

“I started umpiring back in 2017 while I was still playing junior football, attending umpire training after football training,” Guthrie said.

“I started out on the boundary and field umpiring junior games before eventually finishing playing football and committing to umpiring full-time. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to join the WAFL Development Squad, officiate last year’s South West Football League, League Grand Final and be recognised as the league’s Field Umpire of the Year.”

Guthrie said the opportunity to travel interstate was one he was eager to embrace.

“It’s definitely something I’m grateful for, but what excites me most is the chance to get over to South Australia and umpire some high-quality football,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn and test myself.”

Representing the South West Football League on the interstate stage is another achievement Guthrie is proud of.

“It’s a great opportunity and something I’m excited to do,” he said. “Hopefully I can represent the SWFL well and show the quality of our country umpires.”

Reflecting on this year’s Country Championships, Guthrie said the experience reinforced the strength of country football and officiating across Western Australia.

“The standard of football was really high, which meant the standard of umpiring also needed to be high,” he said. “It was great to work alongside umpires from all over the state.”

Despite the physical demands of officiating across three days of championship football, Guthrie said the reward made every kilometre worthwhile.

“The biggest challenge was staying consistent across the three days, especially once fatigue started to set in,” he said. “The highlight was being awarded Umpire of the Carnival and then being selected to travel to Adelaide and represent Country WA.”

Guthrie will join the WA State Country Men’s squad as they travel to Adelaide to take on South Australia Country, proudly representing not only the South West Football League but the strength and depth of country umpiring across Western Australia.

Image – By Kiara Blake

Talen Guthrie, Front Row, Centre