Normanton's Ben Thaler to blow final whistle on his rugby league referee career

​Thaler will blow the final whistle on his refereeing career after Sunday’s Betfred Championship game between Wakefield Trinity and visitors Doncaster.

He is set to continue as a video referee in Super League alongside a new role in recruitment and development of match officials for the RFL.

The 43-year-old began this season in the Championship before being recalled to Super League in May, but was then sidelined by an ankle injury.

He refereed the first of his 441 Super League matches in 2005 and his total of more than 700 games is believed to be second only to his great friend Fred Lindop MBE who, along with John Holdsworth, was a major influence on his career.

Thaler took charge of Leeds Rhinos’ World Club Challenge against Melbourne Storm in 2013 and was in the middle for their Challenge Cup and Grand Final wins two years later.

He also officiated at the World Cups in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

“I still remember receiving support as a pupil at Normanton Freeston High School in 1994 to do my refereeing course,” Thaler said.

“I’m now chair of the governors at the same school, so it must have been a long time ago.

“If you’d said to me then that I’d be retiring as a referee 30 years later, after 20 seasons refereeing in the Super League with so many incredible memories and experiences, working alongside some amazing officials and having refereed some of the best players in the world, I’d have thought you had a very good imagination.”

One of the sport’s first full-time officials, in 2006, he added: “I never anticipated it being a career for me.

"When I started, that wasn’t an option, so I class myself as being very fortunate.

"After doing a lot of work in the past in recruitment and development of young match officials, I’m looking forward to a new challenge and concentrating on that role and giving something back to the sport that I have been so lucky to be part of at the highest level for almost 25 years.”

RFL chief executive Tony Sutton said: “On behalf of the governing body and the wider sport of rugby league, we thank and congratulate Ben for his refereeing career. Officiating in any sport can be as demanding as it is essential.

“To maintain a position among rugby league’s leading officials for more than two decades has required physical and mental commitment and resilience.

"I’m delighted Ben has taken up a new role with the RFL, which will allow him to share his vast experience with future generations of match officials, as well as continuing as a video referee and wish him a successful last game in the middle at Wakefield this Sunday.”