ARL have the solution, now use it
Roar Guru By ScottWoodward.me, 21 Aug 2012 ScottWoodward.me is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Bill Harrigan, NRL, nrl referees, Rugby League
It is not as much fun at the pub when the boys want to talk about the refs and not Benny Barba or T Rex. The fact is the refs are not that bad, it is the complex rules that are almost impossible for any one man to evaluate.
Rugby league is such a fast moving game and coaches have made an art of exploiting the rules to find any loophole that will give their team an edge. The pressure on the on-field ref or a video ref is monumental.
Mistakes will be made.
Referees boss Bill Harrigan is on the right track by adding another set of eyes to the video ref’s box, but in 2012 this is just a short sighted band aid fix.
ARL Commission Chairman John Grant made his millions from the Information Technology world and he should be the first to realise that the refereeing overall strategy today is putting brawn in front of brains.
Rugby league is a multi-billion dollar industry, yet still using “old hat” technology.
The ARL already have everything in place to fix the problem but they continue to fly a single video ref all over the country (and NZ) to press a red or green button, often when he is not certain if he is correct.
ARL headquarters at Rugby League Central in Moore Park should be the new Video Refs box.
It would be easy for three refs to watch each game from Moore Park. Instant decisions can be made with confidence.
The button could be linked to the ground and not only would we get the correct decisions 99% of the time, but they would be quicker. Not that cost is an issue here, but a small fortune would also be saved in travel and accommodation.
The quality of the referees is as good now as it has ever been, the problem is in understanding some of the deep seated rules and making quick and correct decisions.
This task is clearly not possible for any single individual and a panel of Video Refs at RLC would solve the problem.
The panel should consist of three so a consensus can always be reached.
When we have controversial decisions like an obstruction, a three man panel would be able to make a quick and correct call based on consensus.
The positive with the rules of rugby league as opposed to rugby union is that they are clear. A three man panel will always be able to get the decision correct, where a single ref may not.
I can watch rugby union and have no idea why the ref has blown his whistle, especially a scum penalty.
Right or wrong, at least we know in what the penalty is for in league. All the Commission need to do now is to put measures in place so that we get the correct decision all the time.
It’s called brains over brawn.
- Explore:
- Bill Harrigan, NRL, nrl referees, Rugby League
August 21st 2012 @ 4:12am
Goddy said | August 21st 2012 @ 4:12am | Report comment
How about instead of changing the rules we teach the players that if they run behind a decoy runner, they’ll cop a boot to the face. They’ll soon stop then.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:35am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Goddy
Different subject as I am discussing a mechanism that will delivery the correct outcome professionally which is all anyone aslks.
However I have no problem with your idea.
August 21st 2012 @ 5:00am
Morotti said | August 21st 2012 @ 5:00am | Report comment
I prefer the view put forward by Nick Tedesch at makingthenut.comi that we adopt the NFL style system.
With your idea, all I would add is that the video refs should not be allowed to watch the game or know what the score is. Therefore they are unsure of the state of the game as I believe this has a bearing on their interpretation at times.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:38am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:38am | Report comment
Morotti
If it has a bearing on the game then the guys should not be video refs.
The entire initiative of having 3 guys at Moore Park together is to get a quick consensus.
I believe everything would be ok with that.
August 21st 2012 @ 6:46am
steve b said | August 21st 2012 @ 6:46am | Report comment
Scott i must have said it 100 times in comments ,they have the tech use it ,its a real no brainer ,i would also like to see the refs all on the same page when it comes down to the interpretation of the rules , or should some rules be changed so its easier for the man in the middle to make a confident ruling .. Whatever their going to do i hope its sooner than later because i would hate to see a ref decision decide the grand final ..And on the argument on wether the refs are doing a good job or not the rugby league public think they are not and i tend to agree with the masses …..
August 21st 2012 @ 8:41am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:41am | Report comment
steve
They are not doing a good job because the rules have changed and the coaches have gotten very clever.
USE THE TECH….. get 3 guys into Moore Park all in front of a giant TV and not the 22″ they have at the ground.
August 21st 2012 @ 7:24am
eagleJack said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:24am | Report comment
Yep Scott this is something I have been banging on about for a while now. Not only would a centralised box have all the technology available to the refs but it would mean we only had to use 3 or 4 refs in total. Instead of the 8 now. And that will lead to greater consistency. No longer would we have to put up with 8 different interpretations.
Surely this is high on the priority list of the ARLC. It’s a no brainer that was first raised by Graham Annesley a few years ago but put on the backburner.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:43am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:43am | Report comment
Jack,
John Grant is in this world, he delivers I/T so all we want is for him to get it right for his new job as boss of the ARL. I am sure he will, he is as clever as some of the coaches.
August 21st 2012 @ 7:25am
oikee said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:25am | Report comment
Finally, and why has it taken so long for someone to bring this up. The video refs dont have to go to the game.
I read a story yesterday about the refs going to Brooky, then i thought why, why are the video refs at brooky watching the game, being abused. No need for this, they can just be linked up to a box in a home somewhere and do the job.
Again rugby league makes everything so complicated, its a second rate sport run like a backyard cricket game, and is going to get a backyard cricket deal according to the Australian this morning, i mentioned this yesterday, you can see the writing on the wall.
Rugby league has been, and still is run so badly the networks wont give the code any extra. The game will be lucky to get 850 million, plus they will have to show so many ads it will make free to air tv look good.
With foxtel taking over Austar, and the quality of my picture now at the lowest level i have ever seen. It wont be long before i delete the service and sit back and wait for the broadband network. Then i might think about the NRL, or NSWRL.
You cant and wont ever call the game national now, with only a fraction of the tv money, no expansion, even the players might end up taking pay cuts.
