Donald William 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
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
(NSWRL) in 1963, 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.
Macdonald was a no-nonsense referee who was not averse to sending off players for violent play or dissent, including
Craig Young
Craig Young (born 25 June 1956) is an Australian former representative rugby league footballer for the Australia national rugby league team, the New South Wales Blues and a stalwart player over 11 seasons from 1977 to 1988 with the St. Geor ...
,
Johnny Greaves and
Ron Raper
Ronald Paul Raper (born 22 November 1945) is an Australian former rugby league footballer, and coach from the 1960s and 1970s.
Background
Born in Camperdown, in inner-western Sydney into a working-class family of nine boys, he played junior ...
,
,
Kevin Ryan,
Paul Sait
Paul Joseph Sait (born 4 September 1947) is a former Australian rugby league footballer and coach. A versatile or running forward who played in the 1960s and 1970s for South Sydney. He made 7 Test appearances for the Australian national rep ...
,
Graham Olling
Graham Olling is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australia international and New South Wales interstate representative forward, he played his club football mainly in Sydney's NSWRF ...
and
Bill Ashurst.
Macdonald was also involved in some volatile situations after matches, being pelted with fruit and cans by irate spectators, and doused with beer.
After he retired from refereeing, Macdonald was elected as President of the NSWRL Referees Association from 1980 to 1984. 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.
External links
Macdonald referees Western Suburbs V Canterbury-Bankstown on 29 April 1978
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Don
Year of birth missing
1994 deaths
People from New South Wales
Australian rugby league referees
Rugby league referees from Newtown