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Well, wasn't that an interesting post by a "newcomer"?
Some observations:
The author is closely associated with WARURA. Likely an active referee. Even more likely a referee on a diet of sour grapes. Sadly (gutlessly?) the author chooses to remain anonymous and air their grievances in a public forum rather than using the grievance process currently in place within WARURA.
First up, what relevance has Popperwell's status with Kala with this subject? Why even mention it? (Is our correspondent a disillusioned Kala supporter perchance?)
Coops was a nominee by Rugby WA for the National U/16 Champs; not Div 2 Schools as our correspondent has stated. Interestingly, this nomination did not, as I understand it, follow the usual protocol of CAB approval prior to actual nomination.
The fact that Kellam might be a bit shy of 40 years old may be of concern to some, but I think we will find he's spent quite a lot of his rugby life actually playing the game and he has fairly recently turned his hand to officiating. It would seem that some folk have identified he has a fair bit of talent in this field and considered that talent to be worth developing into something even better. I am not sure if a rugby watcher can, on the one hand, raise complaints about the perceived poor standard of refereeing and then, on the other, complain that a talented referee is being developed into a better one.
Our correspondent should also bear in mind that the CAB (Hilgendorf, Lindsay and Liddle) has quite a deal of experience in officiating at a high level. Hilgendorf has been ranked #1 and officiated in Premier Grade Grand Final; Lindsay similarly so, but has also officiated in provincial games, such as the old ARS among others; Liddle played for WA and then has officiated in various National Champs and is a Level 3 Referee Coach; one of a small handful of L3's. Questioning Hilgendorf and Lindsay's ability to officiate in Premier Grade is, in my view, questionable. I daresay both are eminently superior referees than our correspondent. I cannot confirm this as our correspondent hasn't been brave enough to identify themself.
Personally, I have no particular beef with the current CAB, but then I am not currently available for Premier selection. Maybe if I were "in the mix" I might have a beef. Or I might just referee the game I was allocated to such a high standard that my referee coach (seen every few weeks) would have no choice but to report how well I performed. Or I might follow the grievance protocol to let it be known that I think I am ready for The Next Step. Most importantly, I would consume any and all advice given me by referee coaches or senior referees to ensure my own game keeps developing.
I have been down that road and was more than happy with my final year "in the mix", having finished the regular season quite highly-ranked. At the moment I am happy with my decision to referee morning games, due to my own personal circumstance, but am confident I would get a good hearing if/when I decide to re-enter the senior ranks.
'tis a shame that this dirty laundry was aired in public. Sorry about that, you other readers.
Oh, and it's "effect", not "affect".