In just her second full season of officiating, Ange “the needle” Cotton was a big winner at the Tasman rugby referees end of year awards function.
The region’s leading female match official was both surprised and delighted to claim the Most Improved Div 2 referee honour after a busy year which also included handling the Tasman Trophy Women’s club final at Riwaka.
She received a plaque for controlling the women’s showpiece.
“I really enjoy refereeing. There is a core group of us and they are really cool and supportive,” says Ange whose bubbly personality has made her a popular figure in the reffing ranks.
She made headlines after a Marist Div 2 player took to social media to criticise her rulings after his side lost narrowly to Collingwood in an elimination match in June.
While Ange can accept her decisions being challenged on the field, the online slander really hurt and had her briefly questioning her future role in the game she loves.
The whistleblower is a volunteer, not paid for her time in the middle and of course Div 2 refs receive limited support from their unofficial lines people.
The player was cited and stood down, by the Tasman Rugby Union, for effectively all of next season.
So there was a sense of justification when her peers acknowledged her performances across the season.
The other accolade was for Most Committed Referee which was no surprise given her attention to fitness, including the pre-season Bronco training, and the finer refereeing points of the game.
The loose forward played from 18 to 38 years of age for the Stoke, Waimea Old Boys and Marist clubs before tearing the ACL ligaments in her knee ended her career.
She represented Nelson Bays, captained the Tasman Mako women and is now reffing a few players she used to run around with or against.
“I liked to lead by example rather than barking at players.”
As for the nickname “needle” - “It probably had a double meaning but cotton and thread. As there were two Angela’s and then two Cottons in teams I played in, I was called “cotton” and the name stuck,” explains the 40-something ref.
After retiring, she coached teenagers at Wanderers before taking up the whistle.
Following the ball closely as a loose forward helped her switch roles where she was “coached” by Robert Wilson.
She reckons one criticism of her, is not dishing out more yellow cards.
“Not hard enough on some of the players apparently.”
Stepping up to Div 1 appeals.
“I am told it is cleaner, with more skills and less niggle.”
While some referees can’t wait to put their feet up in the off-season, it’s all go for the Stoke-based sales manager for TotalEnergies.
Total energy seems fitting as “all-action Ange” has plenty of gas in the tank for her other pursuits, preparing and riding showjumpers from her Spring Grove property plus scuba diving and l fishing.
