Hardie has only been officiating for the last two years, but after the completion of last week’s senior State Cup he was upgraded to Level 4 as a state graded referee.

He becomes state referee number 502 and only the fourth Port Macquarie referee to achieve this level after Ian ‘Stamps’ Kelly, Jim Thompson and Greg Oaten.

“I was never up to the standard of playing at a representative level so I thought why not referee,” Hardie said.

“It’s been a quick process because you’re meant to hold your badge for 12 months to achieve your level five.”

The teenager officiated in his second senior State Cup after he was approached by Port Macquarie referees director Greg Oaten.

“That was at a school tournament a couple of years ago,” Hardie said.

“And then Greg coached me after that.”

After being a referee for the last two years, Hardie said he had never been a victim of referee abuse.

“Most of the players are all well-behaved and there is a zero tolerance for swearing,” he said.

“I never thought about it when I decided I wanted to be a referee.

“You will always get the occasional player that blows up.”

15-year-old Hugh Stewart had his first taste of officiating a senior State Cup last weekend.

“I enjoy the sport of touch and thought refereeing was a good way to keep fit,” the teenager said.

“The main difference from the junior to the senior competitions was that the games with the seniors are a lot faster and they know the rules.

“You’re just there to guide them.”

Port Macquarie referees dominated at the end of last weekend’s tournament.

Leading referees including Greg Oaten, Royce Goodwin, Brad Walsh, Jon Bailey and Emma Bleasdale all featured in the sharp end of proceedings.

They officiated in semi-finals on Sunday where Oaten controlled the men’s 55 grand final between Manly and Penrith.

Oaten was impressed by the performances of the up-and-coming youngsters.

Hardie and Stewart were joined by Mitchell Evans with the trio all rewarded for their high performances with badge upgrades.

Stewart and Evans, both only 15 years old, exceeded expectations by being elevated to level three.

Oaten said their upgrades are a well earned reward after controlling over 10 games each in the hot, humid conditions and the high pressure of senior representative touch football.

Hardie will be presented with his state referee jacket at next year’s state referee dinner at Parramatta Leagues Club.