Gary Freeman Portrait. Gary Freeman Portrait. Image: Fox Sports

Is there anything in rugby league which is really getting your goat these days? 

I feel sorry for the refs. I think theirs is the hardest job in the game. I’ve never refereed a game. I’ve refereed touch, that was hard enough, a mixed touch comp … not the best place to be. Referees are under the microscope more than ever. In the end they

don’t really lose games, players lose games by missing tackles, dropping balls. There are areas which need to be attended to, but I think the refs are scrutinised pretty heavily. Like a player, if a ref has a good game, he’ll get praised, and if he has a bad game, he’ll get hammered. It’s just that we like hammering refs a little bit more. I had no dramas when I was playing. I talked to the referees all the time. I’d often try and explain some of the rules to them during the game. They loved that … I think they thought sometimes that I was refereeing the game!

We’ve just seen another blockbusting Origin series. As a Kiwi, how excited do you get about the concept?

I love it. I was fortunate enough to be involved when Wayne Pearce was the NSW coach in 1999-2000. I gained a perspective of what players go through, what they’re thinking, how they act. I think it’s fantastic. Beside Test matches, that’s the other ultimate level everyone wants to play at. Origin’s an Australian-based concept and it should stay that way. Kiwis should be proud to play Test matches against Australia and that’s the way it should stay.

Only asking this ‘cause you’re a Kiwi ... Did you give rugby union a go before you settled into league?

Yeah, I was terrible … shocking. I think they tried me in every position and in the end they said, “We think you should go away and play something else.”

– James Smith