Matt Cecchin, Gerard Sutton — not Cam Smith — to officiate decider

THE NRL grand final referees have been confirmed — and Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith isn’t among them ...

Don’t expect Smith to be quiet in the decider ... (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

THE running joke on Tuesday was how Matt Cecchin and Gerard Sutton — not Cameron Smith — were given the job of refereeing Sunday’s NRL Grand Final.

The Melbourne Storm skipper and the perception he can influence officials during games was raised on several occasion this season.

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan dubbed him “referee Smith’’, while former whistleblower Bill Harrigan just last month said “he is just in your face too much and the referees let him get away with too much’’.

But Cecchin and Sutton, who have featured in four NRL deciders between them, said Smith would be treated like any other player, and he was actually one of the quieter skippers to deal with.

REF WARNING: ‘There will be consequences’

Gerard Sutton and Matt Cecchin laughed off the Smith jokes. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

“Cameron is an incredible footballer, he’s an amazing player and a very smart human being,’’ said Cecchin, who will be lead referee.

“When he does approach us he does it in a manner that is acceptable. I have never seen him (flustered), he’s a controlled character.’’

Sutton added: “You hear very little from Cameron.

“And if you went back through the last couple of Origin series, you’d find far fewer instances of Cameron Smith talking to referees than you would NSW players.

“The thing about Cameron is he generally doesn’t approach you unless he has what he feels is a legitimate concern or question, and the questions he asks usually warrant a decent response.’’

Don’t expect Smith to be quiet in the decider ... (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Smith’s stature in the game — he is about to win his second Dally M — could make it difficult for referees to disagree with him in the heat of the moment, but that had never been an issue, said Sutton.

“I would like to think I treat every player with the equal amount of respect,’’ Sutton said.

Cecchin and Sutton, who were both publicly praised by Smith on the eve of Origin II, have been the standout officials all season and through the finals series.

Despite continual criticism directed at the referees and the game’s $2 million-a-season bunker, Cecchin conceded he was not perfect and would not have the perfect game on Sunday.

“Can I guarantee we’ll have an error-free game? No. And I don’t think I’ve had one yet,’’ Cecchin said.

Listen! Unlikely as it seemed, the Cowboys now have a shot at premiership glory against the superstar Storm outfit. The Monday Bunker crew dissect the chances of both teams and look ahead to the Dally Ms.

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Referees boss Tony Archer said there would be no one area the referees would crack down on, and despite Adam Blair’s late shot on Cooper Cronk last Friday night, kickers had been protected all season.

Archer said penalising escorts, players who block rivals chasing through kicks, had also been clamped down on since the Origin series.

“That was something we needed to address, we identified that out of Origin II, we worked hard in that space over the last six weeks, and during the finals there have been penalties for it, and if it happens on Sunday, expect them to be dealt with again,’’ Archer said.