Don Macdonald
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald William Macdonald | |||||
| Born | Tempe, New South Wales, Australia | |||||
| Died | 12 June 1994 Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia | |||||
| Refereeing information | ||||||
| Years | Competition | Apps | ||||
| 1967–1979 | New South Wales Rugby League | 157 | ||||
| Source: rleague.com | ||||||
Donald William "Don" Macdonald (died 12 June 1994) was an Australian rugby league referee and administrator.
Career
Macdonald began his refereeing career in the Newtown District Junior Rugby League. He was subsequently graded to referee in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), gaining his first first-grade match in 1967. He went on to control over 150 top grade matches in a career that lasted until 1979.[1]
Macdonald was a no-nonsense referee who was not averse to sending off players for violent play or dissent, including Craig Young,[2] Johnny Greaves and Ron Raper,[3] Steve Kneen,[4] Kevin Ryan,[5] Paul Sait,[6] Graham Olling[7] and Bill Ashurst.[8]
Macdonald was also involved in some volatile situations after matches, being pelted with fruit[9] and cans[10] by irate spectators, and doused with beer.[3]
After he retired from refereeing, Macdonald was elected as President of the NSWRL Referees Association from 1980 to 1984.[11] He also served on the Referees Examination Board for a number of years.
Macdonald was awarded Life Membership of the NSWRL Referees Association in 1976.[12]
References
- ↑ "Don Macdonald". stats.rleague.com. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ Clarkson, Alan (7 March 1979). "NSW League shows teeth in suspensions". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- 1 2 "Raper, Greaves suspended for a match". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 July 1968. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ Clarkson, Alan (31 May 1977). "Tough line taken on RL brawls". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ Humphries, Rod (14 July 1968). "Captain sent off". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ Clarkson, Alan (14 May 1974). "Pringle in City Firsts: Sait Out". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ Clarkson, Alan (27 March 1979). "Three More Forwards Sent Off". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ "Ten Changes in Two Clubs". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1975. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ "Referee Pelted, Abused". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 1969. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ "Barbed wire for league grounds". The Canberra Times. 5 March 1975. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ↑ "Honour Roll". 103rd Annual Report and Financial Statement. p.41: NSWRL Referees Association. 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ "Life Members in Memoriam". 103rd Annual Report and Financial Statement. p.38: NSWRL Referees Association. 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2011.