Three female officials, including a promising 20-year-old Kiwi, will be involved in the Auckland Nines as the NRL edges closer towards handing a woman the whistle for a first-grade fixture.
Kasey Badger and Belinda Sleeman made history when they ran the lines in the inaugural Auckland Nines, the latter getting a taste of the big time in the final NRL round of last season. The duo will reprise their roles in the second edition of the Nines alongside Rochelle Tamarua, who has made a stunning rise through the officiating ranks in the past year.
The trio will also help to control the Tests between the Jillaroos and the Kiwi Ferns, who are part of the tournament. For Tamarua, the honour came as a result of the NRL's quest to identify the best officiating talent on both sides of the Tasman. "It's an exciting development for Rochelle and the New Zealand Rugby League and the NRL," said the NRL's general manager of football operations, Nathan McGuirk.
"Part of our legacy of the Nines last year was holding a referee's workshop for emerging young match officials from the New Zealand Rugby League. Referees' boss] Tony [Archer] identified her this time last year as someone to watch closely and that culminated in her officiating at the female Test match during the Four Nations tournament. This is the next step in her development as she becomes part of the elite squad for the Nines. We've now got three [female] referees in our squad for the Nines. It's exciting that someone not even on the radar 12 months ago will be officiating at the highest level... this weekend."
Sleeman was the first woman to officiate an official NRL match, as a touch judge in the Tigers-Sharks clash in round 26 last year. However, McGuirk believes it won't be too long before women regularly put in control of first-grade matches.
