Siblings Harry and Libby Birch have more in common than just footy.
AFL umpire Harry Birch, 23, and AFLW star Libby Birch, 25, have more in common as siblings than just footy. Having dealt with ill health as a family, they are also both medical professionals: one a physio, the other a doctor in training.
He started playing football but he was almost too fragile. I was at a netball tournament when Harry was 11, and Dad told me, “Harry’s just been knocked out; he’s gone to hospital in an ambulance.” That’s when he started umpiring instead, and it was perfect. He got to stay around footy, flex his intellectual side and exercise his lungs. It was like his breath of life.
I was always sick and wasn’t really sure of myself, and she was very protective. I’d have these flare-ups when I’d have to go into hospital, and the doctors didn’t know what was going on. They thought I had really bad asthma. It wasn’t figured out until I was 14.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
AFLW player Kate Surman feels 'uncomfortable' calling herself an athlete. Here's whyWith just 10 rounds per season, Kate Surman says AFLW lacks 'legitimacy'. She opens up to Kate O'Halloran about why increasing professionalism is causing growing pains for the competition, and why she still lives on the Gold Coast, despite playing for Geelong.
Read more »
Embarrassing, not fit enough, too nice: The Bulldogs are winless this season. What happened?Former Western Bulldogs vice president Susan Alberti says the team’s winless start to the AFLW season is unacceptable and their coach Nathan Burke has questioned his team’s professional standards as they slumped to an 0-5 record.
Read more »
‘Footy world’s gone mad’: News rocks AFLSomebody check on Kane Cornes.
Read more »
‘Good on Dermie’: Peta Credlin reacts to Labor MP’s ‘cringeworthy’ AFL legend momentSky News host Peta Credlin comments on “cringeworthy” Trade Minister Don Farrell’s interaction with Hawthorn Hawks legend Dermott Brereton on AFL Grand Final day. Dermott Brereton, who is now a specialist commentator for Fox Footy, called into Sydney radio station 2GB to talk about how he told Mr Farrell there was no way he would be voting for him or his government. Mr Brereton told the Trade Minister, who had just pushed to the front of a queue to see the AFL legend, “I didn’t vote for you guys … if you do the same to this state as the last bloke who was running this state at the local level, there’s no way I’ll be voting for you'. “This stuff is cringeworthy,” Ms Credlin said after listening to the radio clip. “But good on ‘Dermie’ for calling out the way Andrews ran the state into the ground.”
Read more »
Rising Australian tennis star disqualified for hitting umpireAn Australian tennis player has been disqualified for smashing a ball into the face of the chair umpire, costing him a ticket to the main draw of an ATP 1000 event.
Read more »