The former player and long-time club runner said the role was the next best thing to being on the ground. 

“It’s the closest thing you get to playing without copping the knocks and the bruises and whatnot,” Dwyer said. 

The wingman-onballer was joint captain of the 1997 Port Fairy senior team which lost to Cobden in the Hampden league grand final and his last game for the club was the 2005 decider against Terang Mortlake.

“With Port Fairy grand finals don’t come around very often,” Dwyer said. “There was certainly huge disappointment. I’d played in the ‘89 grand final team with the under 18s which was the first time we’d won a grand final with the under 18s.

“I’d also played in a reserves grand final and was hoping to win one in the seniors. I would have been the only person in the club to be able to do that.

“It will certainly outweigh that if we can get over the line tomorrow.” 

Forced to retire at the age of 32, with osteitis pubis, he would have loved to play on but the condition saw him lose his speed. 

After retiring, Dwyer said he realised the club’s 1958 premiership team wasn’t “getting any younger”, and interviewed the players about their grand final experiences. 

He spoke to Pat Matthey, Jim Murray, Barry Solomon and the late Bernie Baxter and captain/coach Allan Cations as part of the video interviews in a bid to preserve the club’s rich history.

Dwyer said while there was plenty of team colours and support around Port Fairy ahead of Saturday’s game, there was also a sense of calm.

“(Coach) Brett’s (Evans) instilled this in the players and the supporters that there’s still a job to be done,” the 44-year-old said on Friday.

“It’s not all about making the grand final, which we’ve done in the past, but actually trying to get over the line and win one.”