Friday night’s elimination final was, as far as refereeing decisions went, an abomination. Those players worked hard all year only to have their season derailed by poor video refereeing.
It is unexplainable and unforgivable. The people officiating have lost the plot and should no longer be employed! Ultimately, though, the blame must be placed at the feet of the NRL.
They have created a dynamic where people expect the right decision every time and that is never going to happen. You have two referees, two touch judges and video replays but officials are not machines and will occasionally make the wrong decisions, regardless of if they’re running around the middle, running the line or sitting in a box.
The public emphasis must be taken off getting it 100% right all the time, because it’s patently obvious you cannot do that.
The official in the middle needs to be given absolute control and their decision making process needs to be simplified so they make the call as they see it. No replays, no video conferences, no checking. That way the referee – as it has been for hundreds of years across all sports – is always right.
With one significant difference – we should allow teams an opportunity to challenge controversial decisions. If you get it wrong you lose that chance, if you get it right the challenge remains.
Players who are involved in these decisions generally know what has happened and under this system they would be forced to be honest or risk losing the advantage a challenge affords them.
Using Friday night’s game as an example:
The first example saw Manly have the ball stripped and it was missed. Manly could have challenged the call instantly and received a penalty – the correct decision made. If the Cowboys instead had been penalised for knocking the ball out, then they could challenge the call but the bloke that knocked it out would not challenge as he’d knowingly be sacrificing his team’s challenge.
The second example had Manly score out wide but there was doubt in the try. The on-field referees would have allowed it, so it’s up to the Cowboys to challenge the call. I’d like to think that if this was only the second thing the video referee was looking at, he would make a better call than the one made last night. But, regardless, if the evidence is conclusive and the try was definitely a try, then the Cowboys have used up their challenge.
If, as was the case on Friday night, the try was awarded with benefit of the doubt, then the try would stand but the Cowboys keep their challenge. They would not be penalised. Friday night’s decision would stand but everyone would be given more certainty and feel better about what had transpired.
The referee made a confident call on the spot. The video proved inconclusive in attempting to reverse the decision move on.
Third example, Manly score to put the game beyond doubt. I’m not sure if the referees would have awarded the try based on what they saw live.
Let’s say they didn’t award the try. There’s no way Manly would have challenged the call. Firstly, Lyon knows he pushed Thurston in the back on the kick chase and Foran knows he knocked on. They would believe that the video would show these things up clearly and would likely not challenge.
If you think that, given the state of the game and the time left on the clock, Manly would have rolled the dice and challenged the call, then you could introduce the equivalent of an AFL 50m penalty, whereby if you’re found on the video replay to be ‘lying’ as it were, you would be marched 50m up field and lose possession. A small price to pay for cheating really!
Let’s say the on field referee had awarded the try. The Cowboys would challenge the try. They would ask that the video referee look at the things they were unhappy with in the movement. Given this is only the third thing the video referee was looking at, you would hope they could make a better call than the one they made last night.
If the call is just as bad then last night’s decision is unchanged but again the referee made a confident call on the spot and the video proved inconclusive in attempting to reverse the decision. That’s sport. Hard to swallow but that happens sometimes.
To make this work, ideally you would have the support of broadcasters not to be replaying decisions, trying to find errors by the officials. I’m not sure that this would be possible but you would hope that by empowering the players to potentially rectify howlers, while simultaneously demanding that they be more honest (or they’ll be found out and potentially disadvantage their team), these instances of controversy would largely be mitigated.
The argument for any continued errors within a game is simple – the players involved were unsure, so didn’t challenge the call, and we as officials called it as we saw it.
The referee is empowered to do their job without fear of being undermined but the teams have an avenue for review if they’re sure an error has been made.
Australian Rules
Guest
Michael The truth is that NRL does get bigger regional ratings, but not by much. It's been one of the myths that has been pedalled for years. In reality, the AFL has consistently higher ratings around Australia and this is particularly so when you examine the Metro ratings, where the overwhelming majority of the advertising money is. However, when you add all rugby league content (the NRL competition, Origin, Test, Finals, other rep footy) it usually surpassess AFL...but there's no question the AFL season rates considerably higher than the NRL season.
Andrew meaning MANLY
Guest
Andrew meaning MANLY
Guest
AMEN EJ
Michael
Guest
We're told that the Difference between the regionals for NRL and AFL is huge, yet based on those numbers there's not much between them?
Mango Jack
Guest
I reckon part of the problem is that the video refs watch it only in slow motion, which I believe can lead to the wrong conclusion sometimes. When assessing "motion" decisions, such as a knock-on and double movement, it should be assessed in real time speed. Slow-mo distorts the reality and should be usded only for decisions such as placement on thel line, etc
Mango Jack
Guest
Except in the case of the Foran knock on, all the commentators agreed he had touched it. Somehow, the video refs reached a conclusion different to everyone else watching it.
SportsFan
Guest
There were bad decisions made but I still think that Manly would of come out victors on the night. The Oldfield try was the only one they were dudded on. The Cowboys need to be better on the road.
