NSWRL Major Competitions official Luke Saldern has won the prestigious NRLW Referee of the Year award for 2024 in just his second year of involvement in the elite women’s game.
The NRL held its annual Col Pearce Medal Awards last Friday at Sydney’s Sofitel Darling Harbour Hotel – the game’s officials’ night of nights to equal the players’ Dally M Awards.
Ashley Klein was awarded the Col Pearce Medal for being NRL Referee of the Year, while Saldern (pictured above, Photo: Bryden Sharp) picked up the NRLW honour.
He worked on the touch line throughout the nine rounds of NRLW in 2023. But in 2024 he debuted as central referee in round two – Parramatta Eels versus Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks – and remained with the whistle for the rest of the NRLW season.
“It’s only my second year in NRLW so I didn’t expect this at all. You don’t referee for awards but it’s really nice to be recognised,” Saldern told nswrl.com.au
There was another surprise along the way. The Eels match at Allianz Stadium on 4 August was around the time his wife Rachel was expecting their second child.
“The appointments came out and I saw I was going to debut and I thought ‘Geez, our baby is due’. I wasn’t sure how to tell Rachel but she said ‘You have to go out and do it’.
“I drove to the game trying to shut out the noise of thinking about Rach. But I checked my phone post-game and no message. Our daughter (Ava) came the next day.
“I’m lucky I have so many incredibly supportive people around me.”
Saldern also made his debut in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup this year in the Round 19 match between the Sydney Roosters and Western Suburbs in July.
He moved from there into the NRLW, where he found the many different camera angles available to the NRL Elite Officials allowed him to better analyse his movement patterns and performance.
“Also having access to NRL referees meant I was learning from the best, who are out there refereeing every weekend at the highest level,” he said.
“The ability to get some coaching from those guys as well is only going to improve me. It makes you really hungry – you get a taste of that environment and naturally you want more.”
Saldern’s idol as a young boy wasn’t a club captain or high-profile player.
“Growing up I used to sit at home and watch Bill Harrigan on TV and told mum I wanted to be like him one day … not many kids would say that I suppose.”
His father Paul Saldern played with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles as captain of the Under 23s.
“Surprisingly enough he was very supportive when I told him I wanted to be a referee. He’s always been behind me.”
Saldern began in touch football and then progressed to Rugby League at the Manly District Referees Association as an 18 year-old. Two years there and Saldern came into the NSWRL Junior Reps officials program.
In 2019 Saldern handled the UNE SG Ball Grand Final (Under 19s) and moved up into the Major Competitions officials squad.
