Santos Cup 2024 referee Jacintha Jack is a woman on a mission. The young Simbu lass started her refereeing career back in 2017 in Lae and has never looked back since. Jacintha initially started off as a player in Madang, eventually moving to Lae to pursue her passion for the game. While playing in the local Lae league, she got interested in refereeing. The interest stemmed from her wanting to understand the game more, particularly the rules. She found herself observing the touch judges and referees officiating during matches. It was not long after that Jacintha picked up a flag as a touch judge for the local competitions, earning a little income in the process. With the knowledge and experience piling on over the years, an opportunity came about to attend a referee course run by PNGRFL. They were particularly interested in training female referees so naturally; she was recommended to attend the course. Jacintha jumped at the opportunity, signed on, and that was the beginning of greater things to come. Jacintha encourages more women to take up the role of officiating. She says she has received much encouragement, particularly from menfolk. They have praised her for doing a good job in a space that is male dominated, hence motivating her even more to pursue this career path. She decided to quit playing in 2017 to focus more on the refereeing. “I quit playing all together after receiving positive feedback.” "I saw my future career was in refereeing and not in playing, so, I joined refereeing and here I am now.” For Jacintha, officiating is more than a paid job, it is a passion she is committed to perfecting. While in the role, she wants to inspire other women to take up refereeing as a career path, as she says playing rugby league may not be for everyone, and refereeing can certainly provide involvement in the game, though in a different capacity. “We need more women putting their hands up to become referees.” “The Santos Cup is going to grow bigger, and we will need all the support we can get. This is where women will play an important role in growing the game.” “People are talking about gender equality, women being able to do what men do.” “A lot of women are scared of taking up refereeing. Once I took on refereeing, I saw that I got support and recognition from everyone, even from the men.” “I was told that I was good at refereeing, so this encouraged me, boosted my morale and kept me going.” As Jacintha settles into her role as a referee in the first ever national women’s competition, she is excited about what the future may hold for women in rugby league. She is also focused on her task at hand. “My aim is to perform consistently and develop my skills further, to go wherever the game may take me, just as my male counterparts before me have gone and even beyond that.”