I would be shuting down a couple of clubs, maybe 4 and add 2 more in Brisbane and NZ, try to shore up at least 2 states, they are losing this now. The game is sinking faster than titanic 3. Its all over boys, the game is caput.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:45am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:45am | Report comment
oikee
Go and take a powder and make a cuppa.
The game is flying and never going better. This is just a bump that can be sorted.
August 21st 2012 @ 7:52am
soapit said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:52am | Report comment
how about for 50/50 tries they put a website up and fans have 2 mins to jump on and click try or no try.
its the only sure way to ensure the fans are on board.with the calls
August 21st 2012 @ 8:46am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:46am | Report comment
soapit
mmm Titans v Souths? I dont think so.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:16am
Ken said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:16am | Report comment
I’m not against your proposal but I don’t really think it’s the core of the problem. For mine, there’s not many ‘bad’ decisions being made – it’s the constantly changing new rule ‘interpretations’ that are causing the anguish. Did Hampstead think the Dogs try on the weekend was really a try, or did he allow it because the Origin try was allowed and then the refs boss came out and said the decision was right? While any RL fan will tell you it was shepherd, from a common law perspective there was a precedent from a higher court that said it was ok.
What we really need to do is stop being so clever about re-interpreting the rules, obstruction is the big talking point at the moment with 2 games being decided on it this week. What is baffling to me is the subjective test of how much of an advantage can be allowed, like the one last night with Thurston. If you heard the ref talking to Hornby afterwards, he agreed that Prior was impeded and Thurston took advantage but they decided that he PROBABLY wouldn’t have got him anyway… probably? Who cares about probably, the Cowboys stuffed up and should have been penalised. Why don’t we add the same test to other rules like forward passes or offside – if the play PROBABLY would have been the same with a backward pass then it should be allowed.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:40am
oikee said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
The refs have penalised teams out of the contest this year, let comical errors pass, and now they realise nobody will care about another Manly Sydney grand final, in which Manly are certainties thanks to the games salary cap which has sent the big clubs to the wall.
They did everything possible to get the cowboys over the line, and when the cowboys played the dogs, they did everything possible to get the dogs home, what was it, 15 minutes before the cowboys even touched the ball. They tackled, got penalised, scored against, tackled penalised, scored against. By the time the cowboys got the ball they were spent.
The refferreing under Harrigon has turned many off. This year alone i have more than halved my tv veiwing, that is massive, the final series has even lost interest to me, the salary cap is killing the big clubs.
This is why the game is only worth 800 million, i would only give them 500 million. They dont impress me at all.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:48am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:48am | Report comment
oikee
I see you havent taken a powder yet.
August 21st 2012 @ 11:26am
planko said | August 21st 2012 @ 11:26am | Report comment
Scott you know that by the end of the thread if Oikee has not had a crack at a conspiracy theory as to why Manly win games etc etc then I must be on another site.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:47am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:47am | Report comment
Ken
This initiative would give consistency. They could have the same 3 guys for every game.
August 21st 2012 @ 9:03am
Ken said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Sure Scott and I’m quite happy with that. You’re right, it could improve consistency and help eliminate erroneous calls and that’s great. But they’re already consistently calling these obstruction plays incorrectly and tries are already getting consistently awarded when the player has clearly dropped the ball. Consistency is great but they need to sort our the rules first.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:03am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Ken
Consensus will give consistency.
It is NOT possible for anyone guy to get it right all the time.
Thats why they need 3 guys at Moore Park all the time. The same 3 guys all the time.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:54am
turbodewd said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:54am | Report comment
Scott,
your centralised remote 3-man video ref panel is an excellent idea. One of the best Ive read. I strongly suggest you email it to the NRL. They always reply to emails, they take 2-3 wks. Email them today OR 3 months of bad luck will bedevil your buttocks!
The only thing I would change is that I wouldnt put the panel in Sydney. Sydney is no longer the home of RL. We need to decentralise administration, its the NATIONAL Rugby League, not the NswRL. Id put the 3-man panel in Newcastle or Brisbane.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:06am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Turbo
Have you seen the new joint at Moore Park? It is the size of a footy field and they spent a zillion on it. I am sure they will have a nice comfortable room that can house 3 refs with a BIG digital TV.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:36am
eagleJack said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:36am | Report comment
I’d also suggest that the 4 refs they would have on a rotation of 3 would already live in Sydney (as most current refs do). These guys would be entrusted to adjudicate on every game each w/end. No point flying them up to Brisbane for the w/end. Or have them drive up the F3 each Friday and then have to stay in hotels. A disruption that isn’t warranted.
Scott, they would need a few large TVs at their disposal. Particularly when adjudicating on matches being played simultaneously
Im sure IT guru Grant will sort this out..
August 21st 2012 @ 9:12am
Pot Stirrer said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:12am | Report comment
I would like to see a television at each end of the ground and the on field ref or refs to be the one having alook at the replays,
However i think while ever commentators and fans have the luxury of 4 or 5 replays the refs are in a no win situatuion. When they make a good call its just play on and when its a disputed decison we want to hang the ref.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:07am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Pot
Sorry Pot , dont like it.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:01am
Go warriors said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Good article Scott and it is a shame that we are talking about the referees instead of the footy when the footy has been so good this year.
Ofcourse the referees are going to make mistakes just like the players it is part and parcell of the game. All in all I think the referees are doing a good job although there is one grip I have which is more to do with the video ref. My pet hate is when the ref goes to the video ref and the video ref looks at it 10 times and obviously cant find enough evidence to award a try they go back to the main ref who then gives it a try. Surely they have to get rid of the refs call.
August 21st 2012 @ 10:08am
ScottWoodward.me said | August 21st 2012 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Go
We MUST have the refs call, just need to get it right and give them some help. Its not rocket science.