BUDDING Orange hockey umpire Mac Reith-Snare is making giant strides in the world of Premier League Hockey officialdom - more than he expected anyway.

Reith-Snare will umpire today’s women’s Premier League Hockey decider between minor premiers Panthers and Bathurst City in Lithgow, and says even after officiating in last weekend’s extra-time thriller between Ex-Services and City, he didn’t expect to receive a grand final appointment.

Making the honour more special, he’ll do so with fellow Orange umpire Andrew Stevenson.

“I’m really excited about it actually,” Reith-Snare said.

“I’m pretty pleased about it. I wasn’t expecting to get the grand final.

“Knowing I was going to umpire a lot of games this year, I was hoping to get a semi-final, and I managed to get that, and then got the preliminary final as well.

“They asked me last Sunday if I was willing to do the grand final, and obviously I said yes so I’ve gone a few steps further than I hoped to.

“There’s a few nerves there, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Panthers were the predictable this year - the defending champions dominant on their way to another grand final berth.

Bathurst City has endured a somewhat up-and-down campaign.

In a re-match of last year’s grand final, won 4-2 by Panthers, Reith-Snare was predicting a close contest.

“I’m expecting a good game, a really fast and physical game,” he said.

“I’ve umpired Lithgow and Bathurst City before so I know how they play, and it’s really about letting the game flow and letting them play hockey, and not blowing my whistle too much.

“I’ll need to stamp my authority a bit I guess early on, and let the players know what they can and can’t get away with.

“After that, it’s about not really standing out, trying not to be too involved.”