The senior referee in each game this season will have a soccer-style armband to signify he is the man in charge, but the days of NRL match officials wearing pink jerseys have gone as it is believed the uniform made it more difficult for the officials to be taken seriously.

In a bid to make referees more accountable, one will be appointed as the leader of the team officiating at a match and he will wear an armband to make him easily identifiable.

Colour code: Pink is out for NRL referees. Credit:Getty Images

Fairfax Media was told that some NRL officials believed the authority of a referee could be undermined if he was wearing a pink jersey.

Instead the uniforms worn by referees this season will be blue or red - colours that the National Centre for Australian Studies lecturer Dr Tom Heenan said were more likely to encourage discipline.