Dear CBDRLRA members,
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club has long enjoyed a proud association with the Canterbury-Bankstown District Rugby League Referees’ Association (CBDRLRA), and 2022 has been no different. Over the past 12 months, we have served our local community together, and enjoyed a great season through our wonderful junior league competition.
Both the CBDRLRA and Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League have continued to work together to ensure that our local football competition remains healthy. Rugby league is a great sport that connects and unites so many diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds. Through our united support in the space of grassroots rugby league, we are helping to drive connectivity and a sense of belonging amongst our players, their families and friends, and the wider community.
At the Bulldogs, community is at the heart of all that we do. Family has long been a traditional value of the Club and over the past 12 months, the Bulldogs have been working tirelessly to return our club and club patrons to these traditional values. The CBDRLRA have a great role within this family of ours and in turn, its’ members are not only a valued but vital contingent of our community.
Over the 101st season, CBDRLRA members have proved themselves to be as dedicated and passionate as ever. The Association continues to grow and produce new, quality referees every year and it is wonderful to see such active members enjoying a rewarding and essential role in rugby league. The efforts and passion that members contributed to the 2022 season have not gone unnoticed and on behalf of the entire Board of
Directors, Management, and staff of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, I would like to thank each and every one of those members. They played a fundamental role in developing the sport within the Bulldogs community and have collectively helped young athletes to pursue their aspirations and to enjoy the sport that unites us all.
Further to this, the CBDRLRA has helped pave the way for a transition of enthusiastic rugby league fans into an official capacity, through the opportunity to referee and develop their officiating skills.
Whilst we have endured a number of challenging years in the junior leagues space, I am proud to have seen that the commitment and efforts that have gone into creating a welcome, safe and enjoyable environment for young athletes in our district has paid dividends with three local juniors making their NRL debut for the CanterburyBankstown Bulldogs in the 2022 season. Congratulations to Jacob Kiraz of St Johns, Billy Tsikrikas of the Milperra Colts, and Kurtis Morrin of the Moorebank Rams, on these first-grade debuts. Their debuts bring the total up to nine local juniors who have progressed to 1st grade since 2019.
The growth of opportunity for talented players as well as sustained success both on and off the field, have been priorities of the Bulldogs Rugby League Club of late. By providing support, encouragement and access to world class expertise and guidance for developing players through the Bulldogs Academy programs, we hope to provide even more opportunities for players to progress through the Junior League and into pathways that are designed to help them realise their football potential.
While the Academy represents the future of the Bulldogs, the building phase that the Club is in presently certainly gives much to be excited about.
The signing of a host of quality players and the appointment of high calibre Football, Pathways, and Administration staff throughout the 2022 season has helped the Bulldogs to lay a solid foundation that I have no doubt will see us bolster our successes in 2023 and beyond. With the team now under the guidance of Cameron Ciraldo in 2023, we know that we have can much to look forward to.
The return of our NSW Cup team to play under the Bulldogs badge in 2022, saw some great talent emerge from the side – eight of the squad being elevated throughout the season to make their NRL debut. The NSW Cup side wore their jerseys with pride throughout the season, battling through knock-out rounds to make the grand final and fight all the way to the end. Bested only by Penrith in the end, the never say die attitude of these players speaks volumes to the future of this Club. As we continue to invest in building the Bulldogs Academy, I am excited to see even more talented individuals coming through the ranks in the years ahead.
In women’s pathways, 2023 will see the return of a Bulldogs side to the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership Competition. If the women’s team can emulate much of what the NSW Cup team achieved in 2022, the future is truly looking bright for our Club.
The expansion of the Club’s junior representative programs wouldn’t be possible without associations alike the CBDRLRA to assist in the running of professional matches and positive competition experiences. Whilst registration numbers were down year-on-year in the Junior League space for 2022, we know with the exceptional servicing that we saw in the season gone, we can work to returning the game to its’ pre-COVID affected state. 2022 was the first full season that we were able to enjoy (rain aside) without the disruptions of the previous two years, and I am confident that football will once again become a weekend ritual for many households.
The 2023 Telstra Premiership draw features some great matchups for the Bulldogs and sees us welcoming some home games to back to Belmore, a return to regional Queensland in Bundaberg, and several fixtures at the new home of the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium, where we can enjoy even more Member and community engagement activities. It is our hope that our Bulldogs team can continue to inspire the next generation of rugby league fans and talent, and with that general interest in the game will grow.
I know that I am not alone in sharing this sentiment, but there truly is a real sense of optimism and pride about being a Bulldog again. We are all looking forward to the start of the 2023 season and as always, we thank you for your ongoing support.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
John Khoury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Chairman CBRA Patron #proudtobeabulldog
On behalf of Canterbury League Club, I congratulate the CBRA on another fantastic year. After the disruptions of the previous two years, it was fantastic to be able to finally take off our masks and get back to relative normality in 2022.
At the elite level we saw crowds flocking back to rugby league with packed stadiums and some scintillating play culminating in the Rugby League World Cup in November. The tournament saw dominant wins by both the Kangaroos and Jillaroos and the Bulldogs own Josh Addo-Carr finishing as top try scorer and selected in the Team of the Tournament.
Off the field, the League Club also bounced back strongly allowing us to reaffirm our support for rugby league across all levels. I am pleased to confirm that Canterbury League Club has re-committed our support as the Major Sponsor of the CBDRLRA for 2023.
