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Young Gun
14 | iNarrabri Magazine | September 2016
How did you become interested in
refereeing rugby league games?
From a young age I enjoyed watch-
ing my Dad, Bill Toomey, referee
local games. I used to be a ballboy
when he was refereeing.
What has been the progression for
you through the refereeing ranks?
I first started refereeing junior
games here in Narrabri when I
was about 16. I did this for about
3 years - getting use to the game.
I then progressed to the Level 1
ranking which included face to
face and online testing. Recently I
have completed my Level 2 which
means that I can now referee First
Grade. Currently, I referee Group
4 Reserve Grade and also Second
Division games.
Who has inspired you to become a
more proficient referee and in what
ways have you progressed?
My dad, Bill, inspired me to be the
referee I am today. He had a great
control of games... you could tell
by the way he would talk to players
and how they reacted to him.
I am
not at his level yet but I think that I
have progressed in my knowledge
of the rules and ability to control
difficult situations.
How do the constant rule changes
affect you and do you think players
actually know the rules?
The rules do change a lot from
season to season and we have
had about five changes this year.
I have to be proactive in learning
and maintaining my knowledge of
the rules. I have found the more
mature and experienced players
know the rules while newer, less
experienced players often show
their lack of knowledge.
How are games allocated and travel
costs met by referees?
Games are allocated by the
Group 4 Appointments Board
which is made up by Tony Hardy,
Barry Pratten, James Brown, Tim
Kennedy and Harold Sutton. All
referees and linesman are paid
travel when required to use their
own car to get to games as well as
a match payment. Games are al-
located on a weekly basis depend-
ing on who is available and the
proximity of each referee to each
game. We have a big shortage of
refs so we are busy and doubling
up just about every weekend.
Why do you think there is such a
shortage of local referees?
Corey Dixon - Local Referee
Born and bred in Narrabri, 21 year old Corey Dixon is one of the
youngest referees officiating in our local, senior Rugby League
competitions and has aspirations for a future NRL career...
I believe people witnessing the
level of abuse referees receive
when making decisions is the
main reason. Unfortunately this
happens way too often and even
at the junior levels. A lot of young
referees who start out at junior
levels are put off by this. This isn’t
coming from the players, but the
parents on the sideline.
What gives you the greatest degree
of satisfaction in refereeing?
Receiving compliments after
a game from members of the
Appointments Board or senior
referees is always nice.
I like the whole experience of
games, travelling to new places
and meeting people. It is also a
great way to keep fit.
Former Group 4 refs, the Sutton
brothers (from Coonabarabran)
are now high up in the ranks of the
NRL. Do you have any aspirations
with your refereeing?
I’d love to be up there... to keep
progressing with my refereeing
outside of Narrabri and to reach
the same level as the Suttons and
referee full time would be great!
When you are not refereeing, what
do you get up to?
During the week I work four days
at the High School in Wee Waa
mentoring and helping kids that
are playing up. In my spare time,
I like to play sport, mainly touch
footy, and play a bit of guitar.
Do you follow the NRL?
I have been a Roosters supporter
since I can remember... my oldest
brother David goes for them so I
guess I followed him. But when I
watch games I find that I pay more
attention to the referees than the
players... just to get some pointers
off them and see what they do in
certain situations. Even though
there is a lot of differences to what
they do and we do, it’s the same
rules. The main difference is that
they have access to a lot more
technology where as we have to
make decisions straight away.
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photo: John Burgess