Referees are not the problem
Roar Guru The referees are not perfect. The current officiating in relation to the shepherd rule is, clearly, a mess, to cite a primary example.
Yes, there is consistency yet to be achieved in certain areas; referees are making calls and then sending it upstairs, much to the consternation of players.
The video refs, even with all the trappings of modern technology and (clearly) unlimited time to adjudicate, still manage to get it wrong occasionally.
But there’s something worse than the worst mistakes a referee can make.
That is the legion of idiots constantly complaining about the referees.
Add up the number of meaningful errors referees make in the course of a round, mistakes that are indisputable which, all by themselves, dramatically alter the course of a game.
Is it too high? Maybe. But I’m not sure. And neither is anybody else right now. They’re too busy yelling to intelligently assess the situation.
Now we have those same bullies calling for a ‘challenge’ system. Okay, so now we’ve got two refs, a video ref and a captain weighing in on decisions. I think the lead cheerleader from the home team should also get a say.
It’s time to stand up to these people. It’s time for Jamie Lyon, Michael Ennis and the rest of the mug captains who question a ref’s cholesterol level to stop challenging every puny little decision and get back in the line.
The concept of a shepherd has become more complex because teams’ patterns and decoy plays have become faster and more nuanced. The refs haven’t quite caught up. But with good administration and a thoughtful approach they’ll figure it out.
Referees should have the ability to change their rulings upon review with their colleagues. They will design the best protocol with which to execute this.
None of this is a big deal. Players and coaches with limited imaginations and fragile egos have been blaming the referees for their teams’ failings since league was first played in ancient Greece, over two millennia ago.
The referees do a fair job. They could do better. They’re working on it. In the meantime, I have something to tell the knee-jerk, bullying naysayers.
Enjoy the superb games being played. Stop bullying those who wear pink. And tell Jamie Lyon to shut up.
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August 20th 2012 @ 10:51am
turbodewd said | August 20th 2012 @ 10:51am | Report comment
My pet hate is team captains holding up play to complain about a ref decision. I cant remember which ref it was on friday night, nor the player, but he quickly dismissed the captain in question and moved on. Thumbs up to Ben Cummins I think it was.
August 20th 2012 @ 11:17am
MG Burbank said | August 20th 2012 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Absolutely, Turbo. As written, Jamie Lyon and Ennis are the worst but they all do it and are given FAR too much latitude in duration when speaking to the refs.
August 20th 2012 @ 11:31am
eagleJack said | August 20th 2012 @ 11:31am | Report comment
Simon Mannering is the worst. By a long shot. Then Lyon, Farah, Ennis, Smith. The only captain who rarely utters a word is Thaiday. He will walk over to the ref but usually looks too buggered to say anything. He just listens, gives the ref a pat and walks back to the line. But the result is the same. Play slowed to a halt so his side can reset their defence.
August 20th 2012 @ 11:34am
Will Sinclair said | August 20th 2012 @ 11:34am | Report comment
Manu Vatuvei – captain of the Warriors – also never complains to the ref.
To be fair though, I don’t think big Manu knows what’s going on most of the time.
August 20th 2012 @ 12:10pm
MG Burbank said | August 20th 2012 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Manu’s lucky to get through a game without an error rate in double figures.
August 20th 2012 @ 1:16pm
oldfart said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
Given the speed and nuanced of the game refs do a sensational job of decision-making under uncertainty. At least the whingeing is no longer that some referee is biased against one team. (On the othe hand if the team is Manly I’m all in favour of a dash of bias.)
August 20th 2012 @ 1:44pm
planko said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
Who do you for oldfart I gather not the Eagles ?
August 20th 2012 @ 1:47pm
MG Burbank said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
Oldfart, you are in the minority- yet I agree. The refs, on balance, do a good job and right now every little error is blown out of all proportion.
August 20th 2012 @ 2:15pm
steve b said | August 20th 2012 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
Yeh a little error that costs a game yeh thats little !
August 20th 2012 @ 6:11pm
JVGO said | August 20th 2012 @ 6:11pm | Report comment
From round one MG the ref didn’t get a rule wrong, he actually had to invent a new rule in order for the Tigers to win the game against the Sharks. Sharks lost again when the 4 refs on the field and the video unit all missed an offside at the Kick off, the ball being touched on the way out by an attacker and then a knock on that everybody else saw in GP. Honestly there are 4 refs on the field, couldn’t one of them spot any of that. Harrigan admitted after the game review that they stuffed up in both games and refs were sacked. Sorry but it isn’t good enough. A competition where the refs are deciding the outcomes is not viable. look at the mess Union is in.
origin was decided by ridiculous rulings. Now every week there is a shepherding/obstruction controversy, sorry now there are two every week, soon it will be three.
