Tonight’s Anzac Test could lead to a number of different angles for an article. However the lasting impression for me was how the referee allowed a decent game of footy.
As a football (soccer) fan, I have never been greatly interested in the NRL or other football codes until this season. Normally I find the games frustrating and boring.
However, this Test match was quite entertaining.
And I believe this was down to the referee.
I could go into other aspects of the game, such as how unimpressive Australia was and how they were lucky to be playing a New Zealand side intent on giving away the ball.
I could also make the point about how weak Rugby League is due to the fact that the second-ranked team in the world managed to make four consecutive rookie errors.
However, that is not the point. I am here to praise the game I watched.
As a fan of the round-ball game, I get frustrated by the constant penalties awarded in the NRL. The most infuriating is the penalty for forcing a slow play-the-ball. If it is blatant, deliberate and reoccurring, then fair call.
However, the amount of times a game’s flow is disrupted by these decisions takes away my interest from the game.
In the Test match tonight, I saw many instances where a referee in the NRL would have blown his whistle and given a needless penalty, while the referee on show allowed play to continue and, letting the two sides do what they’re paid for: playing footy.
Why do such penalties happen so often in the NRL?
Rugby League in my eyes does not need any more fans in this country. It has enough. But surely the game would be a better spectacle if it were allowed to flow.
As I mentioned, if the obstructions are constantly occurring from one side, bring it up.
However, some calls just don’t make sense. Let the game continue, and we’ll see fans get off their feet more often rather than sitting on their backsides, only standing to cheer once they’ve seen a video replay with a green ‘TRY’ pop up on screen.
The referee made this Test match, and if New Zealand hadn’t thrown it away with such terrible mistakes, it could have been even better. It was also nice to see Skilled Park with a full crowd, especially having watched tumbleweeds blow across the stands at most of its A-League games.
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