NSWRL’s High Performance Referee squad member Kieren Irons will make his NRL refereeing debut in tomorrow’s Witzer Pre-Season Challenge trial match between the Sydney Roosters and the Wests Tigers.
Irons steps into the middle having already spent the past two seasons operating in the elite arena as an NRL touch judge - including last year’s golden point and extra-time Preliminary Final thriller between the Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos.
For Irons, the moment was revealed not through a formal phone call but surrounded by his NSWRL refereeing family.
“We were training Monday night, so I didn’t really find out until all the boys got around me and told me,” Irons said.
“I hadn’t even looked myself. That was pretty special hearing from the boys. It has been a long time coming for me.
“I have been told no many times, and I’ve not always been the first pick, so it’s just a great achievement, to keep my head down and be determined to get that opportunity, which I do this weekend. It is pretty special.”
Irons’ story began as a junior Rugby League player and took a turn following a reality check from his mum.
“I stopped playing when I was 13 and pretty much mum told me that I had to go do something on the weekends instead of sitting on my backside,” he said.
“I just had connections with people who did refereeing at the local level, and I sat for my course that next year, started refereeing and then just fell in love with it. I just kept with it and went through all the systems and now is the result of all that time.”
From grassroots football to grand finals and elite appointments, Irons has steadily climbed every rung of the officiating ladder.
Across many NSWRL Grand Final games, 129 NSW Cup matches and NRL touch judge duties, Irons has built a reputation for consistency, composure and leadership.
“I have worked a long time to get this opportunity,” Irons said.
“It is a trial, so it is just a big opportunity for me to get out there and for people to recognise who I am in an NRL audience with a whistle in my hand.
“It’s all about enjoying the moment and taking the opportunity, because, you don’t know when that kind of opportunity could come around again.”
Beyond his on-field performances, Irons has become a pillar within the NSWRL High Performance Referees squad.
“I’m really happy to see Kieren get this opportunity as he has worked really hard for the past few years on his game to get to the level required to be considered in the NRL,” NSWRL Referees High Performance Manager Stuart Raper said.
“In 2025 he was down to the last four touch judges in the NRL playoffs, and his performances last year were top notch. He has been our most consistent referee in the NSWRL HP Referees’ squad for the last four years and a true leader amongst his peers. I look forward to seeing him take control of his first NRL trial this weekend.”
