Johnny Cooper is probably one of the more easy going boundary umpires around – and he knows it.

When asked if making senior finals was his goal for 2015, he responded “Yeah I’m just aiming to get some senior finals, see how far I go, and if I have a good year I’ll see what happens when it happens… bit chilled like that”.

And as for reaching 50 VFL games? “To get 50’s pretty good. It’s just usually umpiring each week to make sure I get in seniors again.”

Johnny’s story is not unlike many an umpire who finds themselves at the VFL many years after they begin as a young teenager earning some pocket money. At the age of 13 he began running the boundary in the Southern Football League where he “got paid thirty bucks and it was pretty good”. But the twist in Johnny’s umpiring career is the sibling rivalry that he faced in his 8 years umpiring local footy. He and older sister Elise began umpiring at the same time – “The Cooper Show” he called it – and at the end of 2010 they had umpired 128 and 131 games respectively – his sister with the greater experience.

But in 2011 Johnny went one better, making the development list at AFL Victoria. He arrived at Victoria Park ready to do his best, and his best seemed to be good enough, being elevated to the senior panel after just one year.

Johnny’s enduring memory from his time so far on as a VFL umpire was his first MCG game. “Kev had pulled me aside at training and was telling me I need to focus more on this and that, and then he ended the conversation with ‘so I’m giving you a game on the ‘G to sort it out’. Weirdest thing anyone’s ever said, fix your problems by running on the biggest stage in the footy world”. But, he says, he’s still a game or so behind his sister who, as part of a female umpiring academy having moved into field umpiring following Johnny’s move to the VFL, has done a few games at the home of football already. The rivalry continues.

In keeping with his laid back nature, Johnny didn’t have too much to say about his milestone game on Sunday. Umpiring at Box Hill is “brutal” and for a milestone match on a cold and wet day it was easy enough to see why. But no doubt, whatever he achieves in umpiring, he’ll be keeping an eye on how he’s stacking up against his sister. It’s something rivals just do.