Matthew Kellahan - Rugby union
Australian Sports Commission
When Matt Kellahan started playing rugby union at Sydney Grammar School he discovered that he loved the game but “couldn’t play it to save my life”. Nonetheless, he was fit and could run and took up refereeing “ so I could be part of rugby without having to make a tackle”. Soon afterwards he was awarded an Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Scholarship which gives him a position as scholarship referee working full-time at the ARU and allows him to start mapping a pathway for furthering his refereeing career. The 20-year-old combines this with studying business administration and sports management at the International College of Management in Manly and says studying complements the work he does as a referee. “You’re constantly studying the rule book ... it’s almost like a religion, particularly before the season when you go through it cover to cover. It’s one of the things that I really like about the game because you’re always looking at things that challenge you.” With his National Officiating Scholarship Kellahan hopes to embrace new challenges and opportunities to expand his knowledge and experience.
