Mondays before the AFL Grand Final are a singularly nervous experience for umpires.
While every decision from the weekend’s game replays through their head, each umpire from the two preliminary finals must wait for a phone call from their coach to learn their fate.
The call can be only one of two things; good or bad. They will either be told that their season is over, or that they’ve been selected for the biggest game of them all.
When goal umpire Dylan Benwell received a call from National Goal Umpire Coach David Dixon on Monday, it was a good one.
“I got the call from Dicko yesterday [Monday] morning,” said Benwell.
“It was an incredibly emotional phone call.”
For umpires, as with players, personal accolades are nice to have, but the true goal is always to reach that one day in September.
“It means so much to me… it’s probably 18 years of dedication and weekends put into it.”
Most importantly to Benwell, making it to a Grand Final is so much more than just a personal achievement.
“There’s no way I would have been here without those friends, the family, without the other umpires on the Victorian and national list that I’ve been with,” he said.
The father of two young kids described the “overwhelming sense of gratitude” he feels for the support of his wife, family and friends that has allowed him to chase his umpiring dream.
“My wife does so much at home on weekends and during the week to support me and support our young family,” he said.
“My dad pretty much has attended every single game that I’ve done in Melbourne.
“It’s something for him to be able to celebrate as well because he’s been there for all the highs across my career, all the lows, all right through the VFL pathway.
“Calling him on Monday to let him know was quite emotional for both of us.”
First picking up the flags with the Southern Umpires Association on the Mornington Peninsula to join a friend behind the goals, Benwell was soon earning praise from coaches who saw a potential career ahead for the talented youngster.
“Within the second year I was doing it I was getting some pretty good feedback that I might be able to progress to the higher levels,” he said.
2026 AFL Grand Final Goal Umpires Dylan Benwell (L) and Matthew Dervan (R) (Photo by James Wiltshire/AFL Photos)
“I probably never envisaged at that early stage that I’d actually be able to be doing this on the middle of the MCG in front of 95,000 people.”
To be selected to umpire an AFL Grand Final is no easy feat, and amongst the goal umpires only two can get that honour.
During finals, the tight knit community of goalies find themselves competing against some of their closest friends.
Once narrowed down to the top four, the margins between the best and the rest become incredibly small. Every score decision has the potential to make or break a season.
“You’re competing against some of your closest mates every weekend, but it’s never actually like that,” reassured Benwell.
“What will last longer than this grand final experience is the friendships and mates that I’ve made across this whole journey. That’s for sure.”
Although he’s staring down the biggest match of his career in two days, Benwell couldn’t be better prepared, having just umpired one of the greatest preliminary finals the game has ever witnessed.
“That was an absolutely incredible experience,” he said.
97,000 fans packed the MCG to watch Hawthorn and Brisbane fight for a spot in the grand final.
The whopping 58 scoring shots kept Benwell and fellow flag-waver Matthew Dervan busy behind that goals all night.
“When you’re in it you know that it’s an exceptional game of football,” said Benwell.
“To have the winning goal kicked over your head – that noise was something else.
“I’ve been lucky to umpire some big marquee games in my time… but that noise on Saturday night was as loud as I’ve ever heard.”
Maintaining focus during the big moments is key. As Benwell points out “goal umpiring is such a mental game.”
Over his 168 AFL appearances, including 10 finals and an ANZAC Day clash, Benwell says he’s learned not to let the roar and ruckus of huge crowds distract him.
“Once you’re out there and you’ve moved to your end you just lock in on the ball and on the players… You’re so focussed that it helps to shut out the crowd noise.”
“As bizarre as it sounds, that sort of environment becomes a bit normal.”
Away from theatre of football and the crowds at the MCG, Benwell has an unlikely escape from the demands of umpiring – competitive lawn bowls.
A long-time player, Benwell has represented Victoria in the sport, and now plays for the MCC bowls club in the state premier division.
“I look at it as a great thing to connect with mates over a footy off-season,” he said.
“It’s surprisingly competitive and is certainly surprisingly young as well. There’s certainly some good banter between teams.
“You get to hang out with your mates on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday afternoon… that for me is the most important thing.”
On Saturday afternoon Benwell will become the 119th goal umpire to officiate an AFL/VFL grand final.
His partner on the day will be Matthew Dervan (5th Grand Final), with Steven Piperno listed as emergency.
Article by Jackson Kerr