It’s like the boats MG if there is no clear line in the sand things escalate to the point of absurdity. This is how the real world works. In 8 years under Howards policy there were 17 boats arrived total. In the last week of Labours policy alone there were 12 boats landed on Australian soil. Just crazy.
Really the reffing needs to sorted now before it gets even more ridiculous.
August 20th 2012 @ 2:20pm
Tony Archers Maroon Underwear said | August 20th 2012 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
As with other commentor’s here I cant believe anyone would suggest there isn’t a problem with NRL refereeing.
They’re not having this discussion over on the Rugby thread.
We need to get the word interpretation out of the the dialogue and make sure for next season the rules are simplified.
There needs to be consistency not just from game to game but within each bloody game!
Im so over groaning at penalties given for ruck infringements that have been no different to 30 other un-penalized previous incidents or subsequent incidents in the same game. Same with forward passes, consistency is all that fans want.
As for knock-ons, Oikee is spot on with his previous comments.
A captains call or coaches call is a bad idea in my view and will only end up generating more stupid controversy and long winded slo-mo replays.
Golden Point
Its worth pointing out that a Draw is a result…Golden Point ruined the game on Friday for me a brilliant match cheapened by a field goal shoot out at the end. If you have to have it Id suggest making it a full 10mins extra time with 0 points for field goals.
August 20th 2012 @ 3:36pm
turbodewd said | August 20th 2012 @ 3:36pm | Report comment
Golden point doesnt cheapen the result – the diabolical number of ads all over the players, the field, the refs, the goal posts, the sidelides, the corner posts, the coaches, the coaches box and the ball! Now that cheapens the spectacle. It screams poverty and that the NRL survives on povvo handouts. Its my pet NRL hate :^)
August 20th 2012 @ 6:26pm
PuntPal said | August 20th 2012 @ 6:26pm | Report comment
I disagree with this article and the idea that the current outcry over the rules and officiating is really just a bunch of whiners
The reason fans are generally upset, is that the standard of calls at the moment is the worst in recent history. Despite the raft of improvements that have come about in recent years (and they are improvements, we do not want to go back to the dark days where there were routinely shocking calls that were clearly wrong) there are still far too many mistake getting made. I think the last 4 weeks have been as bad as the horrible start to the season, where a series of games came down to poor calls.
The cause of the recent rough trot for the men in pink
- Unclear rules, lacking in clarity of enforcement
- Nervous refs, who do not have guts to make the call: as they see it
- PLayers milking and pushing the unclear rules, placing pressure on the refs
We have every right to demand more of the game, and the challenge is the logical way of keeping the refs accountable. The refs get call wrongs – that is a fact. Coaches and captains have the right at a crucial times to challenge the call and ask for a review based on the technology available. If the Raiders go down to the Bulldogs due to a wrong call
This is the future, and like the rest of the reforms that were brought in, it will improve the standard of refereeing.
August 20th 2012 @ 7:29pm
Matt said | August 20th 2012 @ 7:29pm | Report comment
Worst in history? They say that every year
August 20th 2012 @ 8:44pm
steve b said | August 20th 2012 @ 8:44pm | Report comment
Do they who’s they ?
August 20th 2012 @ 10:24pm
Matt said | August 20th 2012 @ 10:24pm | Report comment
Each year there are the same articles about how downhill the officiating is going. Must be underground by now!
August 20th 2012 @ 10:02pm
PuntPal said | August 20th 2012 @ 10:02pm | Report comment
Worst in RECENT history – yep, I stand by it. Tonight was more proof that this is a genuine crisis.
August 20th 2012 @ 10:25pm
Matt said | August 20th 2012 @ 10:25pm | Report comment
I remember shockers from throughout the years… seems to be keep the rules basic, use a video ref who doesn’t screw it up, and things will be heaps better overnight!
August 21st 2012 @ 4:52am
MG Burbank said | August 21st 2012 @ 4:52am | Report comment
There’s no ‘crisis’, punt. It’s the easiest thing in the world to beat up on referees. Some things need clearing up but if people drop their hysteria and just assess the situation calmly and intelligently they’ll see that this is not a big deal.
August 21st 2012 @ 12:01pm
Sammy Grazer said | August 21st 2012 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
Bring on the stoppages, im all for more ad breaks so I can urinate (sometimes simply done on my couch) and regather more cold beverages.