Matt Cecchin

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Need to get rid of the Sutton family, not Checcin.

 

[The Charlatan]

Maybe word got back to Cecchin that Rabs 20 isn't on the forum anymore.

 

[Rhino_NQ]

Maybe word got back to Cecchin that Rabs 20 isn't on the forum anymore.

And what a great place it has been since

 

[Quicksilver]

No wonder Smiff has been stroppy with the NRL over the last couple of days.

This bloke was meant to be deported.

 

[SBD82]

Maybe word got back to Cecchin that Rabs 20 isn't on the forum anymore.

Maybe Cecchin is Rabs20.

 

[Rhino_NQ]

Maybe Cecchin is Rabs20.

I don't think anyone would stoop that low

 

[Pommy]

Great to see his return, the hate spread by the god fearing Tongan fans was disgusting

 

[League Unlimited News]

 

[yobbo84]

Copy-and-paste from what I said in the Panthers v Tigers thread:

Matt Cecchin is the best ref by far. Speaks very well, commands respect, doesn't cop any rubbish and just referees what he sees.

No wonder the Suttons don't like him.

It's a damn shame he is retiring. How he gets overlooked for finals for blokes like Grant Atkins or the Suttons is beyond me.

 

[Perth Red]

Good long career in a sht job that you cant win at. So which club is going to sign him as a 'consultant' which seems the fashionable thing to do at moment.

 

[Diesel]

I remember his first game at Mt Smart. Whoever was refereeing did their hammy at HT & couldn’t officiate the 2nd half.

he’s one of the better refs, hopefully the NRL use him moving forward

 

[Perth Red]

Interesting article, makes you realize what pressure these refs are under.


Leading referee Matt Cecchin will retire at the end of this season — and most likely this weekend — after revealing a decision against Cronulla two weeks ago left him “scared to leave my hotel room”.
Regarded by many as the game’s best whistleblower, Cecchin says a crisis in confidence in himself as well as missing out on the headline matches has prompted his decision.
The 48-year-old said he had been contemplating retirement for months, but the tipping point was a call against the Sharks against the Knights in round 22.
With 10 minutes remaining, and the scores locked at 14-all, Cecchin penalised Sharks defenders for carrying Knights centre Bradman Best from the field of play into the in-goal after calling “held”.

It was a 50-50 call, although Sharks coach Josh Hannay criticised the decision afterwards. Cecchin and his partner, Brent, were staying at the same hotel.
“I didn’t leave my hotel room because I was scared,” Cecchin told the Herald. “Not because I felt threatened, but I wanted to prevent any incident that could make it a drama. Nobody gave me that feeling, but I didn’t want someone to make a comment in a lift or the foyer.

“I know it was a 50-50 call. The thing is three years ago I wouldn’t have lost a minute of sleep. But that night was shocking. I didn’t sleep that night or the night after. I felt more responsible than I should’ve been. When you’re younger, you look for the big decisions to show everyone you can do it. I’m running around now thinking I just want to get through it.”

This weekend’s fixture is likely to be Cecchin’s last unless a more preferred referee suffers an injury or makes a howler.
“When you feel like you’re just making up the numbers, week after week, it gets tricky,” he said. “It’s hard to stay up when you don’t have the carrot of the big games like you once did. For the last year and a half, I’ve been trying to hold on to my reputation with the players and coaches. It wasn’t to be in the grand final or State of Origin, as it has been in the past. It’s important for me to be remembered by players and coaches as I am now.”

He’s leaving the game at a time when the scrutiny has never been so intense on match officials.

“The game is way more technical,” he said. “The difficulty now is the contradiction between what the game wants from the referee and what it expects. On one hand, they want extreme accuracy [scrutinised by] nine cameras and super-slo-mo. But they also don’t want the game to be decided by a referee unless he absolutely must.

“If you want the referee to be black-and-white, that’s easy to officiate. We can be robots and blow 30 penalties. When we don’t referee like that, the game is great entertainment. Do we let things flow and become less accurate, but at the same time be fair? That’s the art of refereeing. That’s what most people want.”

His legacy?

“I was the first to shake hands with players after game,” he said. “Todd Greenberg saw it and now every referee does it.”

‘I was too scared to leave my hotel room’: Why Cecchin is retiring from NRL

Regarded by many as the best referee in the league, Matt Cecchin is retiring amid a crisis of confidence following the Sharks-Knights game in round 22.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

 

[The_Frog]

I think he made the right call. Not the ref he was a decade back.

