When Mitch Stone was 10-years-old, he sent a fan letter to Greg McCallum after spotting the former Rugby League referee on TV. When McCallum sent him a letter back in response, Stone decided then and there that he wanted to be a referee. So, it seemed only appropriate after recently officiating his 500th game, that McCallum, now the Executive Officer of the NSWRL Referees Association, turned up to help celebrate.
“That's actually the reason I wanted to be a referee because I got an autograph of someone I saw on TV, and when you're 10-years-old that's pretty special,” Stone told nswrl.com.au.
“They said, ‘Oh, you got to wait till you're 14’, so I waited and four years later I signed up and that's when I started.”
Stone, 41, spent the early part of his career refereeing Junior Representatives Competitions before switching to run the touch line when he was graded in 2011.
While there have been countless memories since then on his way to bringing up the 500-game milestone, it was an easy choice when asked for his favourite.
“It would easily have to be the 500th game, that was pretty special,” he said.
Stone ran the touchline at Accor Stadium that day for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Souths posted his photo on the big screen and players from both teams congratulated him for his achievement.
McCallum and NSWRL Referees Operations Manager Paul Kalina were also there for his jumper presentation, while there were 15 family members and friends in the stands to cheer him on.
“It was a surprise to me as I was walking out,” Stone said.
“They put my name in a picture and everything up on the big screen and a lot of the players saw it, came over and shook my hand and wished me all the best. Some of them questioned how old I was and things like that. It was a bit of a laugh.
“It was easily, you know, one of the or the most memorable days since I began. I had the family there. My sister claimed it was the first time she's ever been to a game.
“Mum and Dad were there, and all the family and a couple of people involved over the past 30 years of refereeing which was really nice. They made a bit of a fuss and made me feel special for the day with lots of pats on the back, so I really appreciated it.”