Rugby league relies on the work of our dedicated officials and the role that you play in facilitating the conduct of the greatest game of all in our district cannot be underestimated.
You should be proud of the work that you do to ensure that rugby league in the Canterbury-Bankstown district continues to flourish, giving young athletes the opportunity to play rugby league and progress through to the highest levels.
On a personal level I am honoured to have been appointed a patron of the Association in 2022. Having been involved in rugby league for my entire life across all levels I have nothing but the utmost respect for our match day officials and the role the Association plays in not just supporting existing referees but fostering new refereeing talent.
I wish everyone a safe and prosperous 2023.
George Coorey Director – Canterbury League Club CBRA PatronAfter the past 2 years severely affected by COVID, it was great to return to a full season of district football. Our Gala weekend returned with some excellent grand finals, congratulations to all those members who received finals appointments, in particular to Jabril Daizli who refereed our senior grand final thus receiving the Clubb-Johnson Trophy.
We welcomed several new members who all performed well for their first season with two of them receiving end of season trophies, Khodar Diab and Mikayla Dib. Other trophy winners were John Maarbani who received the Leo Randle Award and Matthew Gomes took out a double, receiving the Touch Judge of the Year and the Archer-Garwood trophy and finally Rami Abu Mansour selected as most improved referee, receiving the Farrelly-Dick Trophy in 2022. Congratulations to all.
CBRA was proudly represented in the junior representative squad by Ramzi & Jabril Daizli, Matthew Gomes, Colton Anderson-Seaton and Rami Abu Mansour, all performed well, and we look forward to more opportunities coming their way. Our graded members, Nathan Loveday and Jack Bird toiled away with Nathan appointed to his first NSW Cup centre and Jack’s season interrupted by catching covid. Nathan also was the recipient of the Mick Stone Award, congratulations Nathan. We continue to be extremely proud of our NRL squad member, Adam Gee. In season 2022 he was able to referee his 200th NRL fixture, had a finals match and was Senior Bunker Official for several finals matches including the Harvey Norman Women’s Grand Final. Adam also was part of the World Cup Squad and travelled to the UK to referee 2 matches, video referee in several and again was video referee for the Women’s World Cup Final, a wonderful season by Adam, he has done us proud!
On the social front we had a mixed season. Commencing with our deferred Centenary BBQ which was most successful, our numbers for our Annual Blue and White Dinner were down but those that attended enjoyed the evening which saw Barry Ruttle be re-presented with Life Membership, a fitting reward for Barry’s continued commitment to CBRA. Our annual Life Member’s & Presentation Lunch was a great success within excess of 80 members and
guests in attendance. It was most pleasing to see several new member’s attend. We had a wonderful guest speaker in cricketer Chris Green who was frank and honest regarding aspects of his career. Our Trot Night returned and again was a great night with good numbers attending but not many winners found!
All our social functions are subsidized from funds from our wonderful family of sponsors Canterbury League Club have been our major supporter for the past 26 years, to their chairman & our friend Peter Winchester, and Board we express our gratitude for your support. Our other sponsors have been with us for 6 years are Soneta Plumbing and Civil & DeVel P/L, owned by Steve Dib & Geoff Dib respectively. Both provide not only monetary support, but friendship! We are proud to be involved with the Dib brothers and their families. Geoff has ventured off to Brickwood Homes and they have agreed to a 2- year short sponsorship agreement for the 2023-2024 seasons.
Our naming rights sponsor, First National Daystar at Revesby whose principal is our friend Michael Sleiman. After being with us for the past 2 years, Michael has agreed to continue the sponsorship for a further 2 years.
Bankstown RSL and Club Menangle are valued sponsors who continue to support our activities. On behalf of the Executive and all member’s I express our sincere appreciation to all our respected sponsors.
Also, to the Chair of the NSWRLRA, Kevin Greene and his Executive thank you for your financial support which assists with the training, development, and administration of CBRA. Further, the support from our district club under the leadership of Chair John Khoury and CEO Aaron Warburton, is ongoing and every request receives a positive response.
Our relationship with the Junior League is strong and we have an excellent working relationship with Barry Ward and John Grealy which greatly assists when the odd problem arises.
We at CBRA have always been fortunate to have a hard-working bank of member’s who have been willing to stand in Office Bearer positions, to my fellow Committee thank you for your support in 2022.
As you are aware we undertook a review and redraft of our Constitution and many thanks to Gavin Beecroft, Mario Cafarelli and Matt Gomes for their review. The new Constitution comes into effect from 1 January 2023.
I would like to highlight the efforts of Matthew Gomes, in his first year as our Assistant Secretary and his first as Training Co-Ordinator. Matt performed both roles to a very high standard. Also, to Richard Daizli for his continued enthusiasm in his role as Director of Referees and Kane Thorburn who has several roles and puts his heart into each of them.
Finally, to our Secretary Daniel Gardner (Gards), who devotes many hours each week in the administration of the Association. In his 7 years in this role, he has matured into a most efficient administrator as well as being a mentor and friend to many. Thank you Gards for your support to make my role easier each year.
To my wife Kim, thank you for not only supporting me but for what you do for the Association. It would be remiss if I did not congratulate Kim on receiving the Denis Braybrook Award from the NSWRLRA for her contribution to refereeing in the community.
