"It's finals time again, the time of year when I get the most emails and messages, asking me who is going to be refereeing their team in the final. Everyone wants to be part of a final, and that's no different for the match officials.

We have a small referee society but we have a very close group of lads with a great team spirit. That makes selecting the officials to put on the finals very difficult because everyone has put in so much hard work throughout the season.

It's great to see that our younger referees have been promoted to officiate on RFL appointed games, which means we rely heavily on the more experienced members of our society to make sure locals games go ahead. These final appointments are a reflection of that commitment to the Community game.

Not everyone will agree with every decision they make but, to be a bit cliché, without them you wouldn't be watching these games. From everyone at Cumberland Rugby League Referees' Society, we hope you enjoy the games and may the best team win!"

Rob Jones, Secretary Cumberland RLRS