Group 4 is facing the very real danger of having junior and seniors matches cancelled because of a referees shortage.
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In a Facebook post titled "This is no drill!", the Group 4 Referees Association said that with a pool of only 24 referees to cover under-6 matches through to first-grade games (14 junior refs and 19 senor refs), "it is going to be almost impossible to cover all the games".
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There was "the extreme possibility of games being cancelled", it said, ahead of the season launches.
The association said the NRL would hold a referees course via Webinar on April 22.
"So please register ASAP!" it said.
The association added that the description of the course - "new and beginning referees" from Narrabri and Gunnedah - was misleading.
The course was "definitely open to anyone in the Group 4 region", it said, adding that "without referees, we don't have a game".
"And for 2021, that saying is looking very realistic!"
For more information, contact Ryan Schmiedel at rschmiedel@nrl.com.au or on 0436 925 055.
Mark Bode
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
