NRL referee Chris Butler contracts Covid-19 ahead of landmark appointment

Despite there being two years since the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the world, the disease is still rife around the globe.

One NRL referee – Chris Butler – knows this more than anyone.

Butler, who is just one game away from registering his 100th refereeing game, has been waiting since the end of last season to be able to register that landmark.

The Australian was meant to be officiating the Canterbury Bulldogs vs North Queensland Cowboys for his milestone game in round one but was ruled out for a fortnight due to being a Covid contact.

Last week Butler made a comeback to regain match fitness in NSW Cup and was appointed to be the man in the middle for the Parramatta Eels vs the St George Illawarra Dragons NRL fixture yesterday.

On Wednesday, however, Butler tested positive to Covid and will now be out of action for another two weeks.

Despite this, the likes of Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Gerard Sutton and Grant Atkins have stepped up to fill the gap.