Gavin Badger was one of the most formidable referees in the top rugby league competition in the world for years.
The proud Dhungutti and Gadigal man's numbers back that up, surviving the thankless role where the referees are never hailed the heroes and are nearly always portrayed as the villains in the game.
But Badger stayed in charge long enough to officiate for 308 NRL matches from 2004 until his retirement in 2020.
Only Indigenous legends Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston have also run out at least 300 times during that Badger whistleblowing era.
But during those 18 seasons – including all 27 of the NRL – the man that grew up from the streets of Redfern remains the only Indigenous referee to make the grade.
Nearly 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders though have played in the NRL during that time.
That always had Badger blowing up his whistle.
"Our numbers don't add up in officiating compared with playing, or other off-field roles, like coaching, team management, strength and conditioning," he told www.nswrl.com.au.
"We need to get Indigenous people involved more in the game – refereeing is just one part of that.
"It's something among Indigenous people that we don't tend to push towards roles, or in positions of power or authority.
"So, it's around breaking some of those stigmas as well."
Badger this year has been in a position to do something about it.
The NSWRL community football referees development officer introduced an Indigenous shirt worn during its inaugural First Nations round in the NAIDOC Week to sell refereeing to the mobs.
He had been planning the design of the referees and touch judges' strips full of coloured dot art across the past three years.
Inspiration came from the Walaaybaa artwork that is blasted on a wall in the NSWRL Centre of Excellence that Darren Dunn painted in 2022.
Walaaybaa, which translates to home Country, demonstrates the links between the NSWRL and First Nations culture, according to Badger.
"I based the jersey off our Walaaybaa painting, so it has that connection, but also is a bit of a difference from our Origin (training) men's and women's player jerseys," he said.
Badger believes there is an untapped resource of possible First Nations referees in the community.
So much so that he set up an Indigenous Referees Academy with 35 officials in the squad from across the state.
There is a goal that 40 per cent of the squad will graduate to a NSWRL junior representative competitions squad soon.
Badger has worked closely with NSWRL First Nations programs officer Kristian Heffernan to "create safe spaces for our people".
"Having referees across all our competitions in these jerseys shows that our organisation – the NSWRL – embraces culture and is big on inclusion with everyone," Badger said.
"That was the driving force behind me wanting to get this jersey up and running.
"The outreach will be big because we have games on TV in competitions like The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, Jersey Flegg, Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership.
"People will see them and hopefully take on board the meaning behind them."
Billy Greatbatch, like Badger, is one referee ahead of the curve and a backer of the new Indigenous shirts in the First Nations round during the NSW Cup and the Ron Massey Cup games.
He was one of the few Indigenous men promoted to the NSWRL referees squad back in the 2018 season, believing like players he is out representing his Wiradjuri culture out on the field.
"It means so much because I'm not just representing myself, but also my mob back home in Orange and I have strong ties with the people in Brewarrina," Greatbatch said.
Greatbatch is proud to be a "walking advertisement" for an option of an Indigenous officiating career in a game as the most prominent NSWRL game-day official.
"There are so many avenues throughout the game," he said.
"Referees are part of this big family of rugby league.
"The theme of NAIDOC this year is being loud and proud.
"This jersey definitely says that.
"It has the input of us all trying to get to that end-goal of unity."