To the members and friends of CBRA thank you for your contribution to make this Association great and to assist to provide a safe environment for the rugby league community in our district.
Let’s see what our 102nd season brings us!
Paul Archer President
Mr Chairman and Members, Well, here we go for the next 100 years!
We had been through a lot the last few seasons, and it seemed as though we were in the clear and a full season was beckoning! Cue the Sydney weather. Unfortunately, any rugby league action in February/March was a non-event due to torrential rain and flooding in most areas of Sydney. All playing fields within the district took a significant hit, with the majority under water and unable to be maintained. This delayed the start of the season by over a month.
Our AGM was held at the home of our Major Sponsor, Canterbury League Club, on Wednesday 9th March 2022.
Paul Archer was elected unopposed as President for his 7th consecutive season. This season was Paul’s 20th season as President, an outstanding display of Paul’s prolonged commitment to our Association.
George Coorey, John Khoury & Aaron Warburton were once again nominated by the members as Association Patrons for 2022. All three accepted the role and offered wonderful support to our Association throughout the season.
The AGM did bring some changes on the Committee front.
Adam Gee was promoted to Vice-President, with Matthew Gomes joining the Committee for the first time in the role of Assistant Secretary. We also welcomed back Anthony Harb (Committee Member) and Chris Cafarelli (Committee Member) who both held positions on the Committee in previous seasons.
All other committee positions remained the same as 2021.
Thank you to Aaron McAndrew, Peter Chayna, and Nathan Loveday for their service on the Committee over the past few years.
Whilst there was no Life Membership presented in 2022, Barry Ruttle was represented with his Life Membership in what was a very popular decision.
Barry’s continued commitment to the Association since being awarded Life Membership in 1997 is significant, and the re-presentation of Life Membership was very well deserved. Congratulations Barry!
Sponsorship
Canterbury League Club were once again our Major Sponsor, taking this association to 26 years!
Canterbury has bounced back following some tough years navigating through COVID, and we truly appreciate the support of the club, led by President Peter Winchester. Peter is an Honorary Member for Life of our Association, and the League Club continues to strive under his leadership.
SONETA Plumbing and Civil continued as our sleeve sponsor for their second season. We thank Steve Dib and the team at SONETA for their ongoing support and look forward to this relationship continuing!
Bankstown RSL entered their 4th season as our flag sponsors, and we thank Bruce Pawley, Scott Dickson, Andrew Bailey, and the team at Bankstown RSL for their wonderful support and friendship.
It was pleasing to be able to award the ‘Bankstown RSL Touch Judge of the Year’ award after 2 seasons, congratulations to Matthew Gomes who was the worthy recipient this year.
First National Daystar also continued as naming rights sponsor for their 2nd season. They have exclusive naming rights of the Blue & White Cabaret Function and Life Members Function, as well as sponsoring our training award – the ‘Daystar First National Trainer of the Year’ Award.
A special thanks to Michael Sleiman, Paul Davis, and the team at Daystar for their wonderful support. First National have agreed to a 2-year extension for seasons 2023-2024 and we look forward to the relationship continuing.
Thank you to Bruce Christison and the team at Club Menangle for their support throughout the season. It is always a great night at Menangle Park for our
Annual Trots Night, and Club Menangle continue to print our Annual Reports at no cost – thank you!
DeVel Pty Ltd were once again our ‘shorts sponsor’ for season 2022 and we thank Geoff Dib and the team for their support over the past 4 seasons.
Geoff has moved to Brickwood Homes, and it was pleasing to announce at the end of last year that Brickwood Homes will be our new ‘shorts sponsor’ for at least the next 2 seasons. We look forward to continuing to work with Geoff and his new team at Brickwood Homes in 2023!
Junior League
It was great to get a full season of Junior League completed this year, and this was largely in part to the fantastic work of our Junior League, headed up by John Grealy and Barry Ward.
The season started with a few issues which caused some concern for our committee. These issues related to referee abuse, and we made it quite clear to the Junior League we would not tolerate this behaviour towards ANY of our officials. Following these incidents, it was most encouraging to have the Junior League meet with us, provide a resolution and advise the clubs that there would be increased punishments in place for any teams guilty of this behaviour. It was pleasing to see this kind of behaviour stamped out for the remainder of the season and we appreciate the full support of the Junior League in this area.
This year saw our senior grades (U13 to Opens) combine with Parramatta only, in what was known as the ‘Central West Competition’.
A new initiative was the U18 Competition being played exclusively on Friday nights, and I have to say this was well received by all clubs and our officials.
The standard of these competitions was quite strong, and we were fortunate enough to have 9 Senior Grand Finals contested at Belmore Oval on Gala Weekend (September 9th & 10th).
Congratulations to Jabril Daizli, who refereed the Opens Silver Grand Final, thus receiving the ‘Clubb-Johnson Trophy’ as leading district referee. Jabril becomes the second Daizli to win the ‘Clubb-Johnson Trophy’ following his father Richard’s efforts in 2000 – history making!
Thank you to Wayne Oxford, John Grealy, Barry Ward, and Adam Williams for all their efforts throughout the season.
To the Junior League office staff – Annemaree, Donna and Alanah, thank you for your efforts in ensuring games went ahead every week.
