Bill Harrigan
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William James Harrigan | |||||
| Born | 24 May 1960 Sydney, Australia |
|||||
| Refereeing information | ||||||
| Years | Competition | Apps | ||||
| 1986–2003 | National Rugby League | 392 | ||||
| Source: Rugby League Tables | ||||||
Bill Harrigan (born 24 May 1960 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league football referee, and current head of refereeing for the National Rugby League. Unusually for a sports official, in his long career he was accorded the same profile as some of the top players he refereed.[1][2] A policeman off-field before he resigned to concentrate on rugby league,[3] he is widely recognised as one of Australia's greatest sports umpires.[3][4] He is currently an NRL "video referee".[5] He retired with the record for most State of Origin matches officiated.[6]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
William James "Bill" Harrigan was born in 1960 in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales).[4] He resided in the south-west and greater western suburbs of Sydney for all of his childhood. After living briefly at a residence on Parramatta Road in Granville, he moved with his family at the age of four to Canley Heights.[citation needed] While not particularly interested in academic studies as school student, he nevertheless represented his schools with distinction in every sport that he could.[3] Harrigan joined the NSW Police Force in 1979.[3] He served extensively in numerous units, including the Tactical Response Group.[7]
[edit] Rugby League career
Harrigan refereed his first game in 1977. In 1986 he refereed his first New South Wales Rugby League premiership match, between Cronulla and Western Suburbs.[3]
Harrigan holds the following Australian rugby league refereeing records[4]
- 392 first grade games,
- 21 State of Origin games,
- 25 Test matches, and
- 10 Grand finals (1989–1991,1997–2003)
[edit] Defamation action
In July 2001 Harrigan successfully sued Australian radio broadcaster Alan Jones for defamatory remarks made by Jones during a 1998 interview, resulting in an award of $90,000.[8]
[edit] Post-retirement
After retiring from rugby league refereeing, Bill was a referee in Australian Gladiators.
[edit] References
- ^ "Controversy corner". National Museum of Australia. http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/league_of_legends/controversy_corner/. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ "Bill Harrigan (NRL)". http://www.sportnsw.com.au The NSW Sports Federation. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080720055633/http://www.sportnsw.com.au/epages/ecornerhosting.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/sportnsw/Categories/Officials/%22Mentors/Interviews%22/%22Bill+Harrigan+(NRL)%22. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "RefereeBillHarrigan". http://www.abc.net.au Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm?queensland. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
- ^ a b c "Mediaman.com.au – Harrigan". http://www.mediaman.com.au mediaman.com.au. http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
- ^ Hooper, James (6 July 2008). "Bill Harrigan asked to explain "biff" Origin column". www.news.com.au/couriermail The Courier-Mail. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,23977020-5016380,00.html. Retrieved 11 February 2009.[dead link]
- ^ David Middleton. "Records". NSWRL.com.au (Australia). http://nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s=records. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ A Centenary of Rugby League (1908–2008). Sydney: Pan Macmillan. pp. 606. ISBN 978-1-4050-3830-0.
- ^ Alan Jones Chronology Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Four Corners. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
[edit] Further reading
- Harrigan, Bill; Lane, Daniel (2003). Harrigan. Sydney: Hoddler Headline. ISBN 0 7336 1742 5.
- "Bill Harrigan – Full Biography". ICMI. 2006. http://www.icmi.com.au/Speaker/Sports/Bill_Harrigan/Biography. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- Mascord, Steve; Walter, Brad (30 April 2004). "Harrigan has packed up the whistle but he's blowing his own trumpet". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/29/1083224524060.html?from=storyrhs. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- "Bill Harrigan, Australia’s finest sporting official". Celebrity Speakers Australia. 2005. http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/brspeaker_bio.asp?Speaker_Index_Text=559. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
[edit] External links
- Image from the collection of the National Museum of Australia – Harrigan sends off Gorden Tallis during the 2000 "State of Origin" series
- http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html
- http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html
- http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm
- http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134
- http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411317/453852
- http://gallery.atwone.com/1023.html
- http://www.seniorlink.co.nz/llbooks/?cont_id=82
- http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:jkdwHxvS55AJ:www.ovations.com.au/news/november.htm+bill+harrigan&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=87&client=opera
- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/30/1064819935828.html
- http://www.billharrigan.com.au/
- http://www.rl1908.com/Origin/results-origin.htm
