Kasey Badger admits she didn’t sleep too well the night before, but it only took the first tackle in her debut as a World Cup referee to feel right at home.
Badger, a former NSWRL referee and NRL official, became the first woman to handle a men’s Test match, when she controlled Tonga’s 32-6 win over Wales at St Helens in Round Two of the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) this week.
“It’d been a whirlwind couple of days so the night before I didn’t get the best sleep, but I got enough to get by,” Badger told nswrl.com.au.
“I felt comfortable from the get-go in the match. I’ve never felt nervous refereeing a game or going into a game. I’ve always felt confident at each level I’ve been at even though I’m not naïve enough to think I’ll never make a mistake – that’s part of refereeing.”
Badger controlled the NRL Women’s All Stars in February this year, and the women’s Test between New Zealand and Tonga at Mr Smart Stadium in June, along with the NRLW Grand Final on 2 October between Newcastle and Parramatta.
At NSWRL she handled men’s and women’s games in all grades before being promoted to the NRL Referees full-time squad in 2019, where she’s been a touch judge for men’s games and referee for four seasons of NRLW.
But the World Cup is a milestone even her husband of 300-plus NRL games, Gavin Badger, has not achieved.
“She’s got one up on me,” Gavin said, whose representative games included Asian and Pacific qualifiers in 2006-2007 and 2012. He also handled the 2007 PNG v Prime Ministers’ XIII match.
Kasey said: “It is a humbling feeling knowing I’m the first one to do it but it’s not the reason why any of us get into refereeing – to be the first to do something.
“It’s nice when an accolade comes along but that’s not what I’m doing this for.
“But I also understand the broader implication it can have on the game. A moment like this can inspire someone else to start refereeing to boost our numbers and take our game forward.”
Gavin is NSWRL’s Officiating Development Coordinator after retiring as a NRL referee in 2020 after 18 seasons and 361 games.
“I just sat back and enjoyed the moment as it was such a big occasion for Kasey,” he said, after making a mad dash to fly halfway round the world to be at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.
“I wanted to be there with her, and I can’t thank NSWRL enough for letting me take the time off work at very short notice. They just said ‘Go’.
“I’ve always been proud of her, but this has been a recognition of her hard work. There’s so much in the background of what people don’t see, to get this opportunity.”
Both Badgers hope this is the next step towards handling a NRL game.
“I know she’s ready for bigger and better things, and she’s been ready for a long time,” Gavin said.
Colleague Belinda Sharpe became the first female NRL referee – under the former two-referee system – when she accompanied Ben Cummins in controlling the Broncos-Bulldogs Round 18 match in July 2019.
