Grant Atkins is ready to put 27 years of experience into practice as he prepares to referee his first NRL grand final.
The official has been tasked with managing Sunday's decider between the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium. Chris Sutton and David Munro will join him on the field as touch judges, with Ashley Klein in the Bunker.
Belinda Sharpe will referee the NRLW grand final between the Roosters and Broncos, with Ethan Klein and Rochelle Tamarua running the line and Chris Butler in the Bunker.
Atkins said the appointment was the culmination of nearly three decades of hard work and he's ready to facilitate a high-quality contest.
"It's exciting," Atkins said. "It's something you strive to achieve for a long time so now the week's here it's a matter of soaking it in.
"There are so many times where there is disappointment within officiating and moments that you miss out. There's never really that winning feeling because there's no result on a scoreboard however you know all the hard work you put in.
"Your family knows that, your friends know that and it's a nice acknowledgement for all the effort you made and your willingness to turn up every weekend knowing that last weekend or any other weekend in your career would've been one that would've been easy to walk away from."
Match: Storm v Broncos
Grand Final -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Broncos
4th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Rugby league has been an integral part of Atkins' life since he was born, with the referee's father Graeme a premiership-winning player with the Eels.
Atkins took charge of last Sunday's thrilling preliminary final between the Broncos and Panthers, with the official helping facilitate a fast-paced, entertaining contest.
Broncos v Panthers - Finals Week 3, 2025
The whistle-blower has previously sat in the Bunker for the grand final, providing him crucial experience for how to navigate the biggest game of the season.
"You know that grand final week is different in terms of what your commitments are," Atkins said. "The game itself I don't think there's any need to treat it any differently.
"I'll go out there, see what the game has to offer and just contribute to making sure it's the most entertaining product we have."
Sunday's proceedings will begin when the Warriors take on Burleigh in the NRL State Championship. Jarrod Cole will hold the whistle in that match, with Kieren Irons and Nick Pelgrave the touch judges. Liam Kennedy is the Bunker review official.
Sharpe will then step in to referee her fourth NRLW grand final in the second game of the day.
The official has watched the women's competition grow since taking charge of her first decider in 2020 and is looking forward to another high-quality contest on Sunday afternoon.
"I'm really excited for the weekend," Sharpe said. "This year the NRLW has gone from strength to strength, like we have seen every year. I'm really excited for what the girls can produce on the weekend and happy to be part of it.
"The quality of football the girls are producing now has gone to another level. We saw that in the Origin series and I'm sure the grand final is going to be no different. I'm sure it's going to be a great spectacle for the fan."
