For the past five years every local rugby league player, particularly those in the junior years, would be familiar with the sight of Anthony Pond either in the middle of the field blowing his whistle, or running up and down the sideline waving a flag.
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Last Sunday Pond, now 18, became one of the youngest referees to ever officiate over a Group 10 first grade match.
Pond said the Oberon - St Pat's match was a good introduction to first grade refereeing and he wasn't disappointed by the game.
'It was real high quality footy, it was fast, it was intense and everything I expected," he said.
What did surprise him was that the intensity of the match just lasted for so long.
"It was just full-on for the entire 80 minutes as the other games I do are much shorter," he said.
"You have 26 players on the field, all in their positions playing for the win and it was just so much better than anything I've ever done."
As for the inevitable jibes from the sideline, Pond says he's impervious to the remarks.
"You just block them out," he said, 'You're too busy concentrating on the game to listen to them."
Now that he's taken his first step into first grade, Pond will be enhancing his skill levels with training and assessments throughout NSW.
"This Saturday I'll be in Maitland refereeing in an exchange and then on Sunday I'll be in Mudgee," he said.
