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NSWRL Referees Association

18 hours ago

Most First Grade Games Refereed
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NSWRL Referees Association

22 hours ago

Continuing with our new daily series: Behind the Whistle!
Each day, we’ll shine a spotlight on a referee or touch judge who has helped shape, serve and contribute to the great game of rugby league.
Today we feature our 5th special profile on those who contributed to refereeing but didn’t quite make first grade.

Today we recognise Danielle Berry, a proud product of the Manly Referees Association and graded official #921.

Danielle’s story is another important reminder that impact in rugby league officiating is not only measured by first grade appearances. As a touch judge, Danielle contributed across the NSW pathway system, including 16 NSW Cup / Reserve Grade equivalent matches and 5 NYC Under 20s matches.

Her first NSW Cup appointment came in Round 20, 2007, when St George Illawarra Dragons played Canterbury Bulldogs at WIN Stadium. Her final NSW Cup appearance came in Round 22, 2008, when Western Suburbs Magpies played Newcastle Knights at Campbelltown Stadium.

Danielle’s contribution also forms part of the wider story of women in rugby league officiating—officials who helped build pathways, break through barriers, and create opportunities for the next generation.

Who will be featured tomorrow? Stay tuned!
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NSWRL Referees Association

2 days ago

Continuing with our new daily series: Behind the Whistle!

Today we recognise Edward James “Ted” Hooper, one of the true founding figures of rugby league officiating in Australia. Born in Kent, England in 1871, Hooper moved to Australia and first made his name as a rugby player, representing clubs including Surry Hills, Eastern Suburbs and Sydney. After retiring from playing, he turned to refereeing and became one of the most important figures in the birth of rugby league in Australia.

In 1907, as the new rugby league code was forming, Hooper helped lead a small group of eight men who became Australia’s first rugby league referees. On 28 August 1907, he was appointed the first president of the Rugby League Referees’ Association, a role he held until 1912.

One of the most remarkable parts of Hooper’s story is that when the NSWRFL offered to pay referees and Touch Judges, Hooper argued that they should not accept payment. Instead, the money should go back into helping the new game survive. Even more incredibly, referees and Touch Judges agreed to donate money from their own pockets for every match they controlled.

On 20 April 1908, Hooper refereed the first rugby league game played under Northern Union rules in Sydney, with Eastern Suburbs defeating Newtown 32–16 at Wentworth Park. Just weeks later, he became the first official to referee a representative rugby league match in Australasia when NSW played the touring New Zealand side.

His commitment and fitness were also legendary. On 4 July 1908, Hooper refereed two first grade games on the same day — Newtown vs North Sydney at 2pm, followed by Balmain vs Glebe at 3:15pm.

His final moments were fittingly connected to rugby league. In 1925, while in Brisbane with the NSW team, Hooper refereed a novelty match between Brisbane and Ipswich referees at half-time of an interstate game. After leaving the field to applause from the crowd, he collapsed in the dressing room and passed away, aged 54.
A player, referee, administrator, selector and pioneer — Ted Hooper was more than an official. He helped build rugby league refereeing from the very beginning. ... See MoreSee Less