The man under the most pressure at Origin

YOU probably haven’t heard his name mentioned once in the build-up but it will be the only one you hear if he makes a mistake tonight.

NRL round 2. Parramatta Eels v Penrith Panthers at Parramatta Stadium. referee, Gerard Sutton.

THE State of Origin clash is held as one of the greatest spectacles in Australian sport. For the fans, it is a passionate display of loyalty to their state; for the players the ultimate rivalry. However often forgotten amid the excitement of one of the biggest games on the rugby league calendar is the man in control of it all.

When Gerard Sutton takes the field tonight as the official referee for State of Origin Game One he will have the eyes, and the harsh critiques, of a nation placed firmly on him. For Sutton, the challenge will be controlling the game; making sure it flows well, and trying to get to the final whistle without making a decision that will inevitably see him as the topic of controversial office banter tomorrow morning.

Gerard Sutton will have his work cut out for him in controlling the emotions of a bitter Origin clash.

While the pressures on the man in the middle seem monumental to those looking on, the refs look at Origin in a similar vein as the players. To be selected is an honour.

Veteran referee Bill Harrigan was in charge of a record 21 Origin matches from 1991 to 2003. Ahead of this year’s series, he recalled his experiences of “the fastest and best footy you’ll ever referee”.

“When you get appointed it would be no different to a player in that you’re pumped up, you’ve made it, you’ve got the gig and you’re ready to go,” said Harrigan, who will be part of Triple M’s Origin coverage tonight. “You’ve got that jubilation and excitement and obviously the phone calls are going and everybody’s ringing up saying ‘congratulations’.”

Bill Harrigan was in charge of a record number of Origin games.

Just like the preparation each team goes through in the lead up, so do the referees.

“You are often told (of your selection) the Monday or Tuesday a week in advance of the game so you’ve got a mile of time between the announcement and the game so I’d make sure all my training sessions were short and sharp, and by doing that generally you kept on top of it so you were ready for the game. That was the main thing really, the preparation,” he said.

“Then it’s plan the week, when the training sessions are going to be, what you’re going to do in those training sessions to make sure that when you go on the night that you’ve done everything and you’re ready for it, so it’s exactly the same as a player.”

For a ref, to walk out of a game without a controversial decision stacking against him would be a dream. Unfortunately, close calls and refereeing disputes will inevitably find their way into an Origin series.

“There’s nothing better than getting into the dressing room and going ‘you beauty they’ll be talking about this game and nothing that I did’, so there’s no controversial decision that may come back at you. But inevitably that happens, there are always one or two decisions, especially if it is close, that they’ll look at,” Harrigan said.

Bill Harrigan dealt with his fair share of controversy during his 21 Origin matches.

“You say ‘well I did the best I could, I thought that decision was correct’ and if it proves that when you replay it and you look at it and you got it wrong then the simplest thing is to put your hand up and say ‘I stuffed it up,’ then look at why you stuffed it up and learn from it.

“In Origin, there’s no second chances if you stuff it up. It could cost you the second game.”

Pressure decisions aside, Harrigan still revels in the pace and excitement of being involved in Origin. His approach was simple: “Train hard, prepare well, and stay in front of the game.”

“When you get out there the speed of the Origin is so much quicker than a normal NRL game, if you don’t stay in front of it you can get left behind and you’re always playing catch up. It means that you’re always a second or half-second behind the play, you’re seeing things and you’re not reacting, and by that time it’s already gone, it’s past,” he said. “You’ve got to be on your toes and staying with the game.”

Harrigan’s advice to new Origin referees mimics the advice he was given before his first State game: enjoy it.

“I was given a great piece of advice by Mick Stone when I got my first appointment to State of Origin in 1991 and he said when you go out there, he said ‘mate the atmosphere will be intense, there’s every chance that you can be overawed by the whole situation,’ he said ‘keep a lid on it, look around and soak it up like you’re a video camera because in the years to come you’re going to want to sit back and remember it all’.”