Crossing the enemy’s lines

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 28

Crossing the enemy’s lines

The former Canterbury and All Black prop, Kerry Tanner, has carried out a “threat” he made about this time last year — he has taken up refereeing. The jovial Tanner, who will celebrate his thirtyfifth birthday on Friday, made his first appearance in the all-white colours at North Hagley Park last Saturday, , controlling two games in the midget 10-a-S’de eighteenth grade. “It was a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh air and the kids gave me no problems, although keeping up with them was not always easv. I thought I had pulled a hamstring after chasing one lad to the goal-Hne.” said Tanner.

He said that he did not ■ftunk his Canterbury and AH Black background earned him any extra respect. “They just thought I ■was another mug with a whistle and as they are onlv little kids — I almost stood on a couple by mistake — thev probably think I played away back in the davs of Billy Wallace. Bert Cooke and Fereie McCormick.” Like all the top referees he had known. Tanner said he had freely quoted laws to his charges, but thev had not seemed very interested. “All they wanted to do was run with the ball, or kick it — like I did when I was playing.” When “meditating” last winter on whether to become a referee, one of

the obstacles Tanner faced was that he had to buy a new pair of boots, the price of which amazed him.

He said he overcame this problem by running a raffle.

Although Tanner, whose clashes — mostly good-na-tured, but not always — with referees were a

second string to his playing career, has joined forces with his old antagonists, his “conversion” is still not complete. He said that he had been along to some of the referees’ association’s “psych sessions . . . where they try to make all the referees" the same,” but he had not. as yet, paid a subscription.

“I mav have to run another raffle for that.” said the Mochouse Avenue hotelier, whose outside interests include racing a horse.

Tanner said that the time factor had turned him towards refereeing, rather than coaching, but he doubted whether he would progress far in his latest activity.

“I have found, somewhat to my surprise, that there are a lot of good guys in the referees’ -association, but I don’t think the gnomes in the halls of power would consider me test material. “I think I will just referee for the fun of it, at least until I need a new pair of boots.”

KEVIN McMENAMIN