Cecchin Quitting NRL - Vile abuse and death threats

[Graham]

Matt Cecchin - Ref

He's had enough and will finish reffing in the NRL at the end of this season.

He cites the apparent death threats he got after the Tonga World Cup game and other pressures.

He says he'll retire at the end of the season unless he gets an offer from Super League.

He says that making and announcing his decision has taken a weight off his mind.

[Sports Prophet]

Don't know why he thinks SL will be any different.

The media is to blame. Whether "supporting" the referee like Gus Gould did post match Sharks v Storm, what it actually does is whip up media frenzy and generic anti referee behaviour among the public, most of whom, would only have about 70% understanding of the rules.

I endorse coaches being fined for slating referees post match. The simple fix, would be to ban questions regarding decisions in post match press conferences.

[Vichyssoise]

Truly a sad story. On a personal level, he's had a lot to overcome in the past. Didn't he come out a few years back? That must have been tough too.

Light-hearted banter is fine when it comes to referees and players, but sending death threats, hurling jeers & epithets, that's totally wrong. These people need to get their life priorities straight.

Rugby-wise, consistently one of the best  NRL referees for a number of years. It doesn't mean he didn't make mistakes, he's human after all, but he usually seemed fair and unbiased, unlike some of his colleagues who consistently appear to let the surroundings get to them.