Logan’s Harrison Western to present Adam Gee top referee medal as Qld’s face of NRL
A Logan schoolboy will take centre stage after Sunday’s NRL grand final to present a medal to match referee Adam Gee.
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A 15-year-old referee from Logan will play a major role on the field at this weekend’s NRL grand final in Sydney.
Harrison Western has been chosen as one of six young referees to hand out medals to elite officials after the final match between Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers at Accor Stadium.
The Rochedale State High School student, who plays for Slacks Creek Rugby League Club in the U16s and is a member of the Brisbane Rugby League Referees Association, will present the main medal to grand final referee Adam Gee.
It will be the first premiership decider for Gee, who was promoted to the role after a career refereeing 236 matches.
Chris Sutton and David Munro will be touch judges for the game, while Ashley Klein will be the Bunker Review Official.
Wyatt Raymond will be in charge of the NRL State Championship, which kicks off Sunday’s triple-header.
Harrison will be the only Queensland presenter of referee medals on the night, with others from Penrith, Balmain, Central Coast and Parramatta.
“When I first found out I would be presenting to Adam, my jaw dropped and I didn’t think it was real and I could not stop thinking about it all day until I got the confirmation email,” Harrison said.
“Adam Gee is someone I have looked up to since I got involved in refereeing and to be able to present to him is absolutely amazing.
“This has been a tough year for me but this is the icing on the cake.
Harrison was selected for the prestigious role after a triumphant year in which he clocked up his 100th match as an official and two years as a player.
The young touch judge remained a loyal player despite being attacked while he was working at a game in April.
He was on field helping a referee who was kicked by a player during a seniors’ game between Dayboro and Souths Inala Warriors at Acacia Ridge.
The attacker was given a five-year ban by the RLB after the incident.
Mum Tracey Western will drive Harrison to Sydney for the big event.
On Sunday, Harrison will be joined by Thomas Burke, another Junior International Referee from the Slacks Creek Rugby League Club who also works for the Brisbane Rugby League Referees Association.
Harrison prepared for the role, flying to Sydney this week as part of a group of NRL referees for an engagement day where they were privy to witnessing the announcement of the NRL referees for the big match.
He also met Belinda Sharpe, who will referee the NRLW grand final after she made her NRL debut in the final round of the regular season.
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