"The phone has melted in my pocket," an amused Chamberlain said, after he vomited in the opening quarter of GWS' 36-point defeat on Sunday.

"Just the guys saying, 'This is definitely your best angle', 'Is this your blue steel?' We've got a really cool umpiring group, they're really supportive, but if they have a chance to give me some s---, they will.

"All the things they could take a photo of, like Noah Bolta kicking goals, or the spectacular match highlights, and apparently me spewing my guts up is what we needed."

Despite being visibly ill, with the help of the umpiring team at the ground the man nicknamed 'Razor Ray' was somehow able to continue for the remainder of the match. He said they deserved a "purple heart" for helping him get through the ordeal.

"Whether I had a little bug, or eaten something, or didn't quite get my hydration right and overcooked it - I'm not sure. But yeah, I was a bit unsettled," the 45-year-old said.

"When I was over on my haunches, one of the GWS boys looked at me and goes, 'Are you okay, Razor?' So it was cool they showed a bit of care."

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Chamberlain, who began his illustrious career in the capital, explained to The Canberra Times that he "wasn't feeling 100 per cent" en route to the MCG and hadn't felt unwell like that before a game in 10 years or so.

But after two decades officiating at the elite level, he believed he'd be able to manage it, even in the 29-degree weather.

"When I was younger that would have potentially upset me," he said.

"Like, 'Oh my god, am I going to be able to run, am I going to be able to cover 14-18 kilometres in this heat and do a party trick bouncing the ball?' Whereas now I go, 'Okay, I might be hampered a little physically, but that doesn't have to affect me cognitively, so just calm down, and do your job.'

"If it was impacting my ability to do my job, then it's incumbent upon you to get off the ground... that's the balance that you have to strike."

The incident quickly drew attention from fans and media, and on social media the wisecracks kept coming.

However the moment also highlighted the incredible fitness and toughness required by AFL umpires in today's game.

Guided by professional strength and conditioning teams, it's a gruelling 16-week pre-season with 2 kilometre time-trials, speed and skill drills that prepares them to officiate AFL games all over the country in stifling heat to freezing cold, running between 13-18 kilometres in each match.

"Umpiring AFL footy is amazing, and even at the local community level too," Chamberlain said, and encouraged those interested to sign up as a field, boundary or goal umpire through the AFL.

"The physical component in the AFL, we've got to run hard, we run with injuries and guys have had surgeries, that's not unusual in our crowd - to be resilient and have a crack. That's what we do."

It's that training which gave Chamberlain the confidence he could persevere through the game.

"Yeh I felt a bit crook, but I've been doing it for a while, so I've got a decent base that I can bounce off," he said.

"There's always stuff that happens from time to time in games when you're physically exerting yourself and you're not quite right, but you just brush it off, and you move on."

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