The Ballarat Central Independent Tribunal ruled there was not sufficient evidence to find Larkin guilty of the charge of insulting umpire Paul Clark, who was unable to attend last night's hearing due to a prior commitment.

In an affidavit provided to the tribunal, Clark said Larkin had called him a "cheat" after Rokewood-Corindhap coach Tom Mullane-Grant was awarded back-to-back free kicks after a clash with Larkin.

The 23-year-old Skipton player last night said the insult had been directed at Mullane-Grant for "taking a dive", and not the umpire.

"I made contact with Tom Mullane-Grant and he went down," Larkin admitted.

"I turned to him and said `you're a cheat' for taking a dive . It was definitely directed towards the player."

In Clark's affidavit, the umpire insisted he had an uninterrupted view and that he was "of the clear opinion that the communication was directed at me by his contact".

Under heavy cross-examination Larkin said he did not see the umpire at the time of the incident and was not aware he had been reported until after the game.

In a twist, Larkin will now be able to play against his brother Dale's team Lexton in the grand final.

Dale Larkin found his way to the Tigers, following a brief stint at Dunolly, after he was dropped by Skipton for last year's LPFL grand final after playing every home and away match of the season. Damien was part of that premiership team.

Damien Larkin said it was likely the pair would be direct opponents on Saturday. "I was feeling relieved (last night). I felt I was going to get off the charge but you never know," he said.

"We're pretty close so Dale wished me luck for the hearing.

"We played against each other twice during the season as direct opponents. We're one and one in terms of wins. He'd think he beat me both times. I'd say I beat him. Mum would say we're 50-50."