Come on Bill Harrigan, show some of your renowned clout. As boss of the NRL referees, Harrigan has been bashing his under-performing referees with a feather of late, which makes them an almost protected species.
That’s not the Bill Harrigan way.
In his stellar career from 1986 to 2003, he set records across the board – 392 NRL games, 10 grand finals, 21 Origins, and 24 internationals, never taking a backward step.
Harrigan was consistently the best referee-umpire I’ve ever seen in any sport anywhere in the world. There can be no greater compliment than that.
Sure he was human and made mistakes. But they were minimal, he earned the players’, and the fans’, respect.
That’s not the case anymore, with the exception of Tony Archer, and Shayne Hayne with 19 Origins between them.
Which begs the question: why weren’t they appointed to Origin 1 instead of Matt Cecchin and Ben Cummins, with only one Origin between them?
That was a recipe for disaster, and that’s what the players, and the fans, copped. Cecchin and Cummins weren’t up to speed and panicked.
Harrigan can take a fair amount of blame for that.
NSW captain Paul Gallen gave Cecchin a mouthful in Origin 1. NSW coach Ricky Stuart has had a fair bit to say in the aftermath, as well.
Referee Jason Robinson has copped two bursts – one from Rooster’s skipper Braith Anasta, the other from Bulldog Michael Ennis, the latter punctuated with the f-bomb for all to hear.
There’s no way either skipper would have taken on Harrigan, or Archer, in the same fashion.
Firstly, both referees would have been respected, and maybe their backgrounds had something to do with it.
Harrigan was in the Tactical Response Unit when he was on the police force before he became a full-time referee. Archer was a police prosecutor.
Coincidental? No way. Both are tough, no nonsense, hombres.
And that’s the key.
Captains can query any refereeing decision, that’s their given right. But it’s how they do it that has become the problem.
And referees must minimise their mistakes to earn respect.
It’s up to Harrigan, and his side-kick Stuart Raper, to improve the standard and much more should be made of match review chairman Greg McCallum’s vast experience of 282 NRL games, three grand finals, five Origins, and 14 Tests.
But the buck stops with Harrigan. He’s sitting in the big chair. He must demote those who aren’t up to scratch, just as players are dropped for poor form.
Keep bringing potentials into the firing line.
So somewhere in between, the captains and referees must lift their respective communication standards when there’s a confrontation, which will always be close to the surface. That’s human nature in the heat of the moment.
Make it work Bill Harrigan. You know the formula, you have been there, done that.
And rugby league will be a far better spectacle for it.
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