It would be remiss of me to not congratulate Annemaree who was awarded Life Membership of the Junior League at the 2022 Presentation Night held in December. Annemaree has been a mainstay at the Junior League for many years and is well liked within the refereeing fraternity. Seeing Annemaree presented with Life Membership was thoroughly deserved.
Membership & Meetings
This year the Association held 7 meetings (including the AGM) with an average attendance of 33. The Committee has identified that this number is down on previous years, and a decision has been made to move meetings forward to 7:15pm to hopefully encourage more members to attend and still get home reasonably early.
This season saw us welcome 18 new members, with only 1 having refereed before (Shaun Morris).
Many of our new referees for this season are still playing in the Junior League across various clubs, including 9 from East Hills Bulldogs, 3 from St Christophers, and 1 from Bankstown Sports.
I wish to thank the Junior League and the clubs for their initiative and support in promoting refereeing to junior players, and we hope to see more players take up the whistle in the coming years.
Training & Development
Matthew Gomes was appointed as Training Coordinator for the 2022 season and Matthew’s approach was well received by the members.
It was pleasing to see many of our junior members attending training each week, and this allowed Matthew to have more flexibility in what drills and skills could be run at each session.
Sessions were mixed throughout the season, with several indoor sessions and a session conducted by Adam Gee which was extremely popular.
Whilst it was a slow start to the year due to the weather, numbers were relatively consistent for the remainder, and we look forward to continuing to build on training in 2023.
As always, we encourage members to attend training wherever possible – it will only benefit your refereeing!
Awards
After two disrupted seasons which affected our ability to present awards, 2022 saw all association awards presented again
Congratulations to all award winners who were most thoroughly deserving:
▪ Leo Randle Award – John Maarbani
▪ Matthews-Styles Award – Khodar Diab
▪ Archer-Garwood Award – Matthew Gomes
▪ Clubb-Johnson Trophy – Jabril Daizli
▪ Farrelly-Dick Trophy – Rami Abu Mansour
▪ Bankstown RSL ‘Touch Judge of the Year’ – Matthew Gomes
▪ First National Daystar ‘Trainer of the Year’ – Mikayla Dib
More on all award winners can be found later in the Annual Report. Congratulations again to all!
Grade – NRL/NSWRL
The NRL season was finally back to normal, with no protocols and full crowds in attendance from Round 1.
Adam Gee was once again a leading referee in the NRL competition, whilst also achieving some significant milestones and appointments throughout the season including:
• 200 NRL games as a Referee
• Standby Referee – State of Origin Game III
• Referee – NRL Finals Week 1
• Senior Review Official – NRLW Grand Final
• Squad Member for the RLWC Match Officials
• Video Referee – RLWC Women’s Final
We continue to be extremely proud of Adam and his achievements, and we look forward to continuing to support his journey – many more milestones to come, I am sure!
Nathan Loveday and Jack Bird were once again members of the NSWRL Grade Squad for season 2022.
Both members continue to be regulars across most NSWRL fixtures, with Nathan impressing in both the centre and on the line in NSW Cup throughout the season.
Thanks to the Board of NSWRLRA for their support throughout the season, in particular Chairman Kevin Greene, Executive Officer Greg McCallum and regional Directors Matthew Hewitt and Steve Clapson.
Vale
Season 2022 unfortunately did not go by without loss.
In late January, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Bev Matthews, wife of former CBRA President and Life Member Les Matthews. Bev was a wonderful supporter of Les during his storied time with our Association and her passing was felt by many.
Just a short time later, in mid-February, we were advised of the passing of Jerry Zarb, father of Life Member Brad Zarb.
The sad news continued with the passing of Alan Loveday in July. Alan (Wayne Loveday’s father & Nathan Loveday’s grandfather) passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones
In January this year, we were advised of the passing of Carol Wood – Hilton Wood’s mother.
Our Association passes on our deepest condolences to those families mentioned, with all members being well liked and respected throughout our Association.
Our thoughts are also with any other member who experienced a loss of a loved one throughout 2022.
Social
Season 2022 kicked off with our postponed Centenary BBQ in January at the same venue as our Gala Dinner @ William Inglis Hotel. This event was well attended by members and guests, and special thanks to South Sydney player Mark Nicholls who at the 11th hour was more than happy to help out as our guest speaker and spoke rather impressively to all in attendance.
Our Pre-Season Camp was once again held in Corrimal. Numbers were down compared to previous camps, but those in attendance had a great time and it was a good way to kick off the season.
Special thanks to NRL Touch Judge Nick Beashel who was our special guest at the seminar component. Nick spoke on his journey to being an NRL touch Judge and the high and lows of being a match official. I know a lot of members in attendance were impressed with Nick, and we thank him for making the effort to be a part of the seminar.
It was great to be able to hold our Annual Blue & White Cabaret with no restrictions, and congratulations once again to Barry Ruttle who was represented with his Life Membership on the night!
We held multiple pizza nights throughout the season at the Moxon Sports Club, thanks to all members who attended and supported our Social Committee.
Our Trots Night was held later in the year and this change of date proved popular with a healthy attendance of members and guests.
Our Life Member’s Lunch was back and what a hit - 80+ members and guests in attendance for a great afternoon celebrating the season!
Special thanks to Chris Green who was our special guest speaker for this event. This event was once again sponsored by First National Daystar and we thank Michael, Paul and the team for all their support.
