Referees’ bosses Harrigan and Raper dumped
Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper have been dumped as NRL referees’ co-coaches.
Rugby league’s governing body, the ARL Commission, made the announcement on Friday, as the game seeks to move on from an NRL season littered with refereeing controversies.
Both Harrigan and Raper have been moved aside in what the ARL Commission described as “a leadership restructure for NRL refereeing”.
Former Test referee Russell Smith, who is not without officiating controversies himself, has assumed the role of interim manager of the NRL referees department.
Smith will assist the NRL general manager of football operations Nathan McGuirk in putting together the 2013 refereeing squad, the ARLC said.
The appointment of a new NRL referees’ elite performance manager will be made in the coming weeks.
In a statement ARLC interim chief executive Shane Mattiske thanked Harrigan and Raper for their work.
“Bill has made an incredible contribution to refereeing in a career that will forever stand out in the game’s record books,” Mattiske said.
“He and Stuart have worked incredibly hard over the last two years in particular and there is a strong sense of gratitude on our part for their efforts, but we also believe that a new structure is needed.”
McGuirk said the restructured leadership team would be a step forward for the game.
“Bill and Stuart have been part of a dual coaching structure and it is time to move to a new model.
“Nobody could criticise their commitment but as we have reviewed the year from a number of perspectives it has become clear that we need one person to manage what is a high performance team.
“Bill and Stuart have increased the depth of talent in the squad and that has been one of the real positives over the last two years.”
© AAP 2013
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October 26th 2012 @ 5:15pm
Manly Man said | October 26th 2012 @ 5:15pm | Report comment
I don’t whether to be happy or worried.
October 26th 2012 @ 5:53pm
Horatio said | October 26th 2012 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
Couldnt agree more – Harrigan made more blunders as a ref, video ref and a refs boss than 20 men combined yet he still got a job. I assume because of the following points that Masters made esp in the first few lines
Billy’s low-penalty diet has players tightening their belts
Date March 23, 2011
Now that Billy Harrigan is in charge of NRL referees, it’s no surprise the most egotistical whistleblower of the past 20 years has refashioned rugby league to match his own image.
Billy was a low-penalty-count ref whose few blasts of the whistle were often directed at teams threatening to run away with the match. The result was a low-stoppage, high-energy, end-to-end game that was often not decided until the final minutes.
Billy helped make State of Origin a valuable, visual product, and if he gets his way, the NRL will be the same.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/billys-lowpenalty-diet-has-players-tightening-their-belts-20110322-1c58h.html
Date August 7, 2012
Roy Masters
Referees risk becoming choreographers, directing the course of NRL games to produce dramatic results.
Canterbury’s Des Hasler, who was fined for Saturday’s comments, is not the only coach entitled to feel aggrieved by referees seemingly making decisions that bring the underdog back into the game.
South Sydney are the people’s favourites, riding an emotional surge into the semi-finals, with storylines already prepared about Hollywood endings for owner Russell Crowe.
The danger is referees might be swept along with the romance, writing themselves into the script.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/dramatic-licence-whistleblowers-in-danger-of-playing-to-script-to-ensure-theatrical-finale-20120806-23qe1.html#ixzz2ANw5PXZj
I
October 26th 2012 @ 6:37pm
Crosscoder said | October 26th 2012 @ 6:37pm | Report comment
It could be worse.Greg Hartley being resurrected.
Any improvement on the abomination at times of refereeing standards ,has to be a plus for 2013 and beyond.
October 26th 2012 @ 6:41pm
Tommygun said | October 26th 2012 @ 6:41pm | Report comment
Russell Smith. F**k me.
October 26th 2012 @ 7:25pm
steve b said | October 26th 2012 @ 7:25pm | Report comment
I think it was a foregone conclusion something had to be done so where to now , The word is Archer god i hope not !
October 26th 2012 @ 8:50pm
Johnno said | October 26th 2012 @ 8:50pm | Report comment
Thanks for nothing Hollywood. You were an awful ref , an awful blight on the game. You were not up to NRL standard in my opinion. You were an attention seeker and headline grabber, as by your nickname Hollywood. You long hair in the super league 1997 year exemplified by that. You were a divisive figure, no one liked you in the game, i never heard 1 footy fan say 1 nice thing about you. No fans wanted you in the game, you stuffed credibility of state of irgin up big time with your howler desicons this year. Manly hated you too in the 1980′s even a team like Manly did not want you in the game. You couldn’t win Billy Hollwood Harrigan. No one liked you, no one wanted you in the game you didn’t win any friends as ref. And you made it clear too the fans you were not out too win popularity contests. You had a real nerve and had no concern if you were liked or popular,, well Billy Harrigan II hope you are aware the rugby league fans are spiteful towards you and happy you have left our great game, a great game you were never welcome in or wanted by, by any real true blue footy fans. Don’t slam the door behind you Hollywood you defiantly will not be missed by any rugby league fans. Done the game lots of harm, well now your gone, good riddance .
October 27th 2012 @ 10:27am
Kim Hart said | October 27th 2012 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Oh come on you can’t lumber someone with a nickname and then use that as a basis to prove something. The media called him Hollywood because he was better looking than the players and clearly looked after himself better. Now by your logic; because he was good looking and fit he was therefore an attention seeker and by extension (somehow) incompetent. I also fail to grasp the logic connecting hair length and competence but then I shouldn’t expect a great quantity or quality of logic from someone who spells decisions DESICONS.
You see this line (which is the thrust of your argument) actually illustrates why Harrigan was good as a referee:
“you made it clear too [to] the fans you were not out to win popularity contests’ That’s what we want from officials: for them to do their jobs well without worrying about making a pack of mouth breathing rednecks – whose intellect dictates cannot possibly understand the complexity of the rules – like them.
