Cummins to referee NRL decider - The Canberra Times

Referee Ben Cummins. Photo: Ryan Pierse

Refereeing an NRL grand final might have seemed a distant dream as a teenager, but Canberra whistleblower Ben Cummins feels more at home on the big stage after being named to police his second straight decider.

Now he’s embraced the spotlight, his main priority at ANZ Stadium this Sunday is to stay away from it. Cummins and Shayne Hayne were on Tuesday morning appointed to the NRL’s showpiece after their strong display in Origin III.

Cummins only referee to police all three Origins last season, but Ashley Klein was preferred over him for the first two games this year.

The 38-year-old cut his teeth as a 17-year-old in the Canberra junior competition, but never even officiated a local decider before hitting the big time.

Having made his grand final debut in Melbourne’s victory over Canterbury last year, he now has two on his resume on the game’s biggest stage.

‘‘I’m a lot more relaxed with the whole situation, a lot more confident with my own game,’’ he said.

‘‘Last year I put a bit of internal pressure on myself not to let the whole squad down.

‘‘I can’t remember much, it’s all a bit of a blur because you get caught up in the moment a bit.

‘‘Afterward it wasn’t about refereeing decisions, it was about the game. That was the biggest relief.’’

Cummins refereed the Roosters’ brutal 4-0 win over Manly in the first week of the finals, believed by many to be the game of the season.

He rates it a career highlight, and is hopeful he can contribute to them waging a similar old-school battle to decide the title.

‘‘That’s one of the best games I’ve refereed. The players threw everything into that game and it’s an appetiser for this weekend,’’ he said.

‘‘What they did last time was fantastic and hopefully they can do the same again.

‘‘If you can still enforce the rules and not get noticed or determine the game, it’s mission achieved.

‘‘That’s our goal, for them to be the spectacle.’’

The referees ranks have come under unprecedented criticism for some crucial errors under Daniel Anderson this year, the most recent Cronulla’s seventh tackle try in an elimination final win over North Queensland.

But Cummins feels some of it is unwarranted.

‘‘It’s part of the job, you do get some criticism, [but] I believe as a squad we’ve done well this year,’’ Cummins said.

‘‘Daniel’s brought in some practices and interpretations of the rules, and I think they’ve worked.

‘‘A lot of the good stuff we’ve done unfortunately gets lost in the spotlight on some bad decisions or errors we’ve made.

‘‘It’s only human nature if you read the papers you take in that information, especially young referees.

‘‘Our job [as senior referees] is to be supportive of them and mentor them.’’