John Dustow has seen it all as a Touchie. Throughout his time being involved in Touch, he has become one of the most decorated and well-known referees in New Zealand. After an impacted representative season, the 2022 Bunnings Homegrown Touch Series, fuelled by Indomie, gives our elite touch community a chance to showcase their skills. 

When asked about how he has prepared himself for the upcoming series, John shared that he’s been watching video footage of some of the key men’s players who he will be working with, and seeing if there are any trends that he can pick up to best work with them and to be in the right spot to make the tough decisions. He also mentioned “as a refereeing group, we are coming into this series and re-engaging ourselves into high performance touch before this series commences, by discussing trends, best practices sharing each other’s experiences from past games”. 

The referee core for the Homegrown Touch Series:

Taneshia Gill

Richie Heap

Brett Kimpton

Sha Bannister-Plumridge 

Shay Spyve

Mitchell Bailey

Sonia Wirihana-Tawake

Quinn Murphy

Stace Bannister-Plumridge 

They have been collectively sharing information with each other, holding zoom meetings, sharping their skills and making sure they are all on the same page before the series starts, this coming weekend 16/17^th April in Te Awamutu.

Refereeing with John is a fantastic chance for young referee’s to learn and officiate with international quality referee’s, and will be vital to their growth and development. John has a vast knowledge of the game, wealth of experience, and he is more than willing to share his experiences with the younger generation of referee’s. When asked about how the Homegrown Touch Series will improve the development and growth of the younger elite referee’s, John expressed that “this event will be positive for Touch NZ, as we bolster our refereeing stocks at this level of experience leading into next year’s Touch World Cup(s)”. 

Being a referee can be challenging, especially at elite level. Not only does it take physical ability, but also mental capacity. To become an elite referee, John said “it’s about managing the game and understanding that any decision you make must be for the benefit of the game and not one that benefits me as the referee. The referees need to go into the game thinking ‘how can I be of service to this game to ensure the players reach their goals’ and not ‘what can I do to better my refereeing pathway’’’.

Article added: Monday 11 April 2022