WHEN Shane Dempsey ran onto Melville Oval on Saturday for the Hamilton Kangaroos and Cobden senior Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) game, he notched up game number 1000 with the whistle in hand.

In a sport that celebrates a player reaching 100, 200 or 300+ games, Dempsey has climbed Everest by reaching such a huge number and it all began back in 1992 when he took up the whistle after finishing his playing days.