NRL Round 11: Referees and match officials confirmed

The appointments come after a Warriors’ sponsor accused the NRL of bias.

Published by
Scott Pryde

The NRL have confirmed their referee and match official appointments for Round 11, with Todd Smith receiving what will arguably be the game of the round.

The referee, who is a regular on-field in the NRL, but missed out on a first-week final last year, controlled last week's New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers game.

That was a contest which, in conjunction with bunker official Chris Butler, ultimately saw plenty of criticism in the aftermath with New Zealand Warriors' sponsor One NZ CEO Jason Paris blasting the officials in a tirade on Twitter.

He ultimately backtracked on those comments, but argued inconsistencies occur regularly against the Warriors, while the NRL will investigate the comments.

Smith will this week control the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos clash on Thursday evening in the Victorian capital, while Chris Butler, who was in the bunker, finds himself on-field in Townsville on Saturday for the North Queensland Cowboys and St George Illawarra Dragons, before he backs up in the bunker as the Newcastle Knights host the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday afternoon.

The Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters, which is arguably the other gamne of the week, will be controlled by Gerard Sutton with Ashley Klein in the bunker, while Klein will control the battle of the beaches on Sunday afternoon between the Manly Sea Eagles and Cronulla Sharks.

Here are all the appointments for Round 11.

Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos

Referee: Todd Smith
Touch judges: Peter Gough and Chris Sutton
Bunker official: Gerard Sutton
Standby referee: Peter Gough
Standby touch judge: Wyatt Raymond

Canterbury Bulldogs vs New Zealand Warriors

Referee: Ben Cummins
Touch judges: Jon Stone and Dan Munroe
Bunker official: Grant Atkins
Standby referee: Jon Stone
Standby touch judge: Karra-Lee Nolan

Penrith Panthers vs Sydney Roosters

Referee: Gerard Sutton
Touch judges: Phil Henderson and Drew Oultram
Bunker official: Ashley Klein
Standby referee: Phil Henderson
Standby touch judge: Cameron Turner

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers

Referee: Liam Kennedy
Touch judges: Todd Smith and Cameron Paddy
Bunker official: Adam Gee
Standby referee: Todd Smith
Standby touch judge: Clayton Wills

North Queensland Cowboys vs St George Illawarra Dragons

Referee: Chris Butler
Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe and Wyatt Raymond
Bunker official: Matt Noyen
Standby referee: Belinda Sharpe
Standby touch judge: Josh Eaton

Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels

Referee: Grant Atkins
Touch judges: David Munro and Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Bunker official: Kasey Badger
Standby referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Standby touch judge: Cameron Turner

Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans

Referee: Peter Gough
Touch judges: Chris Sutton and Kasey Badger
Bunker official: Chris Butler
Standby referee: Chris Sutton
Standby touch judge: Ben Teague

Manly Sea Eagles vs Cronulla Sharks

Referee: Ashley Klein
Touch judges: Darian Furner and Phil Henderson
Bunker official: Adam Gee
Standby referee: Darian Furner
Standby touch judge: Tom Cambourn

Published by
Scott Pryde