By the way as you continue to criticise his DESICON in SOO I (a decision he didn’t make) you conveniently forget that Harrigan helped NSW win more games than he helped them lose.
Lastly who gives a toss if Manly liked him? I don’t understand how that proves or disproves anything.
P.S. What is State or irgin?
October 27th 2012 @ 10:43am
Johnno said | October 27th 2012 @ 10:43am | Report comment
Kim Hart Hollywood was good looking , in his younger days, he had the flashy hair and thats what annoyed me. He clearly tried to take pride in his appearance, and I think the long hair was too look flashy and appeal to female audience , and to look attractive, . but what annoyed me about that was Kim he was not there to win female fans like your self possibly, Holywood was there to get ugly men into order(ET, Wayne Pearce excluded) not market the game to a female audience leave that he should of too the NSWRL or ARL, or super league.
That is also my point Kim I think coz Hollywood was good looking often beter looking than the players players did not feel comfortable in his prescence as he was quite socially assertive and confident yet these big oafs were much physically stronger than him and didn;t like taking orders form Hollywodd Harrigan. And good looking men in life cop it a lot in life I am an average looking man Kim Hart. I don’t know if you have ever had any good looking men tell you they often get isolated in social situations and find it hard to find male friends coz other men see the as a social threat Ryan Girdler i listen to in various media shows on tv and radio and he always is copping subtle jokes dashed with a subtle tinge of envy , and the line that always comes out is the girls love ya Girds. Time and time again Kim. But there is a dash of envy there, ET used to coop it from other players to. Both ET, and Girds were respected though good footy players but used to cop a ribbing form other players and a bit of jealousy how they always were popular with the ladies .
And maybe that filtered over to Hollywood Harrigan in his younger days. Why he got under the skin of players, coaches, and fans. Coz he was a good looking bloke and most men are just average or unattractive Kim Hart. For example most men can not relate to guys like Bradd Pitt, Girds, or ET. These guys are not the majority Kim hart maybe you realise. Most men do not have the beautiful women sending them flowers or cheering them on . And Hollywood did get attention of from the ladies I admit that Kim Hart in his younger days.
October 28th 2012 @ 1:23pm
Kim Hart said | October 28th 2012 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
Firstly Johnno I am a man. Don’t let my possession of an old English male name which was feminised in the US 50 years ago throw you.
Secondly let me see if I comprehend you argument: Men deemed by society to be more or less attractive to that society’s female populace must in the first instance be incompetent, in the second prohibited from attempting to follow their primal urge to secure a female mate and finally from gaining or retaining any form of employment because less attractive men might feel insecure.
I can’t figure out if you’re taking the piss. Are you? Are you taking the piss Johnno?
If not then I will withdraw my previously privately held opinion that your opinion on Shaq being the ‘greatest basketball player of the modern era’ was the stupidest thing written since the publication of North Korea’s ‘history’ books and award that title to the stream of consciousness disaster you have proffered above.
October 26th 2012 @ 9:11pm
Campaign to retore Melbourne's lost Premierships said | October 26th 2012 @ 9:11pm | Report comment
There was no way they could survive after a year like we have just had but make no mistake, its a very difficult job.
The key to all this for me is to simplify the rules. Rugby League is a simple game but we have year on year, made the rules so complex that fans need a rule book and a lawyer to understand some of the decisions. We need to keep it simple. If the average 13yr old can’t explain a particular rule then there is a good chance it needs reviewing.
Simple rules lead to easy decisions, makes life easier for refs and those playing the game and more enjoyable for all of us.
October 26th 2012 @ 9:22pm
Confused said | October 26th 2012 @ 9:22pm | Report comment
How about the Commission appoint a CEO first, then include him or her in restructuring!!
It seems pretty clear Grant wants to run the league.
October 27th 2012 @ 12:03pm
Homer6 said | October 27th 2012 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Too true – Grant seems to be running his own secret fiefdom..
How about looking at stripping the ball vrs loose carry – how subjective a rule can u get….
October 26th 2012 @ 9:41pm
Gaz said | October 26th 2012 @ 9:41pm | Report comment
Next McCallum. Need to fix the judiciary while their at it!
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October 26th 2012 @ 9:58pm
madrid john said | October 26th 2012 @ 9:58pm | Report comment
Why do we always give the players so much lattitude, benefit of the doubt and second chances. But about refs, almost never anything positive is ever heard. These guys are often just as fit as the players but earn a lot less (at least so i believe).And as good as our players are, we can´t have a game without refs. I am generally amazed we can find people to do the job given the way we treat them.
Now these two get dumped for, well for what exactly? I´m a fan of Bill Harrigan. He didn´t hide away, and stood up for the refs under him, which is exactly what his job descrption says he should do. Coaches moan about the refs, but that is their job description, moan about everything.
That said, i live i Europe and see how soccer refs are treated, so i suppose my criticisms are relative, in our sport they still get coniderable respect, that is not somethng i´d like to see diminished.
October 26th 2012 @ 10:08pm
Johnno said | October 26th 2012 @ 10:08pm | Report comment
madrid john are you the only prerson in the world who is a fan of Billy harrigon, no one liked him every one bagged him, coaches , and fans, you are the only person I have seen on any internet forum that covers rugby league who has supported him. No one liked him madrid john he copped it everywhere, .
October 28th 2012 @ 1:23pm
Kim Hart said | October 28th 2012 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
Don’t get into it Madrid John he’s lost his pill box.
October 26th 2012 @ 10:01pm
Manly Man said | October 26th 2012 @ 10:01pm | Report comment
Yeah I reckon the judiciary is rubbish.
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