 

[Perth Red]

Whats the oldest a ref has carried on till in the modern game? Physically I guess it can get tough to stay in shape so you mentally stay top notch during a game. I wish I was as fit as him at 48!

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

People have been abusing Refs since 1908. They’ll still do it in 2108 but the sheer scrutiny these guys are under every since game, it’s mind blowing IMO.

We’ve got the luxury of sitting on a lounge, watching camera angles from the best vantage points… while they are running around at ground level, players all over the place, in their line of sight, and trying to run a game of league.

I respect this bloke immensely. And his comments about accuracy vs letting the game flow is absolutely 1000% bang on. Referees can’t win.

Refreshing to hear a referees viewpoint for a change. I actually don’t recall a referee giving such insight while they’re still in the job. Sadly he wont be for much longer. Big loss.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Whats the oldest a ref has carried on till in the modern game? Physically I guess it can get tough to stay in shape so you mentally stay top notch during a game. I wish I was as fit as him at 48!

I’m guessing Mick Stone or Kevin Roberts but maybe they just looked old. Many folk looked well beyond their years back then. Bob Oreilly was born at 40 years old I reckon.

 

[dogslife]

Fare-thee-well chicken legs!

 

[Chook Norris]

One day after Elon Musk sorts his shit out, we'll have actual robots for referees... because it'll be the only things left that will actually want to referee

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

One day after Elon Musk sorts his shit out, we'll have actual robots for referees... because it'll be the only things left that will actually want to referee

But will those robots have played rugby league before?

 

[ColdWetPanther]

Interesting article, makes you realize what pressure these refs are under.


Leading referee Matt Cecchin will retire at the end of this season — and most likely this weekend — after revealing a decision against Cronulla two weeks ago left him “scared to leave my hotel room”.
Regarded by many as the game’s best whistleblower, Cecchin says a crisis in confidence in himself as well as missing out on the headline matches has prompted his decision.
The 48-year-old said he had been contemplating retirement for months, but the tipping point was a call against the Sharks against the Knights in round 22.
With 10 minutes remaining, and the scores locked at 14-all, Cecchin penalised Sharks defenders for carrying Knights centre Bradman Best from the field of play into the in-goal after calling “held”.

It was a 50-50 call, although Sharks coach Josh Hannay criticised the decision afterwards. Cecchin and his partner, Brent, were staying at the same hotel.
“I didn’t leave my hotel room because I was scared,” Cecchin told the Herald. “Not because I felt threatened, but I wanted to prevent any incident that could make it a drama. Nobody gave me that feeling, but I didn’t want someone to make a comment in a lift or the foyer.

“I know it was a 50-50 call. The thing is three years ago I wouldn’t have lost a minute of sleep. But that night was shocking. I didn’t sleep that night or the night after. I felt more responsible than I should’ve been. When you’re younger, you look for the big decisions to show everyone you can do it. I’m running around now thinking I just want to get through it.”

This weekend’s fixture is likely to be Cecchin’s last unless a more preferred referee suffers an injury or makes a howler.
“When you feel like you’re just making up the numbers, week after week, it gets tricky,” he said. “It’s hard to stay up when you don’t have the carrot of the big games like you once did. For the last year and a half, I’ve been trying to hold on to my reputation with the players and coaches. It wasn’t to be in the grand final or State of Origin, as it has been in the past. It’s important for me to be remembered by players and coaches as I am now.”

He’s leaving the game at a time when the scrutiny has never been so intense on match officials.

“The game is way more technical,” he said. “The difficulty now is the contradiction between what the game wants from the referee and what it expects. On one hand, they want extreme accuracy [scrutinised by] nine cameras and super-slo-mo. But they also don’t want the game to be decided by a referee unless he absolutely must.

“If you want the referee to be black-and-white, that’s easy to officiate. We can be robots and blow 30 penalties. When we don’t referee like that, the game is great entertainment. Do we let things flow and become less accurate, but at the same time be fair? That’s the art of refereeing. That’s what most people want.”

His legacy?

“I was the first to shake hands with players after game,” he said. “Todd Greenberg saw it and now every referee does it.”

‘I was too scared to leave my hotel room’: Why Cecchin is retiring from NRL

Regarded by many as the best referee in the league, Matt Cecchin is retiring amid a crisis of confidence following the Sharks-Knights game in round 22.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Thanks for sharing Perth Red. Always liked Chechin; he was one that seemed to just call it like he saw it and didn’t try to manage the game.

Interesting insight about being scared to make the big decision (paraphrasing) due to the intense scrutiny; I do wonder if that is endemic across the whole refereeing body. We as a game do put a lot of pressure on them, generally for our own personal gain.