THE sight of Ben Thaler in the middle of the field will be no more following the culmination of the 2024 season.
After three decades of refereeing in rugby league, Thaler will now take up a new role with the RFL in the recruitment and development of match officials.
With almost 450 Super League games under his belt as well as numerous finals to add to his CV, Thaler’s influence will be sorely missed.
Of course, like any other human being, mistakes are part and parcel of everyday life – and now Thaler has opened up on one of the worst ones he had to deal with on the pitch.
Speaking to the League Express podcast, Thaler said: “One of the worst decisions I’ve ever made and one of the best games I’ve ever refereed in my career was when I refereed Leeds and Wigan in 2012 in a Challenge Cup semi-final at Huddersfield.
“Things were going brilliantly, it was so open with a big crowd. Leeds broke through and the player passed the ball and Danny McGuire goes over under the posts to score.
“But I ended up in a position behind the players and I can’t remember who passed it but it touches one of the Leeds players and bounces into McGuire’s hands.
“I didn’t see it. None of the Wigan players complained. We could have gone to the screen if we even had a doubt. I awarded the try and then everyone was watching the screen so all the fans and players turned round and were shocked.
“It didn’t cost Wigan the game as they lost by about ten or 12 points but it probably cost me refereeing my first Challenge Cup Final and it puts you back a few years.”
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