Gary takes up the whistle in a new chapter of his career

Gary Smyth is looking forward to giving back to the game that has given him so much as he starts his journey from player to referee.

The 38-year-old father of three has enjoyed a 25-year love affair with rugby as a player during his time at Strabane Academy before moving on to a 17-year stint with Strabane Rugby Club and spells with Letterkenny and Omagh Accies where he brought his career to a close on a high after helping the fourths at Thomas Mellon Playing Fields to a stunning league and cup double last term.

So far, the Ardstraw native has undergone referee coaching with Ulster Branch in Belfast, has run the line at a competitive match and has refereed a couple of underage clashes and he admits to have leaned a lot already.

“It really has given me a different perspective on the game.” he acknowledged. “I went up [to his first training day for new referees in Belfast] thinking I’ve been playing for nearly 25 years, thinking I knew everything and within 30 minutes I realised I know absolutely nothing!

“To be fair, the guys who were running the course were very, very good. They knew some people had experience and there were some young guys on the course as well, so they were very good at working out who knew what, who was coming from playing experience or not, it didn’t really matter.

“I have to say, I really enjoyed that first session and it made me look forward to getting out on the pitch.”

He didn’t have long to wait to get back onto the pitch, travelling to the John Hunter Memorial Grounds in Limavady the very next week to act as touch judge during Limavady’ seconds thrilling 29-24 win over Ballymoney thirds in Ulster Provincial League North, which gave him a better understanding of positioning.

“It was definitely different being a touch judge from a potential referee’s point of view rather than just as a fan watching the game,” he acknowledged.

“It was a really good experience and it allowed me to look at the positioning of the referee during open play and set plays. When I was playing I wouldn’t really have cared where the referee was standing but it was good to pinpoint where he was standing during a scrum and when the ball left where he moved to and stuff like that.”

And last weekend he refereed his second underage match between Lurgan under-14s and Larne and he admits he already feels like moving into officiating is the right decision

“ It went off without a hitch and the guy out mentoring me had a lot of positive things to tell me and a few things to work on,” Smyth beamed.

“ We get mentor’s reports with things we need to work on. The mentor said I have good presence and stuff like that, my tone was good, I didn’t miss anything major, so I was really happy with the feedback I got. He said I have loads of potential, so it’s onwards and upwards.

“ As a linesman you’re just dealing with the ball going into touch whereas refereeing the sole focus is on you, you’re on charge of the match in the middle and every decision is on you.

“There’s a lot more pressure with everyone on the sidelines and the players watching you to make sure you referee a fair match so to speak. And everyone has an opinion!

“It really put the point across on Saturday when I was travelling home that I really enjoyed it and I think that’s the main thing.

“I know I have a lot to learn myself but it’s great that I have a good platform to start from. I think, being a former player, knowing the layout of a match has been a great benefit but having the Ulster Branch there, watching you, making sure you are doing the right things is a really big help as well.”

Switching from playing to refereeing is something that Gary had pondered for some time and after a successful end to last term with Omagh Accies IV he decided the time had come to take the step, although he did consider moving into coaching instead.

“I played 25 years and last year I played with Omagh 4s and we won the cup and won the league. I had always been interested in coaching and refing and I though refereeing would better suit my attention span,” he explained.

“I had been wanting to do it for a long time. I nearly packed the playing in just before Covid but I got convinced to keep playing.

“I’ve been to Ravenhill twice and I’ve won leagues with Strabane and Omagh, so I thought it’s now time to give back to a sport that has given me so much. What rugby has given me is beyond compare and as one of the [referee’s] coaches said, a match doesn’t happen without a referee in the middle. That really hit home to me so I thought, ‘you know what?, this will help me stay a part of the game and it will allow me to give back to it as well’. That was the thought process behind it.

“But I think going out on a high last year was the best way I could have finished.”

Over the last 20-odd years, Smyth has enjoyed plenty of highs on the pitch as a player, particularly enjoying the years at Strabane under coaches Willie Gibson and Paul O’Kane when they achieved a lot of success, although he admits losing two finals at Ravenhill was disappointing.

“During that time, we got to Ravenhill twice, both times in the final of the Gordon West Cup,” he explained. “We played Monaghan the first time and it was a really close match and then Holywood the second time and they had a big Fijian in the middle and they won comfortably.

“It was great to get there, to win two leagues in a row – we won Q4 one year and then Q3 the next – and we had a year in the same league as Omagh Accies, which was great because the two clubs are close together but there wasn’t a bitter rivalry, so it was a really good thing.

“And the team Strabane had at that time was a really good bunch of lads, who had that connection that allowed us to win leagues and allowed us to do well in cups but it was always a spoiler for me that we didn’t actually win [one of the cups].

“For me, Strabane could go really far, but certain things have always held them back, with pitches and stuff like that. But they’re making a really good go of it with their fundraising and hopefully they can get this place up at the old Grammar School.

“And it was the same thing at Omagh, they were a really good bunch of lads. It was a really good, enjoyable season and to top it off, winning the league and cup was a nice way to say ‘the boots are being hung up’. It was a nice way to end it.”

Having admitted his body couldn’t take another year of front row punishment, Smyth decided to make a somewhat overdue move into refereeing and he’s hopeful that while it will give him the chance to give something back to the game, that it might also allowed him to surpass what he achieved as a player.

“ It’s something I really wanted to get into so I can stay involved in the sport and it’s about finding a feeling now,” he explained. “I think it will be a couple of months being mentored and trained and to be fair, the programme that [Ulster Rugby] have is very, very good. The guys up there are very, very good and it feels like I’m joining another club in terms of refereeing.

“ I couldn’t be happier and I’m just excited to be giving back to the game. It will be a bit different, standing in the middle with a whistle, but I’ll still be on the pitch!

“And there’s another point – I never got to play in an All-Ireland League match as a player. I was close one time with Omagh but work commitments meant I couldn’t but it’s my aim. I hope to get to an All-Ireland League match and referee it but I know that will take a lot of work that I’m prepared to do.

“I’m excited about the opportunities and I’m really happy I took the step because it’s going to be a good journey.”