Mackay junior rugby league trainer faces suspension over referee abuse

A coaching staff member faces a lengthy suspension after verbally abusing an under-14s referee during a rugby league final.

A Mackay junior rugby league trainer faces a lengthy ban after allegedly abusing a referee at a match at the weekend.

A verbal altercation between a referee and a trainer has marred the second weekend of junior rugby league finals in Mackay.

The referee was subject to verbal abuse during an under-14s game at the JRL pitches behind BB Print Stadium.

A referee was subjected to verbal abuse from a team trainer in the under-14s semi finals, August 21, 2021. Picture: Marty Strecker

Queensland Rugby League operations manager Jade Johnson said there was “no tolerance” for any abuse.

“One of the team staff unnecessarily had a go at a referee during the match, he said he wasn’t very impressed,” she said.

“They called them a cheat, we have a strong stance against verbal abuse in any form, so that person will be stood down for a period of time.”

The individual will have to front a tribunal hearing, where the league’s guidelines suggest a one-to-eight week suspension for verbal abuse of a referee.

A referee was subjected to verbal abuse from a team trainer in the under-14s semi finals, August 21, 2021. Picture: Marty Strecker

Johnson said there was no threatening of the referee; an act that carries an eight-week to six-month suspension.

“It’s finals time and everyone gets excited, but we’ve had dwindling referee numbers at the junior level and that’s partly due to the abuse they receive,” she said.

“We don’t see a lot of it, but we want to get rid of people that refuse to conform to our guidelines, we don’t want them at rugby league games.

“Mackay is the utopia of rugby league in regional Queensland, there’s 182 teams in the competition and only one issue, so we’re doing pretty well but we’ve had a no tolerance policy towards this type of behaviour.

“It only takes one person to tarnish the club’s name.”