Ben Thaler

Ben Thaler is the longest-serving member of the full-time panel, and has a wide range of big match experience. His first major final was the Northern Rail Cup decider between Castleford and Hull KR at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool in 2005 – when he was named Northern Ford Premiership Referee of the Year. A decade later, he achieved the double of refereeing the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley and the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford – he was the Super League Referee of the Year for 2015. He has also refereed numerous international fixtures, including both England versus Exiles matches in 2012, and at the last two World Cups in 2013 and 2017. But the majority of his big-match experience has come as a video referee – eight Grand Finals, five Challenge Cup Finals, and the World Cup Final in Brisbane in 2017.