'I’m quite fortunate to make it here': Cole reaches 150 Cup games

Milestone games are significant for every coach, player and match official who earns them.

But for Queensland Rugby League high performance unit member Jarrod Cole, this weekend’s milestone match holds a particularly special meaning.

In his own words, he “nearly didn’t make it to 100”.

So to be officiating his 150th Cup match this Saturday – a massive clash between the fifth-placed Brisbane Tigers and competition leaders Souths Logan Magpies – it’s an achievement he takes extreme pride in.

In the 2019 pre-season, physiotherapist Cole was at work in a hospital when he suffered a shock heart attack.

The journey back to the field was long – and something he considers one of his career highlights and also one of his biggest challenges.

But it is the fact he is still able to officiate four years on that makes his 150th match more significant than usual.

“It’s been a long run,” Cole said.

“I’m quite grateful for the opportunities I’ve had through the QRL. I’m quite fortunate to make it here because I nearly didn’t make it to my 100.

“The greatest achievement of my time in Cup would be my first game back in 2019 after my heart attack. I had a long road to go and a lot of questions of, was I going to referee that year, let alone ever again.

“When it happened, the doctors tell you that you can’t do any sort of exercise for a few weeks and so you have to work your way back to a level of fitness, physically and mentally, to withstand running around for 80 minutes and referee.

“That was a bit of an unknown with the timeline but I managed to get back to refereeing Cup in about 12 weeks.

“It was emotional that I got back and I was quite happy that I did get back and was quite proud of that moment.”

Cole first started out refereeing in touch football and was also playing rugby league when he decided to take up the whistle in the code at the age of 15.

His first game as a rugby league match official was an under 7s game a young Jayden Campbell was playing.

Cole then juggled officiating and playing until he was 18 when he decided to give his full attention to refereeing.

His Cup debut came in 2014.

“I remember it was Sunny Coast v Souths in 2014,” Cole said of his debut.

“I got the phone call on Tuesday afternoon from Eddie Ward, who in charge back then. I’d been waiting for a year, a year and a half, thinking, ‘am I going to get in or not?’.

“Getting into Cup is so hard - it’s competitive, a very tough competition. I was so thrilled to get that phone call.

“My 50th and 100th games were with Sunny Coast as well and now my 150th is with Souths, who I debuted with as well. It’s quite fitting.”

Former QRL referees director Ward is one of the people Cole says had the biggest impact on his career, after offering him the opportunity to come into the high performance unit squad.

Outside of that, it’s his parents, Belinda and Murray, and former match official and high performance co-ordinator, John Topp.

“Probably first and foremost would be my parents,” Cole said.

“They started driving me around to games on the Gold Coast to referee and were supportive in my decision to stop playing to referee. They were a big influence on my referee career and still are.

“Then there’s John Topp. He was someone who pushed me forward and was there the whole journey, even to this day.

“He’s someone I can go back to and talk with, not just about refereeing but life in general.”

Another two big influences for Cole are fellow match officials, Nick Pelgrave and Tyson Brough.

Cole and Pelgrave have come through the ranks together since they were teenagers and all three referees have hit their 150 Cup milestone this season, with Cole the last to do so. He said they are always there for each other.

“It’s quite fitting that Nick Pelgrave, Broughy and myself do 150 within a few weeks of each other,” Cole said.

“We’ve all grown up through this squad together.

“We bounce ideas off each other, talk through the week about different scenarios. We all have our different styles of refereeing but we all get on and know what each other bring to the table.”

And outside of that, Cole of course has his wife, Tara, and his two young children.

“My wife’s been there through the journey the last few years,” Cole said.

“She was there when I was going through my heart and has always been supportive of what I do as a referee and the training and what not.

“There’s a lot of juggling with family and kids and what she needs to do as well.”

While his family won’t be at his milestone match – with his two-year-old and nine-month-old in bed by the time the 5.30pm clash wraps up - Cole knows how much they support him and will take a moment to reflect on that and all his achievements on Saturday.