My decision didn't rob North Queensland Cowboys, says NRL referee Matt Cecchin
Peter Badel
The Daily Telegraph
October 23, 2013 12:00AM
SHATTERED referee Matt Cecchin says his botched tackle-count may have cost him a World Cup spot, but he insists the blunder did not rob the Cowboys of a maiden premiership.
It has been five weeks since the Cowboys were left outraged after a terrible officiating gaffe saw Cronulla awarded a seventh-tackle try in their 20-18 sudden-death victory at Allianz Stadium.
Six officials were subsequently axed - but it was Cecchin, the referee guilty of the inflated tackle-count, who felt the greatest pain of all.
The 39-year-old is no stranger to adversity. Last year, Cecchin became the first rugby league official to publicly reveal he is gay, so he understands the toll of confronting one's demons.
But the seven-tackle saga still stung. Since his NRL officiating debut in 2001, Cecchin says he had never previously erred on a tackle-count, which is why the fallout, amid allegations he cost the Cowboys a title, cuts deep.
"There were a heap of feelings embarrassment, disappointment, anger, I went through the whole lot," says Cecchin, speaking for the first time since his costly clanger.
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"I've refereed more than 100,000 play-the-balls in my career and this is the first time I've got a count wrong.
"I've had my demons to deal with as part of the process. In pulling the game apart, there is no-one else to be filthy on. Other officials were dropped, but it was my mistake. It hurts.
"The error I made was simply a mistake, it wasn't inexperience or poor positioning. It just happened. The hard thing is I have to wait until next year before I get to referee again it's a long-time between drinks."
Asked about claims he dudded the Cowboys, Cecchin says: "There were plenty of incidents in that game that combine to have an impact. Players are involved as well and they make errors. I didn't feel like going out for a few days but life goes on."
Cecchin paid a heavy price for a split-second miscount. Gone was his shot at a grand final. Australia will have four officials at the World Cup, starting Saturday, but Cecchin will not be one of them, despite having controlled the 2011 Four Nations final.
Cecchin accepts many league fans will be asking, 'How?'
How could he commit such a fundamental officiating error on such an important stage?
"The answer is it's no different to why does a player drop a sitter? Why does a player miss a tackle?" Cecchin muses.
"We do make mistakes, and we work very hard at trying to prevent it. But it will never get to zero. Like the players, we are human."
Cecchin wasn't made aware of the error until half-time. Devastated, the second stanza became a test of character.
"None of the officials knew, none of the players knew at all. It was a shock," he said.
"I knew my season was over right there and then. I had seven or eight minutes to get my head right.
"I 'black-boxed' it like we are trained to do and got on with the job in the second half. But I got my arse kicked and that was part of the review.
"It brings you back to earth. But I have an aim to do the State of Origin and the grand final next year and the only way of doing that is by bouncing back and being the best referee I can be."
