According to Bob Katter, “nothing is sacred anymore” when it comes to female referees in NRL.
The politician and Akubra enthusiast appeared on TODAY, where he was asked for his thoughts on Belinda Sharpe’s recent appointment as the first female referee in NRL history.
After dropping far too many “sheilas” for anyone’s liking, Katter tried to make the point that he was “very handsome when he was younger,” and that “we don’t want women playing football, because they’ll have a nose like mine.”
Host Allison Langdon, author Nikki Gemmell – and the rest of Australia – were left in utter disbelief from Katter’s strange and rather offensive comments, but it didn’t end there.
With one final flourish he said: “It is a bit hard to see how you can referee properly if you are not playing football,” completely ignoring the fact that women’s rugby league is a thing that well and truly exists here in Australia.
In 2018, a new era for Women’s Rugby League began, with the formation of the Elite Women’s Squad, multiple events including the Women’s National Championship, Women’s Premiership, and Women’s State of Origin, not to mention that fact that girls’ rugby league is becoming the fastest-growing sport, according to News.com.au.
Let’s not forget it’s not Sharpe’s first time as a ref, either. She became an NRL touch judge in 2014 and officiated in that capacity at the 2017 World Cup.
“If my role in just doing my job week in week out can inspire other people to become involved, particularly other females to become involved as referees, then that’s something I’m proud of,” Sharpe told SMH.
It’s something we should all be proud of. Hats off to her.