While a weekend without Origin stars did little to provide a form guide for teams playing in the Grand Final, the performance of the whistle blowers would have sent shivers down the spine of anyone who sees the title as being close enough to be decided on a referee’s decision.

On Friday night, I enjoyed the hospitality of a generous SFS member and was seated amongst the Roosters’ well heeled supporters when video referee Bill Harrigan decided that he saw what no one else did when Amos Roberts attempted to score a try.

Their reaction gave me an immediate plan to help weed out mistakes by those with their finger on the button.

I believe we need a two step review process on any decision.

1. The F&*$ Test.
If a player is seen to scream ‘Oh f^&$!’ after attempting to score a try, as Roberts was, it may be worth reviewing your decision to award it. If you really need to, you could even slow it down to frame by frame to get exactly what he said.

2. The Laughter Test.
If the supporters of the team that you are awarding the try to burst out laughing when you give them the green light, again you may want to really think about it.

The Roosters members’ response to the Roberts try was one of the strangest I have ever witnessed, as I was suddenly surrounded by men in fits of laughter.

Harrigan was quickly revealed to be a comic genius, if nothing else. I was disappointed we didn’t see footage of him wearing a red nose and waving a rubber chicken from the video referee’s box so he could share in their delight.

Wouldn’t it be great if, after a video referee’s decision, the camera’s quickly panned up to the box where the man in charge could tie some balloons to resemble a farm animal (you could text message your answer to what the creature may be), or at the very least they could do that sliding finger trick that my uncle would always wheel out at kids parties.

Finally on Harrigan, seeing he has previously been a paid member of the Roosters coaching staff, a ‘refereeing consultant’ if my memory serves me correctly, wouldn’t it be wise to ensure he isn’t given any Roosters matches at the business end of the season.

On Sunday, there was more madness at Leichardt as the video referees held firm that they wouldn’t rule on forward passes as two blatant passes went unnoticed for tries (thankfully, one for each side).

This is crazy.

We have seen video referees have more and more influence on the game as the season wears on.

They are now ruling on matters of general play every couple of sets of six, yet for some reason refuse to alter their original decision not to rule on forward passes.

The logic is that the camera angle can unjustly influence the decision. But surely there are some that are so obvious they can call and if they truly believe that the camera angles (of which there seems to be about 50) aren’t definitive, then they could simply throw it back for a ref’s call?

The irony is that these passes are seen by nearly everyone at the ground but they are rarely obvious enough for touch judges. Then again, would they notice if a winger used a step ladder to catch a bomb or drove a semi-trailer down one side of the field?

I have also seen a number of tries disallowed when the video referee has ruled on a forward pass but viewed it as a knock on. Sort it out!

Finally at Parramatta Stadium, referee Ben Cummins decided to have a one-man 80 minute clamp down in order to protect kickers by giving away three of the softest penalties I’ve seen.

Two of them were particularly cruel given the Eels scored off the ensuing sets of six.

Clearly there was some embarrassment from referees after the farcical nature of the Sharks win at Toyota Park the week before when the video referee (yes, them again) ruled that Fui Fui Moi Moi had hit Brett Kimmorley late.

It gave the Sharks a match winning penalty while Moi Moi was later suspended.

While Cronulla officials maintained that Kimmorley nearly suffered a fractured eye socket in the three incidents in Parramatta, the Storm defenders barely put Brett Finch’s hair out of place. It seemed clear that any contact with the kicker was going to end up as a penalty.

That is not how the rule has been applied in any game this season, or in fact ever before.

While Storm captain Cooper Cronk questioned the decisions a number of times during the game, he seemed fairly diplomatic afterwards. Whether the same would be said in a semi-final or grand final is another matter.

But as I reflected on the weekend’s footy it dawned on me that in the same way that people now almost expect politicians to be bullying and corrupt imbeciles, few of us expect referees’ decisions to follow any sort of pattern.

The video referee was brought in to add some sort of precise science to the game. Now more than ever it seems like a lottery.

Maybe the Roosters fans are onto something. If in doubt, laugh.

Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.