Ben Cummins continues to have faith in the much maligned video referee system and won't hesitate to refer decisions upstairs in Sunday's NRL grand final.
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Cummins yesterday got the phone call he'd been waiting for since he started officiating in Canberra nearly 20 years ago, when he was chosen alongside Tony Archer as the referees for the ANZ Stadium decider between the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury Bulldogs.
It's Cummins's first grand final and just reward for a stellar season in which he's become the premier referee in the competition.
He was the only referee to hold his spot for all three of this year's State of Origin games, and was awarded the Col Pearce Medal as the leading whistleblower during the NRL season.
''I'm a bit embarrassed by it all … it's been one of those years,'' Cummins said.
''I've changed a few things from previous years.
''A lot of it comes down to tweaking a few things like talking to players, and maturity's a big part as well.
''I'm over the moon.''
Cummins will take centre stage at a time when a spate of howlers from the video referees during the finals series has put the officials firmly under the blowtorch.
The most glaring was a missed knock-on from Manly's Kieran Foran in their semi-final win against the North Queensland Cowboys.
The video referees also missed Melbourne star Billy Slater dropping the ball on his way to scoring a try in last week's preliminary final against the Sea Eagles.
Referees boss Bill Harrigan has called in the big guns to ensure those mistakes don't happen in the grand final, bringing in experienced official Shayne Hayne to sit alongside Chris Ward in the video referee's box.
''Me and Arch have confidence in Wardy and Shayne and if we have any doubt [whether a try has been scored] we'll send it up there with confidence,'' Cummins said.
''Just like players, you want to do a good job. You want to make sure you get the decisions correct and put in a good performance.
''There is pressure and there is a lot at stake in these sort of games.''
Cummins came out of the Origin series with his reputation intact despite several controversial moments, most notably the Greg Inglis try which caused shockwaves in NSW in game one.
He shared the field with Archer in the final two games, and believes they have forged a solid combination.
Cummins cut his teeth as a 17-year-old in the Canberra junior competition before progressing up the ranks, moving to Sydney and making his NRL debut in 2006.
That rapid progression prevented him from officiating in a Canberra first-grand grand final.
''Funnily enough, I haven't done an A-grade grand final,'' he said.
''I did some 19s or C-grade, then I got graded for Sydney before I had the opportunity. The NRL grand final was a dream back then.''