Harrigans back in the spotlight again

[Spewing]

HARRIGAN BACK IN CONTROL FOR WARRIORS TRIAL
Saturday 10 Feb 2007 11:54
by (Press Release)
Source: www.warriors.co.nz

var rm_host = "http://ad.adsalliance.com";var rm_section_id = 182693;rmShowAd("300x250");Legendary Bill Harrigan will be back controlling first-grade players when he referees the Vodafone Warriors' trial on the final day of the NRL Community Carnival in Auckland next Sunday (February 18).

Harrigan is one of the big names at the historic week-long carnival along with NRL chief executive David Gallop, rugby league legends Laurie Daley, Mario Fenech and Gorden Tallis and current NRL stars Joe Galuvao and Steve Matai.

After ending a decade of refereeing dominance in 2003, Harrigan has continued to control a few games a year at schoolboy level and also for State of Origin legends games and classic clashes between former Australian and New Zealand players.

The trial is a warm-up for Vodafone Warriors head coach Ivan Cleary before his side heads into its programme of two major NRL trials against North Queensland in Mackay on February 24 and against the Bulldogs at North Harbour Stadium on March 3.

"I'm looking forward to this. I just hope it's hot and they don't get me running around too much," said Harrigan, who is now 46.

Next Sunday's match won't be a trial for the Vodafone Warriors only. It's also an important hit-out for their opposition the Auckland Lions, who are tuning up for their first tilt in the New South Wales premier league.

Harrigan, who spent the 2004 season in a refereeing consultancy role with the Sydney Roosters, is now assistant to NRL referees' coach Robert Finch.

He finished his elite career with 393 first-grade games in charge, including an astonishing 10 grand finals. He also controlled 22 tests and 21 State of Origin matches, including every one of the 12 games from 2000-2003.

"I still do around half a dozen games a year. I've done the Papua New Guinea grand final the last two years," he said.

Harrigan will also be involved in the Community Carnival on February 17 as the special guest at a seminar being run by the Auckland Rugby League Referees' Association. He'll address referees and also run a field session with them.

Together with Daley and Fenech, Tallis and many others, Harrigan will be part of a Community Carnival that has been put together through the joint efforts of the NRL, the Vodafone Warriors and the Auckland Rugby League.

It features a vast array of activities and events including visits to schools, malls and clubs plus a season-launching lunch, a charity golf day, a hospital visit by Vodafone Warriors players and a huge carnival day at Mt Smart Stadium to end the week of festivities on February 18. A feature of that day will be a Vodafone Warriors trial.

It's a measure of the appeal of the week that the field for the golf day was filled several weeks ago while the season-launching lunch is also a complete sell-out.

Go to www.warriors.co.nz for full details about the Community Carnival.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

I don't know why the IRLF doesn't pay ex refs to head over seas to help out developing nations like Russia, USA and the rest, with decent refs giving these guys a hand, it would lift the game and lift the refs who they could teach, it's a no brainer.