A special thank you to Social Secretary Kim Archer and her Social Committee for all their efforts throughout the season.
In exciting news, the Social Calendar for 2023 has been revamped and refreshed to reflect the changing of the times. We hope members will be excited by these changes and support these events when announced at our AGM.
General
We were most fortunate to have five members in the ‘Metro Development Squad’ – Ramzi Daizli, Jabril Daizli, Matthew Gomes, Rami Abu Mansour, and Colton Anderson-Seaton. This was both Rami and Colton’s first season in this squad, and it is a testament to the focus our Association has put on development and coaching to ensure we continue to develop referees to a standard that can allow them to elevate their refereeing to the next level.
Following solid performances throughout the season and final series, two of our members in the squad received Grand Final Appointments, congratulations to both Matthew Gomes (Harold Matthews Grand Final Touch Judge) and Jabril Daizli (SG Ball Grand Final In-Goal)
All members are again part of the squad for 2023, except for Ramzi Daizli who has decided to take a break due to work commitments. Best of luck to our remaining four members for the Junior Rep season.
Our Annual Exchange with Auckland was unable to be completed again in 2022, but in (somewhat) positive news, we were able to re-start our exchange with the Gold Coast.
Jabril Daizli and Rami Abu Mansour were selected to represent the Association on the Gold Coast, and from all reports had a great time and represented with distinction.
Izzy Davidson and Dylan Lawrence visited Sydney on the same weekend and unfortunately, they didn’t bring the Gold Coast weather with them – what a horrible weekend of rain and washouts!
No Junior League games were played at all that weekend, but we did our best to ensure they enjoyed their weekend. They were lucky enough to watch Adam Gee referee a game live at Kogarah and catch up with Adam and the officials from the game for dinner afterwards.
Special thanks to Kane Thorburn and Anthony Harb for their efforts in chaperoning out guests around Sydney whilst they were here.
I would also like to congratulate Nathan Loveday (Mick Stone Medal) and Kim Archer (Dennis Braybrook Award) who received awards at the NSWRLRA Presentation Lunch. Both members were worthy recipients of their respective awards, and we thank them for all their efforts.
In closing, I thank all members for their support in my role as Secretary. I enjoy the challenges that come with this role and appreciate the support of the members who continue to make us the #1 referee association.
We have a bright future and a rich history. We must continue to embrace both!
Speaking of our history, I want to personally thank Pierre Gerges who took on the official role of Media Manager this season. Pierre is well known throughout the association to ‘capture the moment’, and I thank Pierre for all his efforts in taking photos of all moments throughout the year. The photos are always high quality and will forever be a part of our history – thank you Pierre!
Thanks to all committee members for their efforts throughout the season. With fresh faces comes fresh ideas, and I look forward to these fresh ideas continuing as we evolve as an association.
Thanks to Paul Archer for his unwavering support as President. Paul continues to lead from the front and ALWAYS puts our association first – we are lucky to have a leader as strong and committed as Paul!
I look forward to catching up with members at our AGM on Thursday 23rd February 2023 @ Canterbury League Club.
Daniel Gardner Hon. SecretaryAfter a very successful Centenary year of social events in 2021 we were able to commence 2022 with our postponed Centenary BBQ in January at the William Inglis Hotel at Warwick Farm, the scene 12 months earlier for our fantastic Centenary Gala Dinner. We had 70 attendees with again numbers reduced due to covid, but it was a great lunch enjoyed by all.
Our annual First National Daystar Blue & White Dinner in June was held in the Terrace Bar due to a reduction in numbers, but the 80 members and guests enjoyed the evening. The highlight was the representation of Life Membership to Barry Ruttle. Well-deserved and it was good to see Barry keep his shirt on! If you attended our Gala Dinner in 2021 you know what I mean.
Our Life Members & Presentation Lunch returned after an absence of 2 years due to covid. What a great event it was, 80 plus members and guests were entertained by our guest speaker cricketer Chris Green. Also, it was most pleasing to see several of our first-year members attend as well as a great rollup of Life Members. For the first time in our history the Committee resolved to invite Life Members wives to attend, a great innovation.
We had several Pizza Nights during the year including one at Riverwood on a very wet night, but we were able to entertain our exchange referees from the Gold Coast. I would like to thank Kane Thorburn and Anthony Harb for their assistance that weekend in supplying transport and support to our visitors.
We moved our Trot Night to a warmer month, so in October we ventured to Menangle Park, again good numbers but not many winners. Thanks to Kane Thorburn who drove our hire bus.
Thank you to those members who supported our social events in 2022, next year I hope to see additional members attend who I’m sure once you get involved in our social events you will be hooked.
I appreciate the assistance of the Social Committee and the General Committee.
Kim Archer
Social
Secretary
Canterbury League Club has sponsored our Association for 27 years, and we thank the club for the continued support!
We continue to hold all major events at Canterbury League Club and appreciate the hospitality shown on every occasion.
To Chairman Peter Winchester and the Board of the club, we thank you again for your unwavering support of our Association.
Canterbury League Club offers a wide range of facilities for their members and guests and more information is available at www.canterbury.com.au
After two disrupted seasons, 2022 saw a completed competition for all grades with finals matches being played from under 9s to Opens. Canterbury combined with Parramatta for all senior grades and the finals series was played with a top 5 format. It was determined that Canterbury would receive the Under 13s, 15s, 18s and Open Silver for the male competitions and under 14s, 16s and Open Tag for the female competition grand finals. This allowed for more certainty in appointing referees for the final’s series.
