BEING a referee is up there with one of the toughest sporting jobs.
Not only is there internal pressure to get things right, but the outside noise can often become deafening at games, with abuse and vitriol increasing in recent years from the stands.
For former Super League official Robert Hicks, who hung up his whistle as a full-time referee ahead of the 2022 season, the best officials are those that stay calm in the heat of the moment.
And, in terms of who the 41-year-old believes to be the best of his era, Australian Ashley Klein stands out the most.
“What makes a good referee is being able to referee in the grey because nothing is black and white,” Hicks said on the League Express podcast.
“Everything requires interpretation and the best referees are those that manage the game and who understand what the players are representing to them and keeps them in check through good communication and good reminders through action at some point.
“The best game managers are the best referees and that’s why, in my opinion, of my era, Ashley Klein has been the best referee.
“That’s because he has been the best manager of a game in terms of both players and incidents. He is always calm and always on a level.”
Klein, of course, officiated in Super League between 2003 and 2009, winning the referee of the year award from the Rugby League International Federation in 2006 and officiating the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Final.
The Australian returned to his native country in 2009 and continues to referee at the highest level in the NRL.
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