Match officials: Queenslanders stepping up

Queensland match officials Liam Kennedy, Chris Butler, Peter Gough and Belinda Sharpe have been appointed on-field referees for Round 3 of the NRL this weekend.

It’s the first time 50 per cent of the on-field referees appointed across the eight games have hailed from the Sunshine State, according to Queensland Rugby League state match officials manager Clayton Sharpe.

“This is the first time 50 per cent are Queenslanders who have come through our development program from community to elite… to be equal share with New South Wales is really, really good,” Sharpe said.

“We also have 30 per cent representation in the touch judge appointments which, considering there is no match in Queensland this round, it is a great achievement.”

Queensland touch judges getting a run this weekend are NRL full-timer Wyatt Raymond, who is yet to debut in the middle, and QRL High Performance Unit match officials Tyson Brough, Nick Pelgrave and Michael Wise. 

Sharpe said there were five full-time NRL match officials based in Sydney - the four named in the middle this week and Raymond - in a squad of 18 full-timers and one part-timer, so it was excellent to see them all being so successful.

“I think this is testament to the people who came before me and the program we have here in Queensland,” Sharpe said.

"We start developing referees, aspirational referees, on a pathway from the under 12 through to under 18 state championships and A grade representative carnivals, then on to our statewide competitions.

“The pathway obviously works… it lends itself to producing quality.”

Sharpe said current QRL High Performance Unit match officials Brough, Jarrod Cole, Pelgrave and Daniel Schwass “could all referee NRL tomorrow". 

“While we’ve got four in the middle this week, we’ve got another five (including Raymond) that could easily go in the middle,” Sharpe said.

“For that to continue we need to continue to invest in and concentrate on our development processes… the more community match officials that we can educate and upskill, the better referees we're going to produce or the NRL are going to be provided with. They will have a wider base to choose from which means only the best of the best make it to the elite game.

“We have those guys ready now… their time is just dependent on opportunity in a full-time squad where turnover is low.”

Sharpe said it was important to note the current NRL full-timers were from right across Queensland, showing the pathway was there for everyone; Gough is from the Sunshine Coast, Kennedy and Butler from Brisbane, Sharpe from Rockhampton and Raymond from Townsville.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from in Queensland, there’s opportunity,” Sharpe said, noting an ideal state would see an NRL satellite office in Brisbane so full-time match officials did not have to be based in Sydney.

“Our development pathway is there for everyone.”

Sharpe said with the expansion of the women’s game and in the future, the men’s game, more match officials would be needed to meet demand so it was more important than ever to recruit, retain and develop those passionate about rugby league.