Belinda Sharpe will become the first ever female NRL referee on Thursday when Brisbane Broncos host Cantebrury Bulldogs on Thurday.
Sharpe has become a regular feature on the touchline at NRL games but has also refereed Intrust Super Cup matches since 2015. She was then promoted to a full-time referee contract in May this year.
“At that stage I was just focused on coming down to Sydney and joining the full-time squad and getting my feet into that environment,” she told NRL.com.
“That was the first and foremost thing for me. Certainly it’s been a whirlwind couple of months for me, and that appointment was a stepping stone to this Thursday for sure.
“I just loved rugby league growing up and I played touch football, ended up refereeing touch footy and made the transition from there.
“The game has been my passion and now I’ve turned that into a full-time career.”