GROUP 2 Rugby League’s finest referees have been honoured for their stellar officiating seasons.

Blake Smoothy is Referee of the Year, narrowly edging out veteran Nathan Grace, while Beau Glyde claimed Junior Referee of the Year after an excellent season.

Both were named during the Group 2 Referees Association annual presentation night at The Coffs Hotel.

This is the third year in a row that Smoothy has been recognised as Referee of the Year and the third year running that he has refereed the Group 2 First Grade Grand Final.

He thanked the coaches and appointments board for their constructive feedback and credited Nathan Grace, who has thirteen grand final appointments since 2006 under his belt, for pushing him as they jostled for the top spot.

“It’s always a motivator to get better when there is competition within the association for the top appointments,” Smoothy said.

“It’s one of the major reasons I encourage ex-players to take up officiating – there is still an opportunity to compete and challenge themselves.”

Beau Glyde’s award cements his status as one of the most promising young officials in the region.

In just his second year of refereeing, he made his Grand Final debut by officiating the Under 12s.

Other notable award recipients included Nick McCudden who took out Rookie of the Year; Lynda Scott, who was awarded the peer-voted Referees’ Referee award for her outstanding contribution to the association; and seventeen-year-old Malcolm Keating, who capped off a strong season as the Most Improved Referee.

Keating officiated this season’s Under 15s grand final.

The presentation night was a celebration of not only individual accomplishments, but also the collective effort of all referees who have contributed to a successful season of Group 2 Rugby League.

“We had referees backing up Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, which is testament to their commitment to making sure games went ahead,” referees boss Des Fisher said.

“We would encourage anyone interested in joining us for 2025 to make contact via email and look out via social media for our referee’s course running in February.”

Anyone interested in refereeing in 2025 can contact The Group 2 Referees Association via email at gp2referees@gmail.com or through their social media page.

By Aiden BURGESS