The life of a referee can sometimes be a lonely one, and for those of us who don't have the courage to take up the whistle, it is hard to understand why anyone would want to put themselves in a position where they can be verbally abused, and
unfortunately in some cases even worse.

This year alone there have been numerous incidents around the country of referees being verbally and physically abused, which is a horrendous and appalling act by any standard.
The one thing that players and supporters alike seem to continuously forget is that referees are only human and like us all they are prone to the odd mistake, which doesn't give anyone the right to vilify them from pillar to post.
There is a shortage of referees in every county and Meath is no different as only a select have the 'bottle' to actually take on the role. One such person is St Ultan's clubman Des Smyth and Bosch Ireland speaks to the Royal County Yearbook about why he took on the role and he admits to enjoying life as a referee.
Due to a serious illness at 36 I hadn't even considered becoming a referee at that stage and for a few years after it didn't even cross my mind until four years ago and the club stated that it needed to put someone forward and I volunteered.
"To be able to go out on a field and keep to a level of fitness so that I could keep up with the play was a personal achievement as when I had the heart problems, running around was a distant dream."
Over the last four years, Des has earned a reputation of being a fair referee and he feels that if you can be unbiased to both sides, then your job is made that much easier.
"I try to be impartial as possible and if you can achieve that then there will be no problems. I actually love refereeing and it's nice to be involved in games."
Des revealed that the thrill and excitement of derby matches give him as much pleasure as any championship match that he has officiated at so far.
"Local derbies are something special as they always draw a crowd and the atmosphere is usually fairly intense. They are tough games to control, but they're the ones that I like the most."
Every so often, the fitness levels of referees are tested and Des admits that like GAA players, he must train at least a couple of times a week.
"I would train twice a week on my own. It is important too in order to keep up with the play. For the winter, I have joined the Boot Camp at Navan Rugby club and the training is very intense. It can be a hard slog sometimes, but it has to be done."
All players will recognise with the fact that decisions they make in a game can sometimes play on their minds after a game and Des admitted that referees are no different in that respect.
"Of course certain decisions will play on your mind afterwards and you will be thinking whether you were right or wrong, but you have a spilt second to make these decisions, so you just have to do your best and get it right."
Des' job is made all the more easier by the fact that he has a reliable team of umpires that he can call upon for every game that he is involved in.
"It is essential to have your own umpires at a game. I'm fortunate that I have a few people that help me out every game. I would like to thank them for their efforts over the last few years. Tommy 'tombom' Tallon, Michael Buchanan, 'Gooch' Gorman, Rupert Daly, Tom Lynch and Tom Rogers have all been with me for a few years now."
Asked if there any changes to refereeing that he would like to see made and Des is quick in his reply. "I definitely think there should be neutral linesmen at games. A lot of friction is caused along the sideline, especially if you have two lads doing it that are from opposing clubs. It's done for most of the championship games and there should be an effort made for league games as well, it would cut out a lot of the hassle that is often caused."
Des' three sons Conor (21), Aaron (18) and Tony (16) all line out for the St Ultan's club, while wife Mary has the arduous task of ensuring that all the lads' gear is ready for the off at a moment's notice.
Combining refereeing and his day job, Des has a hectic schedule as he is the Bosch Ireland Technical Sales Managers for gas, oil and renewable energy products in the Republic of Ireland.
Des is four years with the world renowned company and deals with many organisations and multi-nationals on a daily basis. Bosch are the leaders in their field of expertise and have been for over 120 years. 
 
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