Lightning Park in Bayswater, Perth, was the venue for the 2009 WA State Championships, my last serious run out on the road to NTL. I was really looking forward to this one: as a visiting/guest referee from another state there was no question of competing for finals appointments so my only competition was with myself to run as well as I could in front of the coaching Panel - of which there were about 8 from WA State and National Panels - and get as much feedback as possible and iron out any little niggles so I could be a position to really gun for that red badge at NTL. So I arrived feeling pretty relaxed and in high spirits.
I got a different vibe being in the referee team at this particular event. First off it was a much smaller event than either of the NSW State or Junior State Cups I've done so far - 6 fields instead of 20 or 30, a referee team of 60-odd vs. 200-odd or 320+. I'm not saying it was better or worse, just different! And different has been good.
WA State Champs reminded me of Euros a little bit, certainly in terms of general size and participation, but also of the referees' environment. It's always nice to meet new people and at the larger events I met so many to the point that I couldn't remember their names (I admit to being awful for that at the best of times so I had no hope in this case!) but it's hard to build relationships as everybody's on the go and it's a hectic schedule. I find that a smaller group has a "tighter" dynamic where everybody knows everybody (or at least most others) and that it involves and engages people more with one another whether or not they realise it at the time. It also certainly made for more entertaining fines sessions ;-)
The conditions were just beautiful - clear skies, bright sunshine and a light breeze. The grounds were great too - six immaculate fields, pretty much in two groups of three divided by a row of tents for each of the affiliates. The referees' tent was right in the middle and it was maybe 2-3 minutes walk to the farthest fields. I wish I'd thought to take photos of the place as I thought it was just the P-E-R-F-E-C-T size, setup and layout for Euros... thought maybe it would help generate some create ideas "back home". If I was to be constructive about something it'd be that there wasn't enough shelter around - natural or otherwise - the sun beat down all weekend with temperatures in the mid/high thirties. But that's minor stuff and, as I said, constructive rather than complaint as it didn't take away a second of my enjoyment.
The standard of play at times was right up there with anything I've experienced so far in NSW so I'll be curious so see how the franchises from each region fare at NTL in a few weeks. I reffed a good mix of games - men's, women's, mixed, open, 27s, 30s - and with the exception of one game where I'd have expended more energy watching paint dry, I had a pretty good hit out every time. Saved the best for last though...
I finished my Sunday refereeing a fast, intense Men's Open semi. It finished 12-11... that's 23 touchdowns in a 40 minute game... a score every two minutes (less actually), each team scoring say every second possession they had. My first thoughts were how impressive that was - creative attacking flair is a major attraction for people to a sport - but then when I started thinking about the game many of those touchdowns were actually scored up the middle because of lazy defense. There's a couple of moving parts to that: (i) good referees controlling offside and playing advantage, and (ii) attacking players clued into the referee's calls and taking that advantage when it comes. It REALLY makes a difference to the flow and continuity of the game.
As for for my badge chase, the coaching feedback I've been receiving has graduated from things I need to work on to "keep going how you are, consistently at that intensity and you'll be right." So I'm leaving Perth my confidence sky high and so, so glad I came over. But what that does is raise expectations of myself. The European red (4) and Australian red (5) aren't equivalent, and I'm being coached in the Australian system. So although I'm gunning for an upgrade in the European system, what I really want to hear in 2 weeks is that (on-field) I fit the Aussie red.
Next stop, NTL. Bring it on.
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