Warrnambool and District Football Umpires Association umpire co-ordinator Dedy Friebe said the goal for officials was to go “unnoticed” during the WDFNL senior footy grand final.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them have very little impact on the game and letting the players fight it out,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

“(But) the crew we’ve put in are the absolute best at the moment.

“We’ve got 12 umpires doing their first grand finals (across the four football grades) on Saturday and 14 who have increased their grade or gone up.”

For goal umpire Ashley Jennings, Saturday’s clash between Kolora-Noorat and Old Collegians will be the first senior grand final he officiates.

The second-year umpire had his first experience of grand final day last year, when he waved the flags in the Hampden under 18.5 decider.

“It’s great to be involved on the day and you get a great view of what’s going on,” Jennings said.

At the other end of the spectrum, field umpire Mick Lowther is preparing for his sixth senior district grand final.

His first was all the way back in 1996 and he officiated four more before retiring in 2007 to spend more time with his young family.

“(But last year) they approached me to be their fitness coach – I used to be that all those years ago – and I thought, seeing as though I’m running their fitness, I may as well take up umpiring again,” he said.