How often has each Super League official refereed every team in 2024?

If there is one, good old-fashioned conspiracy theory a rugby league supporter loves, it’s that a particular match official has it in for their Super League side.

Naturally – and rationally – we don’t subscribe to that view at Love Rugby League. But it doesn’t stop some people believing that certain match officials literally referee games in different ways dependent on who they’re officiating. Again, that’s not for us.

You often skim across comments online too declaring fans bemoaning that they’ve once again been lumbered with a certain referee. But how true is that? Do certain match officials take charge of games involving certain teams more than others?

We’ve crunched the numbers and run the data.

Owing to the rescheduled Round 2 clash between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards, which will now be played in August, there have been 101 Super League games played in 2024 at the time of writing.

Nine different officials have taken charge of those games, and the number of games they’ve taken charge of are as follows: Aaron Moore (17), Jack Smith (16), Tom Grant (15), Liam Moore (15), Chris Kendall (14), James Vella (13), Liam Rush (5), Ben Thaler (4) and Marcus Griffiths (2).

Here is how often your side has had each of those referees in the middle in Super League alone this year.

Castleford Tigers

Seven different men have officiated a Super League game involving Castleford so far this season, with Vella taking charge of five of the Tigers’ 17 games to date. That’s the joint-second highest tally of any referee and club combination.

Notably, Craig Lingard’s side are yet to see either Griffiths or Rush in the middle, but that’s the case for five of the 12 top flight clubs.

Tom Grant: 2
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 4
Liam Moore: 1
Liam Rush: 0
Jack Smith: 2
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 5

Catalans Dragons

Every Super League club has at least one referee that has taken charge of 4+ of their fixtures to date, with Jack Smith (5) filling Catalans’ quota in that aspect.

Elsewhere, brothers Liam and Aaron Moore have officiated three Dragons league games each so far this year.

Tom Grant: 2
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 3
Aaron Moore: 3
Liam Moore: 3
Liam Rush: 0
Jack Smith: 5
Ben Thaler: 0
James Vella: 1

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Huddersfield Giants

No referee has taken charge of more fixtures involving one club than Grant with Huddersfield. He’s been the man with the whistle in six of their opening 17 league games, more than a third!

Two officials are yet to take centre stage in a Giants clash in 2024 – Griffiths & Rush, two of the three referees with the fewest number of games under their belt overall.

Tom Grant: 6
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 1
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 3
Liam Rush: 0
Jack Smith: 3
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 1

Hull FC

Hull are the only club in the top flight to have had at least one game officiated by every single one of the nine Super League referees.

Liam Moore is statistically the most popular choice when it comes to FC games, at least so far this season, taking charge of their fixtures on four occasions.

Tom Grant: 2
Marcus Griffiths: 1
Chris Kendall: 3
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 4
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 1
Ben Thaler: 2
James Vella: 1

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Hull KR

Liam Moore has also taken charge of cross-city rivals KR on four occasions in Super League so far this season, the same number as colleague Grant.

The Robins have seen eight different men in the middle across their first 17 league fixtures this term, with Griffiths the only one not to have overseen one of their games yet.

Tom Grant: 4
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 4
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 2
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 1

Leeds Rhinos

Kendall has been the man in charge more often than any other where Leeds are concerned, having overseen five of their 17 Super League games to date in 2024.

Aaron Moore has also taken charge of the Rhinos on four occasions, and Smith thrice.

Tom Grant: 1
Marcus Griffiths: 1
Chris Kendall: 5
Aaron Moore: 4
Liam Moore: 2
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 3
Ben Thaler: 0
James Vella: 0

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Leigh Leopards

Leigh’s allotment has been thinner spread than some, with Griffiths, Rush and Thaler all yet to officiate the Leopards – who have played 16 league games so far this term.

Adrian Lam’s side have seen Aaron Moore three times so far this season, and brother Liam four times. Vella has also taken charge of three of their 16 games.

Tom Grant: 1
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 3
Liam Moore: 4
Liam Rush: 0
Jack Smith: 3
Ben Thaler: 0
James Vella: 3

London Broncos

Vella has taken charge of Super League new boys (if we can still call them that!) London five times – the same number as he’s overseen for Castleford.

The Broncos have also had Rush – who is yet to officiate any other Super League side more than once in 2024 – in charge on four occasions.

Tom Grant: 2
Marcus Griffiths: 1
Chris Kendall: 1
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 0
Liam Rush: 4
Jack Smith: 1
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 5

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Salford Red Devils

Grant & Aaron Moore have drawn Salford in the ‘selection lottery’ more often than any of their colleagues so far this term, taking charge of four Red Devils fixtures apiece as we hit mid-July.

Kendall & Vella have also overseen three fixtures apiece involving Paul Rowley’s side, but no one else has been the man in the middle for Salford more than once.

Tom Grant: 4
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 3
Aaron Moore: 4
Liam Moore: 1
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 1
Ben Thaler: 0
James Vella: 3

St Helens

Liam Moore has refereed Saints five times so far this season, more than any other club. Elsewhere though, no one else has taken charge of Paul Wellens’ side on more than three occasions.

Griffiths, Rush and Thaler – the three officials with the fewest number of overall games – are all yet to take charge of the Red V in 2024.

Tom Grant: 3
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 5
Liam Rush: 0
Jack Smith: 3
Ben Thaler: 0
James Vella: 2

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Warrington Wolves

Aaron Moore and colleague Smith have both been the man in the middle for Warrington four times since Sam Burgess’ arrival.

Outside of those two though, nobody has been in charge of Burgess’ side on more than two occasions, with Grant the only man the Wire are yet to be officiated by this season.

Tom Grant: 0
Marcus Griffiths: 1
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 4
Liam Moore: 2
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 4
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 2

Wigan Warriors

Reigning Super League champions Wigan have seen eight officials take charge of at least one of their games this season, with Griffiths the only one not to do so at this stage.

Nobody has refereed Matt Peet’s side in 2024 more often than Smith, who has been the man with the whistle for four of the 16 Super League games they’ve played to date.

Tom Grant: 3
Marcus Griffiths: 0
Chris Kendall: 2
Aaron Moore: 2
Liam Moore: 1
Liam Rush: 1
Jack Smith: 4
Ben Thaler: 1
James Vella: 2

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Round 18 appointments

As already stated, 17 rounds have been played out so far this year in Super League, with Round 18 getting underway on Friday evening (July 19).

Below, we’ve listed all six games in Round 18 along with the official that’s been allocated to them – and at the side of both clubs involved, you can see how many of their league games that will take the corresponding official up to in brackets.

E.g. Referee 1 – Club A (officiated x times by Referee 1 once Round 18 game has been played) v Club B (officiated x times by Referee 1 once Round 18 game has been played)

Without further ado:

Friday, July 19

Jack Smith – Huddersfield Giants (4) v Salford Red Devils (2)

Chris Kendall – St Helens (3) v Warrington Wolves (3)

Liam Rush – Leigh Leopards (1) v London Broncos (5)

Saturday, July 20

Aaron Moore – Hull FC (3) v Wigan Warriors (3)

Liam Moore – Leeds Rhinos (3) v Hull KR (5)

Sunday, July 21

Marcus Griffiths – Castleford Tigers (1) v Catalans Dragons (1)