ARNO Pennings’ 22-year drought from umpiring on south-west football’s grandest stage is drawing to a close.
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The veteran field and boundary official is set to marshal the goalposts in Saturday’s Hampden league grand final, his first Hampden league decider since 1995.
Between arch rivals Port Fairy and Koroit, it will be the 57-year-old’s fifth Hampden grand final.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s the biggest one that we officiate in, so it’s what you always aim for,” Pennings told The Standard.
“The last decade, I’ve mainly been coaching. When I gave that up, I was looking at field, but also looking at goals because I’m getting a bit long in the tooth.
“I think the time is right for me to just say ‘I’ll stick with goals’. You’re still involved with the game of football and that’s the best thing.”
Pennings said goal umpiring required a different skill set to officiating on the field.
He said while gameplay posed challenges, environmental factors also made the task of goal umpiring difficult.
“The others can run away from a decision, and we can’t,” he laughed.
“You’ve got to be in the right position to adjudicate the correct score.
“You’ve got to be aware of the off-line kick, the mis-kick, the packs close to goal where it comes off a boot… You’ve got to be aware of it.
“You’ve got to be alert. It presents different challenges each game. You deal with the wind, the sun, as we saw at South Warrnambool the other week. The wind wreaked havoc.”
Pennings will be joined by field umpires Jamie Lake, Steve Walker and Samuel Burns, boundary officials Hayley Walker, James Rea, Trent Handreck and Caleb Millard, and fellow goal umpire Craig McAllister.
For Hayley Walker, the chance to become the first female to boundary umpire a Hampden league senior grand final is the chance of a lifetime.
Walker cut her teeth in last season’s Warrnambool and District football grand final before getting the nod to step up for the Hampden league decider.
“I’m so stoked. I’m feeling really confident and fit, so I just can’t wait,” she said.
“I’m umpiring with a great bunch. It makes uncertainty go away. I’ve had great coaching from Dedy Friebe as well, so I’m feeling good.”
Warrnambool and District Football Umpires Association president Jonathon Ryan said the umpiring team had earned the right to officiate the clash.
“The umpires who have been chosen for this weekend are very deserving of their appointments,” he said.
“The dedication and time they have put in throughout the year has earned the right to officiate the best game of the year between Port Fairy and Koroit.”