DIRECTOR OF REFEREES’ REPORT

Mr. John McCormack

It is with pleasure that I submit to the members the Director of Referees report for season 2009. This season was again competitive in all junior and senior age groups and all referees performed commendably throughout the season and during the finals which resulted in a high standard of play by the players and it made it all the more difficult for the Directors of Referees to appropriately appoint referees into their rightful grade.

The season started early with a number of trials for the Bulldogs junior reps in late 2008 and kicked off again in February 2009 with the district trials from the first week of March. Even though there was no payment involved many referees ran most weekends and covered for those referees who had other commitments such as summer sport. Refereeing is all about supporting the game of Rugby League and the enjoyment that the players receive along with the enjoyment the referees should receive by being an active participant rather than the monetary reward. Thank you to all those young and older members who helped out in the hot weather!

One of the features of 2009 which has largely gone unnoticed is that we did not receive one “official” complaint from the junior league clubs. I do believe that the rapport between the referees and the clubs has improved over the years, possibly due to the effects of the code of conduct and probably due to the strong relationship the Association has with the Junior League.

When I look back and critically review the performance of the Directors of Referees and the Advisory Board in 2009 that are responsible for on-field coaching, development and evaluation of referees, I feel that our performance was below par for what the referees deserve. There are a couple of reasons for this view –

1. Personally, I was not as active in watching referees this year as I would have liked due to balancing work, family and football commitments. The additional workload was then left to Kim and George and the Advisory panel. 2. The on-going and increasing commitment required of our Graded members meant that they were not able to devote as much time to the

District throughout the season. However, I acknowledge the efforts of

David Abood and Richard Daizli who made themselves available to ensure we evaluated all referees during the finals. 3. Finally, the number of active Advisory Board members was down on previous years and the work was left to a few dedicated members.

In terms of referee numbers 2009 was a not so good year. Unfortunately 13 referees from 2008 did not referee with us again in 2009. Within that number were some potentially very good referees, but due to work and study commitments did not blow the whistle in 2009. Hopefully they will not be lost to us altogether and that they will return in the future. On the other hand we welcomed 8 new active members to the Association all of whom are young men and a woman looking to make their mark in refereeing. My hope is that they will be back and enthusiastic to have a crack at higher grades in 2010. My thanks again to all active members who tolerated the many last minute changes to games and / or venue which was more pronounced this season than in previous seasons. At the end of the season we can say “everything worked out in the end”.

We continued the rotation of the senior referees in the top 3 grades - A grade, u19 grade and u17 grade competitions for three quarters of the season. This created greater competition amongst the more senior members by allowing the referees in the lower grades to compete against the A grade referees and thereby improve their standard of refereeing. The other benefit was that the footballers were not being refereed by the same small group of referees each weekend. The standard of refereeing in the top grades continues to improve and provide many opportunities to advance.

Congratulations to John Gorzanelli and Robbie Dubois who were nominated and represented the Association in Perth. Also, Scott Butler and I were fortunate to represent the Association at the Sunshine Coast Referees Association. We were well looked after and made to be feel very welcome. It was very enlightening to see how other associations are administered and how other referees handle games within their district. These interstate appointments are a great way to cross pollinate ideas and improve the camaraderie of referees at a district level and it should be a goal for all referees to strive for as they develop their careers at Canterbury.

While there were some shortcomings in the Directors of Referees function as outlined above there are still a number of people that helped me in my role. A big Thank You to my fellow Directors - Kim and George. When I was delayed or unable to attend meetings they covered for me. There was always plenty of healthy discussion each week. Many hours were spent evaluating reports and discussing appointments. During the finals series we spent a lot of time ensuring that all referees were appropriately rewarded with semi finals and finals. Kim and George could be seen around the grounds each weekend. Kim could be seen around the grounds most Saturdays and George would be out and about (and active) on Saturday and / or Sunday each and every weekend.

My thanks also go to the Advisory Board members who gave up their valuable private time to watch referees each weekend, sometimes in quite trying conditions. Their efforts have a significant impact on the development of referees and to ensure the correct appointment of referees to finals fixtures. A special thanks to Paul

Archer, Wayne Loveday, Mario Cafarelli and Brian Barker for their continued efforts throughout the season.

To members of the Executive, thank you for your guidance and support throughout the season. Paul Archer is as always a mentor and sounding board as we dealt with issues that invariably arise throughout the season.

Thanks also to Kevin Shanahan and the District Club. Kevin was always approachable and listened to my concerns regarding scheduling and security. I trust it will continue in the seasons ahead.

I would also like to mention and acknowledge the many senior members, a number of whom are still active, who provide unparalleled support, coaching and mentoring to the junior referees both on and off the field. Without them the Association would struggle to maintain its high standard that we have come to expect. I’ve said it before, they are the back bone of the Association and we cannot do without them. I will not mention names those members know who they are….

Congratulations to all referees and touch judges who officiated in Grand Finals this season. To Reg Marks, the new holder of the Clubb-Johnson award - he has continued to develop as a referee over a number of years. I think this year was the realisation within his own mind that he “IS” good enough to be the number one referee at Canterbury. To Feras Karem, the worthy winner of the Farrelly-Dick trophy. Feras epitomizes what younger referees should strive to do – he seeks out and learns from more experienced referees and puts into practice what he has learnt by refereeing as many games as possible.

Finally, it is with sadness that I inform you that I will not be nominating for the role of Director of Referees in 2010. I have developed a close relationship with many of the active members throughout the past five seasons and it has been very rewarding for me to be a part of their development and also to take on a “non-financial” role within the Association. The role is very time consuming throughout the season and coupled with my work commitments and also living outside the district has made it that much more challenging. I could not have put in to the role what I did without the support of Susan who has always been considerate and supportive when I have been attending meetings or watching games on weekends. I look forward to supporting the Association in the seasons ahead.

I’m sure that the new Director will bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the role and that 2010 will be a successful season.

John McCormack

DIRECTOR OF REFEREES