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Former league bad boy John Hopoate hopes to become a NRL referee.
Hopoate gained his New South Wales Rugby League referee accreditation on Tuesday.
"If the right doors open there's always a chance to come back to the NRL as a referee - I wouldn't mind it," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"I've got nothing against the current referees but I reckon most of the players would prefer a referee who has played the game."
But his ambitions will have drawn a few sniggers in league circles.
Hopoate's NRL career ended in 2005 after he was suspended for a total of 17 matches by the judiciary and sacked by his Manly club for a flying forearm tackle on forward Keith Galloway.
That followed an incident during Manly's game against the New Zealand Warriors when he allegedly called a ballboy a "little shit" for not throwing him the ball to restart play.
And Hopoate's infamy reached its peak in 2001 when he was given a 12-week suspension for jabbing his fingers up the backsides of three North Queensland players during a match.
NSWRL referees and coaches development officer Tony Danks gave Hopoate a positive report card and said he could make it as a top whistler.
Said Hopoate: "The experience [as official] has made me appreciate referees more."
- NZPA
