Two of the AFL’s most senior umpires have again been selected to oversee the league’s showcase game, with Matt Stevic and Simon Meredith to officiate in their sixth Grand Final together and Stevic to equal a 100-year record.
Foxfooty.com.au understands Stevic and Meredith, who’ve umpired almost 900 AFL games between them, will be in charge of Saturday’s decider between Geelong and Sydney alongside Brendan Hosking, who’s been picked to make his Grand Final debut in his 11th season.
The trio have been selected ahead of Hayden Gavine, who’s been named emergency field umpire after an impressive 2022 campaign.
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Remarkably, it’ll be the 10th Grand Final in 11 years to be officiated by Stevic, who ran out for his 450th AFL game last weekend and is widely viewed among the umpiring community as the league’s best officiator.
This is highlighted by the fact Stevic has been selected to oversee every Grand Final since 2014 and all but one since 2012. He now sits fourth on the all-time umpire games list with 426, which includes a league-record 52 finals.
Stevic’s selection will see him join inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee and VFL/AFL umpire of the century Jack Elder in equal-first spot for most Grand Finals officiated by a field umpire. Elder umpired 10 Grand Finals from 1906 to 1922, with the Collingwood-Fitzroy decider his final match 100 years ago.
Meredith, who umpired the Swans-Magpies preliminary final with Stevic, will officiate in his first Grand Final since 2018 and his seventh overall. He was named the 2022 All-Australian field umpire late last month.
Both Stevic and Meredith were selected to make their Grand Final debuts in 2012 — and have been the most frequently picked whistleblowers for the premiership decider since.
Hosking commenced his umpiring career at the Essendon District Football League in 2003 before working his way up the ladder to the AFL list and making his senior debut in Round 3, 2012. He umpired his 200th game in July when Carlton took on St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.
Hosking had only umpired two AFL finals prior to this 2022 season, yet will become the third Grand Final debutant in three years.
“Matt, Brendan and Simon have done an exceptional job umpiring throughout the 2022 season and the honour of officiating the Toyota AFL Grand Final is well and truly deserved,” AFL Head of Umpiring Dan Richardson said.
“This strikes a great balance between years of umpiring experience and also new talent officiating the biggest game of the year.
Nine-time Grand Final whistleblower Brett Rosebury and Andrew Stephens were the other two umpires that officiated in preliminary finals last weekend but missed out on Grand Final selection.
The boundary umpires will be Michael Marantelli (five AFL Grand Finals), Christopher Gordon (five) and Matthew Konetschka (four AFL Grand Finals), with Ben Macdonald to officiate in his first ever Grand Final. Matt Tomkins has been named emergency.
The goal umpires will be Matthew Dervan and Sam Walsh, with Dylan Benwell the emergency.
“I want to thank every umpire who has participated in officiating a game this season, and their families – without their commitment and support the game wouldn’t be possible,” AFL Umpires Head Coach Michael Jennings said.
“The umpires selected in the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final are the best in the industry and are very deserving of this privilege – congratulations to all of them and I wish them the very best for Saturday.”
