Who was the first woman to referee an NRL match?

Belinda Sharpe was the first woman to referee an NRL match.

Sharpe made history on 22 August 2019 when she refereed the Brisbane Broncos versus St George Illawarra Dragons match at Suncorp Stadium. The appointment made her the first female referee in an NRL premiership match.

She had already officiated in Queensland competitions and in the NRL Holden Women’s Premiership pathway. Her progression reflected the broader development of women’s officiating in rugby league, where female referees had increasingly taken charge of junior, state and professional matches.

Sharpe’s achievement is sometimes confused with the first woman to referee a professional rugby league match anywhere, because women had already officiated in other competitions and countries. The distinction here is specifically the NRL premiership, Australia’s top-level club competition.