NRL: Referee Gerard Sutton will be the lone man in control of Sunday’s grand final showdown

Referee Gerard Sutton was the pocket official in last year’s NRL grand final which was marred by an incorrect “six again” call and will be the main man in the first decider with one referee since 2008

Gerard Sutton can’t rule out human error but he is feeling relaxed and ready to perform after being appointed referee of Sunday’s NRL grand final, 12 months on from the controversial “six-again” call that cost Canberra in last year’s decider.

The blockbuster clash between Penrith and Melbourne will be Sutton’s sixth grand final and fourth in four years.

He was the assistant referee to Ben Cummins last year who was trolled after a controversial “six again” call that denied Canberra crucial field possession with the game locked at 8-all with eight minutes remaining before the Roosters scored to win 14-8.

Sutton is confident he can eliminate as many errors as possible in Sunday’s decider.

“Even before that (six-again) incident last year, we know the business we are in is decision making,” Sutton said.

“While we strive to be as best as we possibly can, we know that we are humans as well and at times there are going to be mistakes.

“We work really hard at the processes and fundamentals to minimise those, and we’ve done that all year.”

Sutton praised Cummins for speaking publicly about the mental toll and the abuse he received after last year’s “six-again” call.

“I think it was really courageous of Ben to do that,” he said.

“It is something that sometimes gets lost, but we know the expectations that are around us.

“We know that everyone wants perfection, and so do we.

“It is what we have been working really hard for, and we will do our best to produce it on the weekend.”

Congrats Gerard! https://t.co/GqvYCzix13

— NRL (@NRL) October 20, 2020

Sutton made his NRL officiating debut in 2009- the first year of the two referee system.

Sunday’s decider is the first grand final with one referee since Tony Archer in 2008, when Manly defeated Melbourne 40-0.

Chris Butler and Todd Smith will be touch judges for the decider, while Steve Chiddy will be the Bunker official.

NRL Head of Football Elite Competitions Graham Annesley said Sutton deserved to officiate in the grand final at ANZ Stadium.

“Gerard has been the No.1 referee for a considerable number of years now,” Annesley said.

“This is his sixth grand final, admittedly mostly as a dual referee, so it is a big appointment for him to be out there as a single referee.

“The responsibility that it carries in a grand final is enormous.

“We saw the controversy last year with two referees on the field but we’ve had a relatively controversy free season with the single referee and I hope that continues on Sunday night.

“The return to one referee was obviously a significant change but the referees made the transition seamlessly and have contributed to an exciting season.”

Belinda Sharpe was appointed to the NRLW grand final between Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters, with Liam Kennedy and Drew Oultram named touch judges and Jared Maxwell Bunker Review Official.

Originally published as NRL: Referee Gerard Sutton will be the lone man in control of Sunday’s grand final showdown