Dale Shearer's son Jakson to control Sunshine Coast rugby league grand final SON OF A GUN: Rugby league great Dale Shearer with son Jakson, 19, who will referee first grade final this weekend on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Glenn Barnes Source: CourierMail DALE Shearer could have got 10 minutes in the sin bin yesterday. You can't touch rugby league referees, never mind give them a hug. Shearer might argue the ref deserved it ... and so he did. It's not every day you get to celebrate a 19-year-old getting permission to referee older men in a first grade rugby league final, especially when he is your son. Shearer, the former fleet-footed Queensland back who played 20 Tests, was delighted after son Jakson was appointed to control the Sunshine Coast-Gympie first grade grand final between Kawana and Bribie Island at Stockland Park, Kawana, on Saturday night. Jakson is seen as a youngster mature beyond his years. Life's many challenges have made him that way. Jakson's mother Delyse died from breast cancer when Jakson was 13 and a year later his famous father, who made his State of Origin debut at the same age that Jakson is preparing for his first grade grand final, almost lost his life in a car accident. Dale's silver Porsche crashed on the Sunshine Motorway, leaving him in a critical condition. I have been through a lot with mum's death and dad's accident. It was a pretty scary time," Jakson said. It helped me to grow up a lot. It taught me a lot about being composed. "I thought I would take up refereeing because of the lack of refs at my local club and I probably prefer it to playing" now. My grandad was a ref. The players are generally respectful and that helps. Dale, who played for Manly, Brisbane, the Gold Coast Seagulls, South Queensland Crushers, the Roosters and Cowboys and represented Queensland 26 times, feels his son has blossomed under the caring mentorship of Sunshine Coast referees officials such as Trevor Fiechtner, who yesterday described Jakson's appointment as "very well deserved." Dale said: "I'm proud of him and I look at the game differently now. When Jakson referees a game and doesn't get a mention I enjoy it because you know a ref is going well when he doesn't get noticed. When I was playing I used to creep up offside and I used to whinge a bit about decisions but I have a bit more respect these days. He has had some good people helping him. Ian Irwin was a touch judge when I was playing Origin, now he is running the line for Jakson. Shearer's wife Delyse, Dale's childhood sweetheart who was with him in every step of his rugby league journey, died in 2008, leaving Dale to raise Jakson and his brother Jesse. "I couldn't walk, talk or lift my arms for a while but I am stronger now that what I was when I was playing," Dale said. Like his father who was a gazelle on the playing field, Jakson was born to run. He remembers running "11 something" seconds for the 100m at Coolum High School where he was school captain and he is also a former halfback who is an Australian representative in Oztag where his pace and evasive skills shine. Dale feels his son's pace has helped his refereeing career. "The other day someone scored a 60 metre runaway try and he was waiting on the tryline for them to put the ball down," Dale said.