Appointments have now been confirmed for all three matches in the 2026 series, with Ella Henningsen, Abbey Snell, and Bailey Sloman appointed to the Men’s Over 30s, Marcus Muller, Denise Weier, and Max Hoover appointed to the Women’s Open, and Jack Driehuis, Kerrod Hall, and Christopher Benstead appointed to the Men’s Open.
The appointments underline the depth of the Townsville Touch Referees Association’s current squad, with all nine officials regularly active at representative levels of the sport and all of them consistent performers across the top grades of Townsville’s premier touch football competition, the Colliers Shield.
Five of the nine referees will be making their ANZAC Day Challenge debut this year, with Benstead, Henningsen, Snell, Hoover, and Driehuis all set to officiate in the series for the first time.
The remaining four return after taking part in last year’s inaugural event, giving the association a strong balance of continuity, experience, and fresh opportunity.
Henningsen’s appointment follows an outstanding 2025 season in which she established herself as the leading youth female referee in the Colliers Shield.
Hoover also enters the series on the back of a milestone moment, having made his Men’s 1st Grade debut as a referee in last Sunday’s fourth round of the Colliers Shield.
Driehuis will take his place in the Men’s Open after recently receiving his national grading at Touch Football Australia’s National Touch League Championships in March, the result of years of hard work and development through Townsville Touch Football and TTRA pathways.
Nationally graded experience is spread strongly across the group, with Hall, Benstead, Sloman, Muller, Weier, and Driehuis all now holding national gradings.
Hall, Benstead, Muller, and Weier also bring significant international-level experience to the event, having refereed a combined 76 international matches between them.
While the ANZAC Day Challenge is built around remembrance, respect, and the connection between the Defence and touch football communities, it also provides an important stage for officials to contribute to a representative event that demands professionalism, composure, and strong match management.
That makes these appointments about more than simply filling three referee teams.
They are also a reflection of the confidence the association has in a group that ranges from internationally experienced officials to emerging referees who have earned the opportunity through sustained performance at local and representative level.
With a mix of proven experience and rising talent across all three matches, this year’s referee panel will play an important role in helping deliver an occasion that means far more than just the football.