When it comes to scoring, goal umpire Angus McKenzie-Wills is displaying all the right signals.

In Melbourne last week officiating in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, the 22-year-old displays persistence both on and off the football field.

Despite growing up along the northern beaches of Sydney, in traditional rugby-league heartland, Angus fell in love with football when he attended his first match in Sydney as a five-year-old.

“My old man’s family were from Melbourne and Dad took me to a (Sydney) Swans game at the SCG in 1999,” Angus said.

The next year Angus was playing football for his local side and decided to take up field umpiring once he reached the under-14’s as that was “the normal thing to do”.

It wasn’t soon after that the-then field umpire traded his whistle for white flags and started a new career as a goal umpire.

Quickly progressing through the ranks, the NEAFL official began goal umpiring senior football at the age of 18.

“I’ve been in the system a while now, my goal is certainly to be an AFL goal umpire and I feel like I’m on that path being involved with championships like this one,” he said.

Despite having umpired numerous finals and grand finals, there are some challenges goal umpires continue to face in northern Sydney.

The “goals” Angus trains under consist of only two posts and feature a crossbar.

“We train on rugby fields,” he explains.

“At times it has been challenging, we may not have the resources, but we get by.”

Off the field, Angus’ journey is an equally impressive one.

A political science graduate from the University of Sydney, the Manly local was in his final year of study when he went in search of the perfect placement.

“I sent my résumé out to lots of members of parliament in Sydney, both state and federal, trying to get some work experience while I was finishing off my honours,” he said.

“No one got back to me except for my local MP, Mike Baird.”

After two months of work experience that local MP, in rather odd circumstances, was elected the state’s Premier and Angus, midway through his honours at the time, managed to score a four-day-a-week job in his electoral office.

Describing the work as “daunting at first,” the saxophone player now believes it is his dream first job.

So does Angus see himself as a future politician?

“The short answer is no, but I must admit, being in the inner sanctum during the election campaign is exciting”.

Whether he becomes an AFL goal umpire or the future Premier of NSW, Angus’ actions show persistence is the key to achieving success in life.