DingBob
Guest
Do away with benefit of the doubt. Either it's a try or it isnt. Benefit of the doubt just gives poor decision makers an excuse to not really make a decision.
Hardwick
Guest
Seems to be a few people with conspiracy theories who watch league. My mate's a Manly fan and swears there's a conspiracy against them. I once asked him if he honestly thought the refs were against them. He looked me in the eyes and said 'it goes much higher than the refs'!
eagleJack
Guest
My point of the foil is not to offend but purely to point out that a comment that one team does not have the rules apply to them is utterly ridiculous. I have no problems with people directing their anger towards the refs. They have been poor all year. But that has been for ALL teams. There is no bias - simply incompetency. From the review of the game the officials have said that the Taufua try was correct. He scored in the first movement with the tip of the ball touching the chalk. The Oldfield try should not have been allowed due to a knock forward by Foran. They also conceded they got the Graham strip on Taufua wrong. The Cowboys scored from the ensuing set of six. So from my calculations that is one poor call each. No doubt the Foran call broke the Cowboys back and made the task at hand extremely difficult. The timing of the call was significant no doubt about that. But it was hardly because the refs were only adjudicating one side. Surely even you must admit that. At the end of the day the 4 best teams of 2012 are fighting it out next week. Would be hard to argue otherwise.
Australian Rules
Guest
John Davidson had a break down last year on the Roar: http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/10/05/the-afl-and-nrl-grand-final-ratings-game/ Basically: AFL: Metro (2.6M) + Regional (930k) = 3.53M (approx) NRL: Metro (2M) + Regional (1.15M) + NZ (692k) = 3.84M * There are no clear numbers for AFL or NRL overseas (except NZ). Notably, the highest ever rating AFL GF was Sydney v WCE in 2005 with a whopping 3.39M Metro viewers alone. Shows the tv power of Sydney.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
I would like 'benefit of the doubt' concept abolished. Its a cricket term relating to dismissal. Id rather see taht video ref only rule a try if its CLEAR. No assumptions if things are obscured.
oikee
Guest
When Silverwood refs a game, he already has our boys conditioned to this style of play, take away our 2 refs and it won't be long before missed strips, and holding down, chicken wings, drumsticks and all the other kentucky fried 10 secret ingredients come back into the game. BOD just needs to go, completely, it is either a try or not. If we openalised for being offside at 10 metres , the game would stop every tackle. They allow a liitle bit of leverage, and most refs are different in the 10 metres, depends on the flow of the game. I hate hearing the damm whistle, i am sure most fans do. The best games are one you dont hear the whistle, that is a good flowing game and good disapline by the players.
Lovey
Guest
That will help a lot. It is more important to get these decisions right than worry about a pause in play. The controversies will be worse if the viewers at home have the slomo replays but the refs do not. I also think the League should have a couple of HD cameras focused on the ball, in close-up, at all times. This will help adjudicate knock ons, disputed touchdowns etc.
oikee
Guest
Mate, i dont do the ironing. :)
Brett McKay
Expert
"This is where the game is coming into disrepute, so many backyard cowboys wanting a say at the game." Well done Oiks, I'm tipping you didn't see the irony dripping from this line as you wrote it...
oikee
Guest
We need the video refs. What we dont need is 10 opinions by the game callers, Gus says one thing, Sterlo another, Ray Warren then gives his opinion. After the decision you have guys on the sideline giving it to the vidoe refs and it becomes a bash fest. We need the coach challenge like the yanks, go to a ad straignth away so our callers cant all have a different opinion and then cause confusion. When they come back to the play after the video ref has had all the time he likes to look at the replays, we make the decision, without listening to Gus, Without Listening to Fatty, without Listening to the kid on the corner. This is where the game is coming into disrepute, so many backyard cowboys wanting a say at the game. I am sure this is why the yankls use this system, they are 50 years ahead of our game, they already have gone through all this, our boofheads are still tinkering with rules and laws outdated 100 years ago. Time we got someone with knowledge to run our game, a yank a American from ex NFL. He will sort the game out quicker than a Macdonalds meal at the drive-through.
Dave
Guest
Actually eagle jack it is much easier to look good on the field when one team on the field is allowed to knock on, ground in goal and still get a 22 restart, etc... But the again anger is only justified against refs when Manly are the ones raising the issues I guess. As for the foil call is the only way you can respond to a point by insulting others?
eagleJack
Guest
The sad part is that you actually believe the following statement "it is easy to play well when the rules of the game are not applied to you". If Im ever in need of some tin foil I'll make sure I drop by your place.
eagleJack
Guest
Just a quick Google search I found that the NRL grand final beat the AFL grand final last year in the head to head TV ratings (2,720,000 v 2,595,000). A rare win. This was due to the 692,000 who tuned in from across the ditch to watch the Warriors. So to me I would take from this that it would actually be in the best interests of the TV networks to have the Cowboys or Broncos make the Grand Final to maximise the QLD TV audience. Sydney tunes in regardless.