PNG Women have potential to ref Rugby Leauge Matches

Richard Johnson (Fourth from left) with some of the referees that took part in the three day training

By FIDELIS SUKINA

Women can be referees in rugby league if they have the passion and know how for the game says NRL and International Rugby League Referee coach Richard Johnson.

Papua New Guinea is a country that loves the sport of Rugby League and to see women refereeing the game would be good.  

Johnson was  in Port Moresby to take 9 male Digicel Cup referees through a three day intensive course on beginning on Thursday at the National Football stadium, before they start refereeing the Digicel Cup finals.

He added that females could referee in Papua New Guinea, and he is sure there are women out there that have the passion and know the game that can referee at men’s games.

He gave an example of Belinda Sleeman who is currently running the lines in the National Rugby League (NRL) which is the elite competition of Rugby League in Australia , the Queensland Cup level, and the U20’s she was on of his students.

“Belinda Sleeman is a young lady I coached in Rock Hampton and now she is the number one female in the NRL she refs the Queensland Cup and the Under 20’s,” Johnson said.

He added as well that Mae Koime former PNG sprinter was working with the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) on a project that will help women involvement in Rugby League and that could help in training women referees.

“Mae Koime is a delightful smart lady who is putting together a strategic plan to encompass the involvement of Women in Rugby League.

“We need to see females to ref games and start to teach them at the school levels, Belinda Sleeman took 10 years to get to her current level and there are some women who know the game and have the passion to become very good referees.

“It’s marvelous the attitude that the players get when they have female referees not a lot of swearing and a lot of arguing they know who the boss is,” Johnson said.

He said he will be in PNG a lot more next year to train the coaches and the referee’s as well.

“The focus is on 2017 the Papua New Guinea semi-professional rugby league competition the Digicel Cup and Bob Cutmore PNGRFL CEO, have approved my program for 2017 and I will be up here a lot more next year starting February and going around coaching the refs and the coaches.

“The coaches can make or break the players and stir up the crowds because they think they know the rules the NRL referees I took them to Level 4 training in Australia, we want to make sure the coaches are smarter on law and respect the decisions by referees,” Johnson said.