But by those within the referee ranks, particularity in the bush, Cecchin is probably best regarded as a tremendous mentor, one who wholeheartedly gives up massive amounts of his own time to give back to the game.

That willingness to give back was on show last week when Cecchin, on the eve of the NRL's reboot for 2020, dialed in on a Zoom coaching session for Western Division referees.

Two of Orange's brightest young referees, Dylan Ryan and Reba Scott were part of that online chat, and senior Group 10 whistleblower Nick Lander says the insight Cecchin was able to provide those two, and junior referees across both Group 10 and Group 11, is an invaluable tool in their development.

Cecchin shone a light on his time in the officiating ranks and gave advice on mental and physical wellbeing.

And the biggest message Cecchin was able to pass on is ensuring up-and-coming whistleblowers are able to find that work-life balance.

"It was really informative and it's really beneficial in particular for our junior referees," Lander added.

"He tells them not to have their mind set on one thing, to have several goals, and don't be disappointed if you don't get there straight away.

"You need other things outside of rugby league so when you have those bad games you've got something else to fall back on. You need somewhere else to go."

Lander said the association was incredibly privileged to have continued access to a referee of the calibre of Cecchin.

"Matt's been to Bathurst before. He actually came to our presentation in 2018," Lander said.

Cecchin also ran the water for Orange-based referee Billy Greatbatch during the 2017 Group 10 premier league grand final, and was also on deck at the Group 9 decider the week before.

"He's an awesome guy who gives plenty of time to the Country Rugby League Referees Association to help guide us with his knowledge of the game," he added.

"He tells us about where he's come from, where he's been and what goes on with the NRL side of things."

Cecchin is currently one of the leading referees in the game, having overseen four State of Origin clashes over his career which began at NRL level in 2001.

Lander said that sort of experience is amazing for the younger referees in the region to learn from.

"We'd definitely like to see more people get involved but our numbers are still really good," Lander added.

Lander and the association are hopeful more high profile referees will be able to offer their advice in the future - namely some of the top level's trail-blazing women.

"We'd love to have someone talk like Kasey Badger or Karra-Lee Nolan, who is involved with the development side of things with referees," he said.

"We're trying to encourage women to get involved in the game so having one of them in a Zoom session would be great for us."