Retiring Super League referee Ben Thaler has been recognised for his incredible contributions to the sport of Rugby League.
Back in September Thaler confirmed that he would be calling time on his on-field refereeing days after a career that spanned over two decades and saw him lead over 700 games, over 440 of which were in Super League.
His final act as an on-field official came in the recent 745 Game that honoured Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir with Thaler tasked with officiating the cross-code game alongside rugby union counterparts.
His final rugby league game saw him ref Wakefield Trinity and Doncaster in late September, however, he will still be very involved in the sport, albeit not on the field of play as he continues to serve as a video referee and aid the development of others.
In honour of his exceptional career that has gone from the Northern Ford Premiership to Super by way of World Cups and many more, the 43-year-old has been presented with the Rugby League Writers and Broadcast Association’s Merit Award for 2024.
Former Super League referee honoured with top award
Credit: Rémi Vignaud/Catalans Dragons/SWpix.com
Confirmation that Thaler had claimed the award came from the RFL who shared the news to their website with the Merit Award being handed to those who have dedicated outstanding service to rugby league, either on or off the field.
A statement read: “The Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association have marked Ben Thaler’s retirement after more than two decades refereeing at the top level by presenting him with their Merit Award for 2024.”
Chair of the RLWBA and Vice-President of the RFL, Trevor Hunt, said: “In many ways this is overdue, given the crucial role of match officials in the sport – and we think Ben Thaler is an appropriate choice to make this piece of history.
“He has been one of the top referees in the game for a long time, which takes some doing, both in terms of dedication but also in the ability to withstand criticism.
“Some of that can occasionally come from our members and the media more generally, but we recognise that referees do a very difficult job, and we’re lucky in Rugby League that they also tend to be great people who love the sport.”
Recent winners of the award include broadcasting icon Dave Woods (2023), St Helens and England captain Jodie Cunningham (2022) and Catalans owner Bernard Guasch (2021).
Over the years, many Super League icons have won the award including Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield who shared it in 2015.
It’s hard to argue against Ben Thaler as a worthy winner given his illustrious career, particularly considering that without people like Ben Thaler, we would have no sport.
