The past two A-League Grand Finals have been blighted by controversial refereeing decisions and the pressure will be on Strebre Delovski on Saturday night to ensure he doesn't make it a hat-trick.
Delovski was voted the Referee of the Year in the A-League awards and by the PFA this season and deserves his first crack at a Grand Final. He takes a pragmatic approach to refereeing and is economical in his use of cards. In 23 games this season, he has only sent two players off. More importantly, both decisions were justified.
After having four red cards shown in the past three Grand Finals, FFA can be comfortable in the knowledge that Delovski is not known for being a trigger figure.
The two men who would have challenged him for the spot in the middle on Saturday, Matthew Breeze and Peter Green, blotted their copy books in recent weeks, making the Wollongong-based ref the clear choice.
Peter Green, the man most likely to challenge him, missed Chris Payne's obvious handball in last week's preliminary final, while Breeze's decision to only give Terry McFlynn a yellow card for his horror tackle on Robbie Kruse in the final game of the regular season drew widespread condemnation.
Breeze's previous shot at a Grand Final ended badly after he had an all-too-significant say in last year' decider between Melbourne and Adelaide. The match between Melbourne and Adelaide was decided by just the one goal, but it was the send offs of two players that had the biggest effect on the game.
Adelaide striker Cristiano was sent off 10 minutes in, while Melbourne's Danny Allsopp got his marching orders with 25 minutes left after an altercation with Robbie Cornthwaite.
The FFA overturned both red cards for obvious error within days of the match and it was apparent that the man in the middle had made a couple of shocking decisions which changed the whole nature of the Grand Final and all-but-ruined the Reds' chance of winning their first title.
Twelve months earlier it was Mark Shield in the middle of a tense game between Newcastle and Central Coast. Shield, a World Cup experienced referee who has since retired, had done a great job until the final minute of the match.
From a Mariners corner, Newcastle's James Holland handled the ball clearly but it went unnoticed by Breeze and his assistants. Incensed his side was not awarded a penalty which would have forced the game into extra time, Danny Vukovic slapped Breeze's arm away. Justifiably, he was sent from the field and would serve a lengthy ban which cost him a spot at the Olympics.
One poor decision can blight a referee's career forever - just ask Graham Poll - and a referee's performance in a major game like a Grand Final will often by whether or not he is noticed in the context of the game. Delovski will be no doubt happy if his work goes unnoticed on Saturday and he doesn't have to pull out a red card.