NSWRL referee Cameron Turner isn’t sure if his father – former NRL touch judge Russell Turner – will be on hand this Sunday to watch him officiate in his first Sydney Shield Grand Final.
“Usually he doesn’t tell me – he just sort of rocks up,” Turner said of his father, who officiated in more than 300 NRL games, Grand Finals, State of Origins, and Test matches.
“He rocked up last Friday when he didn’t tell me he was going to be there, so he’s normally in the crowd somewhere.”
That Friday - 26 August - was Turner’s first game refereeing in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, when he controlled the Parramatta-Newcastle Round 24 match at Kellyville Oval.
Turner will be part of the NSWRL officials team running the sideline at the Sydney Shield Grand Final between St Marys and Penrith Brothers at Netstrata Jubilee Oval on Sunday – Father’s Day.
It will be Turner’s first Sydney Shield decider after handling the 2019 Jersey Flegg Cup Grand Final.
It also represents the commitment by NSWRL’s High Performance and Referee Operations to keep bringing through quality match officials into their squad. Russell Turner is one of the coaches the NSWRL uses to develop the next generation.
The Turners also prove it’s not only Rugby League players who follow their fathers into the sport. Origin referee Ashley Klein’s son Ethan is also in the NSWRL High Performance squad.
“I got into refereeing pretty much because dad was around footy so much,” Cameron said.
“We used to go to the footy every weekend with him and watch the games.
“I wasn’t big enough or good enough to play footy, so I went down the referee pathway.”
Close observance of his father also gave Cameron insight into the pitfalls.
Russell Turner was stood down for a week and fined $1,000 by the NRL for his “mock tears” gesture after ruling on a forward pass by Newcastle late in the Knights 44-20 loss to Manly in July 2009. Turner had been in a verbal exchange with a Knights member of staff on the sideline.
“I did cop a bit of extra abuse because of that, but we’re both aware what being a match official means,” Cameron said.
“There’s always someone in the crowd ripping in but you just have to ignore it.
“I saw him struggle with that at times and I’ve had that too. He’s definitely been someone who can guide me through the good and bad bits of footy.”
The down side doesn’t come close to erasing all the good times match officials enjoy, he said, especially in September.
“Officials definitely get excited around this time of year – it’s usually good weather, good football, finals and all that,” he said.
“It’s just the overall atmosphere of a good game, big crowds, cheering, banter – even if the cheers aren’t for us.
“But I love running out onto these big stadiums on game-day just as much as the players do.”
Turner hopes to follow his dad into the NRL officiating ranks.
“Ideally in the future NRL is obviously a goal for me and everyone else in the (NSWRL) squad.
“I realise it can be quite difficult with limited contracts at the top, but everyone wants to get there nonetheless.
“I’ll just keep working hard and see where that takes me.”
