Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Greg Hartley | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1942-07-19)19 July 1942 (age 82) Paddington, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Halfback | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 27 August 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greg Hartley (born 19 July 1942 inPaddington, New South Wales)[2] is an Australian formerreferee in theNew South Wales Rugby Football League competitions of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Hartley has been described as "perhaps the most colourful and controversial referee in football history".[3]
Hartley began his rugby league career as a player and had three first-grade games withNewtown Jets in 1967 before rupturing his spleen in a reserve-grade match in the same year. He underwent a number of surgeries, spent six months in hospital and retired as a player.[4]
In 1969 he became a referee in theEasts junior league and was graded in 1971. By 1975 he was officiating in thefirst-grade semi-finals. He was considered the game's top referee of the time, officiating in the1978,1979,1980 and1981 Grand Finals before retiring in 1982.
He became a football commentator on radio station2GB and later2KY, forming a partnership with formerManly player,Peter Peters, which was popularly known asThe Decibel Duo[5] andHollywood and Zorba.[6]