Give referees a break

Ever been at a sports match and had a bone to pick with the referee?

The role of the NRL referee, although not as heavy on contact, can be just as strenuous as the players themselves. They run about 10km per game, and are constantly on the ball to identify foul play and breach of match rules.

Matt Jeffries is a PHD candidate from the University of Technology Sydney and currently on his industry placement with the NRL Referees Performance Department.

Matt’s work looks at improving the swiftness of decision making among referees for two reasons:

• so the match plays out correctly and fairly, and;
• so the referees don’t get dragged through the mud by the media too often