FOUR seasons of grafting through the Victorian Football League’s umpiring ranks has earned Kieran Ferguson the chance to blow the whistle on a long-held goal.
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The former Warrnambool umpire is set to officiate in the state league’s decider between Richmond and Port Melbourne on Sunday.
It will be the pharmacist’s first VFL decider after three seasons officiating in the home-and-away season and one in the development league.
“I had a bit of bad luck in last season’s finals, and ended up umpiring in the TAC Cup grand final,” Ferguson said.
“Everything went to plan this year and I’ve ended up in the senior grand final.
“I’m pretty excited. It’s lots of fun and it’s a really good challenge.”
He said umpiring at a higher level posed different challenges than country football.
“It’s definitely a bit of a step up. It’s quite good, but it can be quite quick and fast at times,” Ferguson said.
“I’ve mainly been doing senior games so it’s been a good lead in.”
Ferguson followed his father, Andrew, into umpiring in 2006. He began officiating in Melbourne in 2013 after relocating for university.
The VFL grand final begins at 3pm at Etihad Stadium.