I would like to thank Daniel Gardner and Jamie Pomeroy for their assistance this year in finalising appointments and providing support on match days. There was a large influx of new members this year which meant we relied on several our senior referees to mentor them during games. I would like to thank those members who dedicated their time on Saturday mornings to assist the new referees, as without them, there was no way of ensuring these new members were watched. As a team, we were able to watch a lot of referees this year across all ages and all days. Most of the assessments came in the form of verbal reports as we look at moving into an automated system for completing assessments and making it more user friendly for all involved in 2023. We hope the new referees that joined us this year enjoyed the season and will remain with us for future years.
This year saw the introduction of Friday Night Football with all under 18s matches played on Fridays. This gave the opportunity for regular senior football for those that made themselves available. Once again, our resources were stretched on Saturdays, but I would like to thank all referees who sacrificed their time to cover the majority of appointments. Several referees had to travel between grounds as well as spending long hours to ensure matches were completed. There were several weeks where referees from Cronulla assisted us to cover the large number of games on Saturdays and I would like to thank Jim and Cronulla Referees for their support. In return, we also had referees assist in the St George, Cronulla, and Souths junior leagues on Sundays.
Overall, our referees performed strongly, and the improvement of our younger referees was great to see. Areas of improvement required for 2023, is the skill of touch judging, especially around communication. Another area that needs improvement is understanding the laws of the game.
Congratulations to all referees who officiated in finals with some doing their first grand finals. Having watched all games, our referees performed strongly and showed great professionalism. Congratulations to Jabril Daizli for receiving the Clubb Johnson Trophy. Jabril performed strongly and consistently all year and has shown great commitment and improvement over the years.
Congratulations to Rami Abu Mansour for receiving the John Farrelly-Reg Dick Trophy for most improved referee of the year. His persistence and willingness to learn saw him progress from junior football to under 20s in a couple of years as well as making the NSW development squad. Congratulations to Matthew Gomes for receiving the Touch Judge of the year award. His experience greatly assisted his referees all year and he showed professionalism in all his matches.
Thank you to the executive board, the junior league and district club for their support during this year.
Enjoy the festive season, stay safe, train hard and set your goals for 2023.
Richard DaizliDirector of Referees
Trustees:
Paul Archer (Chair), Adam Gee, Daniel Gardner
Peter Longhurst and Gavin Beecroft
We welcomed a new Trustee in 2022, Gavin Beecroft whose expertise in financial management will be of enormous benefit to the administration of the Trust in the years ahead. A special mention to Trustee, Peter Longhurst whose input each year is most appreciated.
Further, our financial advisor Ian Butler monitors our investment portfolio most professionally. In fact, our total portfolio after over 15 years is in a healthy position despite the recent decline in markets and our expenditure.
The Trust is governed by a Deed which has conditions on the Trustees in relation to expenditure. During the calendar year of 2022 the Trust provided the following funds:
A total of $5977.50 was utilized from the Trust during the 2022 calendar year. This contrasts with last year’s amount ($18416.50) as it included a one-off payment for CBRA new web site for $9735.
I appreciate the efforts and support from my fellow Trustees.
Paul Archer Leo Randle Trust
First National Daystar Real Estate is situated in the heart of Revesby and is your first choice for Australia’s most advanced real estate services.
Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or rent, Michael and the team at First National Daystar can help!
Thank you again to Michael Sleiman, Paul Davis and all the staff at First National Daystar for their generous support of our Association and we cannot wait to grow the relationship we have with them.
For all your real estate needs, head to their website: www.daystar.com.au
The Grade squad returned in early November 2021 looking forward to ripping in ahead of hopefully a full season for 2022. We were fortunate enough to get through the season with very minimal changes, the only real consistent thing was a weekly swab on a Wednesday afternoon before attending training and then for NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg officials requiring a R.A.T test before officiating.
The pre -season started as all do, tough into Christmas and then on the other slide before slowing down once we got stuck into trials. The season started with Ben Teague receiving his NRL debut on the line in Mudgee in Round 4 for Canberra Vs Manly. Ben ended up on a total of 3 games for the season. Further to this, Cameron Paddy also made his debut at Kogarah for Dragons vs Warriors where he featured regularly on the line for the remainder of the season.
John Woods hit the magic 400 games in total as a Grade member at Ziems Park as he ran the line for the match between St George and Sydney Roosters. John was presented with an embroidered Jersey from Dave Trodden. John has been the ultimate professional and you need to be to hit this sort of milestone.
John is back again for another year and will look to work towards 500!
Midway through the year saw the City Vs Country rep game with Damian Brady being rewarded with his consistent form to be the centre man for this fixture. Mitchell Stone and Cameron Turner ran the line in the match played at Leichhardt Oval.
In May, following the Junior Representative season 4 new members were added to the NSWHP Squad.
• #1029 Ethan Klein
• #1030 Ben Seppala
• #1031 Adam Sirriani
• #1032 Blake Williams.
It’s a massive season and I want to wish the lads above all the best for the next chapter of their career.
