Veteran referee Ben Cummins has revealed he warned his son off turning into a rugby league referee and as an alternative inspired him to officiate Aussie guidelines.
The 49-year-old will reportedly grasp up the boots on the season’s finish based on the SMH, and has dominated over 442 video games, 14 Origin clashes and 5 grand finals.
Cummins’ tally makes him the sport’s most skilled referee, having officiated in additional video games than Bill Harrigan (392), Ashley Klein (371) and Matt Cecchin (369).
Watch each recreation of The 2023 NRL Telstra Finals Series earlier than the Grand Final Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo Sports. Join now and begin streaming immediately >
The skilled whistleblower has skilled the wave of criticism that comes with refereeing within the NRL and his 18-year-old son Patrick officiates a rival sport.
“He thought about taking up refereeing rugby league, but I persuaded him to go with AFL,” Cummins stated.
“I’m glad he did. It’s less aggressive. In AFL, teams lose points if parents are abusive. He loves it. He’s got a grand final this weekend. He’s a massive Wests Tigers fan, but he just loves his AFL umpiring.”
Cummins’ final recreation as an NRL referee will come on Saturday when the Dragons face off in opposition to the Knights.
He believes he wasn’t “wanted” within the refereeing squad and pointed to his lack of massive recreation appointments as a motive behind his retirement.
Cummins additionally believes the heavy criticism levelled in opposition to referees may see rugby league with a scarcity of high quality whistleblowers sooner or later.
“The retention of referees isn’t great,” Cummins stated, referencing the statistics. “We do development sessions with young referees and talk to the parents. A lot of it comes from the top down.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
‘He’s a mate before he’s a coach’ | 03:49
MORE NRL NEWS
‘NOT SO SMART’: Kevvie’s finals headache looms as Broncos let history slip
OH BOY: Player at the centre of Bulldogs training drama considering legal action
LATE MAIL: Roosters lose ANOTHER star for do-or-die clash; Tigers set to debut teens
‘SUPPOSED TO BE HARD’: Panthers star praises Ciraldo amid Bulldogs drama
“They see what happens at our level. If there’s another option where you won’t get abused or criticised, even if it’s minimum wage at Maccas, you’ll take that job.”
The NRL has additionally launched a wave of latest measures to assist with officiating the sport since Cummins’ first recreation as a referee in 2006.
He remained steadfast that expertise has finished nothing to enhance the sport and as an alternative prepare the viewer’s deal with refereeing errors.
“There’s such a focus on the things we do wrong. The media focus on those decisions, one or two a game, and everything a referee does positively gets missed,” he stated.
“There’s so much stuff we do to contribute to the game; hundreds of decisions, managing players, assessing different situations. You get one 50-50 call and everyone focuses on that and then it’s ‘refs in crisis’. Not sure how you fix that. That’s changed. I don’t want to be a part of that.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au