Tony Archer has officially been handed the toughest job in the NRL - the role of referees' boss.
The former grand final, State of Origin and Test referee has filled the post of NRL referees elite performance manager on an interim basis since October and was confirmed in the role full time by the game's governing body on Monday.
Archer takes over from Daniel Anderson, who returned to Parramatta's football staff in October after another season blighted by poor officiating, including a try on the seventh tackle during the final series.
Archer worked with the referees last season as a technical coach after retiring from refereeing at the end of the 2012 season.
Former first grade playmaker Andrew Dunemann, who took over from sacked coach David Furner at Canberra for three games at the end of last season before Ricky Stuart's appointment, joins the NRL refereeing team "as a consultant to provide match officials with technical expertise from a NRL coaching perspective", the NRL said in a statement.
"Tony has shown over the past few months just how important his leadership and experience is to the elite match officials program," the NRL's head of football Todd Greenberg said.
The NRL also announced the creation of the new role of national manager of refereeing "to provide a co-ordinated approach to officiating across all levels of the game and develop clear career pathways for aspiring match officials, from the junior ranks through to the NRL".