A big congratulations to the below officials who were selected in their respective Grand Finals:
• NSW Cup
Referee: Darian Furner
Touch Judges: Nick Beashel and Liam Nicholls
In Goal Judges: Tom Cambourn and Paul Eden
• Presidents Cup
Referee: Cameron Paddy
Touch Judges: John Woods and Ricky McFarlane
In Goal Judges: Adam Reid and Tom Stindl
• Jersey Flegg
Referee: Kieron Irons
Touch Judges: Pat Mackay and Cameron Mitchell
In Goal Judges: Louis Matheson and Michael Ford
Congratulations to Cameron Paddy who was named NSW HP Referee of the Year, he was also appointed to the NRL State Championship as a Touch Judge.
At the NSWRLRA Lunch Kim Archer was awarded the Denis Braybrook award, Daniel Luttringer was awarded the Doug Winton Trophy and Nathan Loveday was awarded the Mick Stone Medal.
It would be remiss of me to not also recognise a couple of retirements that were made both during the year and at the end of season. To Ben McMurray, Ricky McFarlane and Adam Reid - a massive thank you for the contribution to the Graded squad both on and off the field.
To Stu, PK, Russell, Mick, Josh, Dutchy and Badge thank you for the efforts in 2022, no doubts bigger and better plans for 2023.
Yours in Refereeing, Nathan
LovedayNSWRLRA MEMBER #1004
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SONETA are wonderful supporters of the community, corporate partners of the Penrith Panthers, as well as our Association.
We once again thank Steve Dib and the team from SONETA for their ongoing support!
For further information on the wonderful services SONETA have to offer, please visit www.soneta.com.au
My first year of training co-ordinator was a great learning experience on a personal level and one which I am grateful for. The amount of time and effort which goes into planning and organising a session was the biggest surprise because sometimes it can be difficult to predict how many members would attend. I tip my hat to the trainers I have had in the past because I now understand the challenges being training co-ordinator.
All in all, my first season was an enjoyable one and want to thank the association for giving me this opportunity. Lastly, a big thanks to all the members who attended training. Overall, the attendances this season were quite encouraging, especially the commitment shown by the newer members of the association must be commended. Each week they were always willing to learn new skills and gain feedback from the coaches to help improve their refereeing.
Of course, in a perfect world there would be more numbers at training, especially those cold winter nights where it is much easier to stay warm at home but I encourage members to attend a training session when possible. I hope those who attended training each week learnt a thing or two whether it be skills based or fitness related and achieved the goals they had set themselves for the season. There were members deserving of the association training award, but none more than Mikayla. In her first season of refereeing, she showed a great commitment to attending training every week and was always open to feedback from coaches to improve her refereeing. I’m sure if Mikayla continues to attend training regularly and show an enthusiasm to the game, she’ll have a long and successful career.
I look forward to what training next season will hold for the association, and with a few alterations and different approach, I’ve got no doubt it will be a success and beneficial to all members who attend regularly.
Special thanks to both Daniel and Richard for their assistance throughout the season, it was greatly appreciated.
I hope all members and their families have an enjoyable break and wish you all the best for the new year. Looking forward to what season 2023 holds
Matthew Gomes Training Co-ordinator
The 2022 NRL season was somewhat of a new look for the Officiating Department. The Head Coach in Russell Smith moved to Queensland and stepped down from the senior role after many years at the helm. This saw Shayne Hayne step into the head coaching role with Russell still involved in the NRL coaching ranks but having more to do with the Queensland based officials and the NRL on match days. Russell’s contribution to not only the NSW state squad but the NRL has been invaluable. On behalf of the squad, and especially personally, I would like to thank him for all his thorough coaching, expertise and opportunities provided throughout his tenure. I am sure the Queensland Officials will certainly benefit from his knowledge, and he will continue to be a great support to the NRL as a Match Day Coach and Evaluator.
Shayne, along with the rest of the coaching staff under the guidance of Jared Maxwell provided some variations into our conditioning and skill components of training to focus on specific improvement areas each week and focus points from not only the game’s perspective but individually. This also flowed into more officials being trained and utilised in the Bunker.
The 2022 season was finally free of major Covid interruptions and minimal rule change interpretations, this allowed for continuity and fan engagement throughout the season.
The season saw three debutants as a Touch Judge in Nick Pelgrave, Ben Teague, and Cameron Paddy and also two debutants in the Bunker, Adam Gee and Kasey Badger.
Other milestones for the year included:
• Steve Chiddy 500 games as a Video Referee
• Adam Gee 200 games as a Referee
• Chris Butler 100 games as a Referee
• Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski 100 games as a Touch Judge.
A special congratulations to Ashley Klein who officiated all three State of Origin matches and the Grand Final. An outstanding achievement!
The women’s game continues to grow, as does the skill and athleticism of the female athletes involved. As the women’s game expands as has the talent pool for the female officials. Congratulations to Kara-Lee Nolan, Torie Wilkie, Rochelle Tamaurua and Kailey Beattie who joined our Elite Officials, Kasey Badger and Belinda Sharpe, in officiating the Women’s State of Origin, the NRLW and the NRLW Grand Final.
World Cup
Nine Australian based officials headed to England on the 7th of October (Ashley Klein, Adam Gee, Grant Atkins, Gerry Sutton, Todd Smith, Darian Furner, Wyatt Raymond, Kasey Badger, and Belinda Sharpe), accompanied by Paki Parkinson and Rochelle Tamaurua from New Zealand. The officials base camp was in the heart of Manchester where we met up with the entire Super League Referees squad and two French referees, Geoffrey Poumas and Ben Casty.
