Young Oratia U23 player Harris Lymburn has recently returned from refereeing at the Kanga cup. We're lucky that Harris has shared his experience with us.

"Our trip to Australia couldn’t have gotten off to a more exciting and unexpected start as we arrived in Canberra after our connecting flight from Sydney to realise that our luggage was still sitting at Sydney Airport. But, regardless of not having our luggage, our resilience and determination was on display as we settled into the team building activities and mentor groups. I was given the privilege of having “CK” as my mentor who was recently a referee at the latest U20 World Cup. This was great for me as a young referee as he brought a lot of personal knowledge and insight on refereeing. He is also someone I have encountered before at a previous tournament in New Zealand, so it was pleasing to see him once again and to be working with him at the Kanga Cup.

Within the mentor groups I forged new friendships and relationships with my fellow referees who I would be working alongside when the tournament began. The limited time in the mentor groups was useful nonetheless as it allowed us all to break the ice, and ensured that on a gameday our team of officials had a good working chemistry with each other. It made it easier to trust one another with decisions and ensure we were performing to the best of our abilities in each game. These are friendships that grew as the week progressed, and I have no doubt will continue to grow and last a lifetime.

For the first few nights when we had free time I was a little lost on what to do with myself, but luckily over the week the friendships I made, helped it get easier and the nights became more entertaining. We would spend evenings hanging out together in the kitchen mostly just talking and bantering with one another. Basically we just had a good time with each other before having to disappear off to bed for the 10pm curfew.

Each day was an early wake up, which was greeted by a nice warm breakfast that fuelled us for the day ahead. It was much appreciated by all. Most days it was freezing cold in Canberra and every morning when we arrived at the grounds for the day's games we were greeted by frost. But as a referee it doesn’t take long to get warm, whether you’re being the man in the middle or the linesman. Each day consisted of running the line for two games and then being the man in the middle for one game.

My highlight of the week and probably of the entire trip was getting to be the middle referee for the U16 Cup Final. I was originally scheduled to be AR 1 for this game which I was thrilled to be a part of. However, that morning at breakfast I was informed that I had been promoted to the role of the middle referee for the final and would be taking charge of it alongside my fellow referees. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t feeling some nerves about this assignment, but once I blew the whistle and the game was underway I felt confident I was in the right place. I took control of the game where I needed to, but in truth it was quite a simple game to officiate, with some fine football on display. This was an incredible honour for me personally and something I will look back on with great fondness. To have that experience will only serve to improve my refereeing and encourage my development. It will also have given me the confidence when I’m here in New Zealand to take on bigger games going forward. It is something I would love to do again as soon as possible.

Overall I felt proud to be selected by NRF to officiate and represent my region and country in the Kanga Cup. Over the week I was told of the vast amount of opportunities that may come my way if I choose to take up refereeing consistently in the future. It is exciting for us as young referees to know that there are pathways ahead of us in this area of the game. I also want to give a huge thank you to all the referee coaches, but especially Paul and Jeremy who were on the trip with us. Jeremy gave us a moment of comedy on our flight home which I will not let him forget. As it was my birthday on the day we flew home and I was turning seventeen Jeremy said “You will need to be ready for your cavity search”. On arrival everyone made it through customs and we were left waiting for… Jeremy. Ironically I think he was held up, so make of that what you will haha."

Article added: Wednesday 12 July 2023