Best refs of all-time?

[langpark]

(Not sure if this has been discussed before).

Name your top 3. I will be interested to see what the responses will be as I think it will be very "competitive".

From what I have seen in my lifetime I can think of one clear standout, but 2nd and 3rd are much harder to pick. 

[M j M]

Harrigan

Klein

Thaler

[Andy JG]

John Holdsworth

Gerry Kershaw

Robin Whitfield

[RayCee]

The problem is the good ones you don't notice.

[SJD]

Paul March 

[langpark]

I struggled with this. I grew up watching NRL, but got into SL 2003 onwards. So my knowledge prior to that is limited.

For me, NRL was:

1. Harrigan (by a mile)

2. Tim Mander

3. Steve Clarke / Gerard Sutton

SL:

1. Ganson

2. Bentham

3. Thaler / Russell Smith

It seems an unfair comparison, pre-2000 refs with post-2000 refs as the refs were allowed to use their discretion a lot more. That sort of ended when Harrigan retired and now referees are given less room to use discretion, as technology crept in along with the demand of "consistency". 

[Gooleboy]

Alex Murphy wasn't bad!

[graveyard johnny]

21 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Alex Murphy wasn't bad!

Cameron Smith

[Anita Bath]

Eric Clay

Fred Lindop

Barry Gomersall

[Mumby Magic]

Surprised noones mentioned Greg Mccallum.

[Wigan Riversider]

Some might say Ellery Hanley but not me of course!?

[graveyard johnny]

ALL AND EVERYONE OF  the refs who have ever taken charge of an amateur match -( adults or kids) for NOWT- and had to put up with the moronic flak from the touchline for their trouble 

[daz39]

Everyone who's ever done the job is the best, and always will be the case.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

3 hours ago, Andy JG said:

John Holdsworth

Gerry Kershaw

Robin Whitfield

Are you a Warrington  fan? You won't get any Oldham fan putting john holdsworth as best ref ever!!!!

[StandOffHalf]

Julien Rascagnères

Henry Perenara

[JohnM]

7 hours ago, Wigan Riversider said:

Some might say Ellery Hanley but not me of course!?

Thaler mentions both Hanley and Briers in the latest podcast, in quite a surprising way. Watch on YouTube.

[Deadcowboys1]

Billy Thompson

Harrigan

Russel Smith

Couldn't stand Lindop

[Taurus]

11 hours ago, Mumby Magic said:

Surprised noones mentioned Greg Mccallum.

He would be my pick by a mile.

[Andy JG]

8 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Are you a Warrington  fan? You won't get any Oldham fan putting john holdsworth as best ref ever!!!!

Not a Warrington fan, but a John Holdsworth fan....I used to get the Rugby Leaguer on the Thursday, and look which game Holdsworth had been allocated for the coming Sunday.

I made sure that was the game I went to so that I could see him in action.

 

[Damien]

6 hours ago, StandOffHalf said:

Henry Perenara

Always thought he refereed internationals really well and always ensured we could have a neutral ref too. Of course we just went down the road of not having neutral refs anyway just so Australia could appoint Aussie refs.

[latchford albion]

2 hours ago, Deadcowboys1 said:

Billy Thompson

Harrigan

Russel Smith

Couldn't stand Lindop

I can't forget the 1977 World Cup final decision not to play advantage,

[langpark]

16 minutes ago, Damien said:

Always thought he refereed internationals really well and always ensured we could have a neutral ref too. Of course we just went down the road of not having neutral refs anyway just so Australia could appoint Aussie refs.

Perenara was a devastating loss to the international game. For those of us that are big advocates of neutral refs. 

His performances were decent and he had consolidated his spot as a weekly NRL ref. Sadly it was health problems that cut his career short at the age of 41, so he still had at least another 5 good years left in him. 

Back to the main discussion. One name I'd like to throw in, not as one of the best, but one that I think was under-rated, was Richard Silverwood. 

[StandOffHalf]

50 minutes ago, Damien said:

Always thought he refereed internationals really well and always ensured we could have a neutral ref too. Of course we just went down the road of not having neutral refs anyway just so Australia could appoint Aussie refs.

He was a very good and pleasant communicator. I liked how he smiled and got on with players, telling them what he saw. I thought he came across as fair-minded and a top ref.

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Always thought he refereed internationals really well and always ensured we could have a neutral ref too. Of course we just went down the road of not having neutral refs anyway just so Australia could appoint Aussie refs.

 

44 minutes ago, langpark said:

Perenara was a devastating loss to the international game. For those of us that are big advocates of neutral refs. 

His performances were decent and he had consolidated his spot as a weekly NRL ref. Sadly it was health problems that cut his career short at the age of 41, so he still had at least another 5 good years left in him. 

Back to the main discussion. One name I'd like to throw in, not as one of the best, but one that I think was under-rated, was Richard Silverwood. 

 

12 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

He was a very good and pleasant communicator. I liked how he smiled and got on with players, telling them what he saw. I thought he came across as fair-minded and a top ref.

Eye of the beholder it is I guess. Whenever I watched him, I thought he was a terrible referee. Never sure of himself and I could regularly hear the cogs turning in his head as he would make an on the spot decision.

Fast tracked as an ex player and kept his NRL spot because he was a kiwi.

Harrigan and Klein are the stand outs although Klein has lost his lustre a touch the last couple of years. I liked Ganson in the SL.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

Always thought he refereed internationals really well and always ensured we could have a neutral ref too. Of course we just went down the road of not having neutral refs anyway just so Australia could appoint Aussie refs.

This is really a bone of contention with me not just internationals but for all games also, I was brought up with the time that refs had to be neutral and could not be from the town of any of the competing teams, wasn't the time when Wigan Twins the Connoly brothers top refs at the time but in Wigans Challenge cup run of victories neither of them every got a Wembley final for that very reason?