The RLWC committee and staff did a wonderful job providing excellent accommodation, training facilities and events for us to attend. This was the first RLWC where inclusion was a major theme - Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair Rugby League were all involved at the same tournament. Credit is attributed to Jon Dutton and his event organisers. If anyone has still not witnessed a game of Wheelchair Rugby League, do yourself a favour. It is incredible and the athlete’s skill is amazing.
The Officiating Squad was led by Jared Maxwell, Steve Ganson and Dave Elliott who provided a wonderful camp and experience. The varying hemispheres needed to adapt and adopt certain rule variations and interpretations for the tournament; both as On Field Officials and Video Referees with different systems and technology utilised. The squad jelled well with many lifetime memories and friendships forged which provided for a great six-week tournament, and ultimately a successful one from an officiating point of view.
Myself, Belinda Sharpe, Rochelle Tamaurua and Marcus Griffis were lucky enough to be selected to attend a World Cup function at 10 Downing Street. It was an honour and privilege to represent the officiating department and Australian referees at this iconic location.
Congratulations to Kasey Badger who became the first female in history to referee a Men’s Test Match during the World Cup.
Once again, congratulations to Ashley Klein who refereed the World Cup Final and capped off a historic season for himself.
Equally, congratulations to Belinda Sharpe who officiated the Women’s Final. I am sure all officials would agree that being involved or just present at Old Trafford for the finals was an amazing experience.
Adam Gee
NRL Squad Member #108
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Season 2022 was the final season with Devel Pty Ltd as our shorts sponsor, and we thank Geoff Dib and the team at DeVel for their generous support of our Association over several years!
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Dear members,
It is with pleasure that I submit the audited 2022 financial accounts to members for financial year ending 31 October 2022.
Our overall result for the 12 months to 31 October 2022 was a loss of $3,687.29, with our total assets valued at $28,898.56 as at 31 October 2022.
Income from sponsorship was down slightly during season 2022, compared to last year. It is pleasing to see sponsors once again commit and provide ongoing support in assisting CBRA financially and for this we are extremely thankful. We appreciate their efforts, and our members are encouraged to use their services, whenever possible.
A new initiative for season 2022 was the number 100 lotto. Many of our sponsors did not hesitate to donate gifts for our inaugural CBRA 100, the association raised $2,000.00.
Grants from NSWRLRA were once again available for season 2022, CBRA received a total of $5,444.00 for Administration, Coaching & Development Grant from NSWRLRA, with Canterbury League Club providing $3,000 plus additional sponsorship.
On the expenditure side, due to Covid in season 2021 we were unable to host the Daystar William Inglis BBQ originally as intended, so the delayed function was hosted in January of 2022 which was a total cost to the Association of $4,765.29.
Due to covid delays, the final CBRA meeting for season 2021 was held in early December 2021. As a result, Association honorariums from the 2021 season were recorded in the 2022 financials
Members are to note honorariums represent two years’ worth of honorariums (2021 and 2022).
Both the delayed function and additional honorariums impacted our profit losses for season 2022.
We are grateful of the continued support we receive from our sponsors. All sponsors have committed their support into the future which is a great help to our financial position.
I would like to acknowledge & thank the following sponsors for their financial contribution during season 2022:
• Canterbury League Club
• First National Daystar
• Soneta Plumbing
• Devel Pty Ltd
• Bankstown RSL
• Club Menangle
Overall, our financial position is in reasonable shape. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the committee for being prudent throughout season 2022. I believe moving into the future years, as an Association we have the financial balance right and future committees need to be vigilant.
I have no doubt the future is looking bright for CBRA.
In closing, I am looking forward season 2023, hopefully our members return refreshed and ready for a positive 2023.
Gavin Beecroft Hon. Treasurer
Bankstown RSL represents Sydney’s newest, state-of-the-art hospitality location. With facilities and car parking extending over four floors, the club will only get better with a 250 room Mercure Hotel in store for Construction. We thank President Bruce Pawley, CEO Scott Dickson, Marketing Coordinator Andrew Bailey and all the staff at Bankstown RSL for all their support in 2022.
It was most pleasing to be able to once again present the ‘Bankstown RSL Touch Judge of the Year’ award following a 2 year break due to COVID.
All members are encouraged to join Bankstown RSL and support the club that supports us.
For further information on Bankstown RSL, please visit their website: www.bankstownrsl.com.au
For over 20 seasons, NSW Harness Racing has generously assisted our Association with printing of our Annual Reports and Social Calendars, of which we are extremely grateful.
Club Menangle has made its mark on the Australian harness racing scene. As a venue, the new Club Menangle is far more than just a racetrack, it is an institution, founded by distinguished pioneers for your entertainment and enjoyment.
Club Menangle is the most prestigious and longest-running harness racing club in Australia, founded in 1902, with the first race meeting conducted in 1906.
Each season we host our Annual Trots Night @ Menangle Park, and we are always offered the best hospitality and service to ensure our members and guests have a great night!
For more information on the wonderful facilities provided by NSW Harness racing, in particular TABCORP Park Menangle, please visit their website at: www.clubmenangle.com.au
