Having watched North Queensland get bundled out of the NRL finals race at the hands of Manly, again – and at the SFS, again – I have been philosophical about why I think the Cowboys lost with arguably their best ever line-up.
Despite sorely missing the direction of Aaron Payne and the impact of Tariq Sims, in the context of their otherwise excellent 2012 campaign it was an uncharacteristically untidy performance from the Cowboys.
Although, if you look at their longer history, perhaps it wasn’t so uncharacteristic.
The real talking point was the video referee decision that saw Manly’s Michael Oldfield awarded a try after a possible knock-on by five-eighth Keiran Foran.
I’ve often wondered how it is that a NRL-qualified referee can get simple decisions wrong in an environment which is effectively the equivalent of the armchair fan.
He sits high up above the crowd in a private box, presumably with a nice comfortable chair, TV screen covering the action, and some communications equipment which enables chatter between himself and the on-field officials. Perhaps he’ll also have a nice hot cup of tea or coffee to go with it.
While speculating about the creature comforts in this closed off ‘zone’ the presumably well-paid and usually senior video referees enjoy eight games a weekend, the answer to the problem hit me like a ton of bricks.
Why is it that the guy in the thick of the action, who is these days forced to suffer the humiliation of wearing pink to work, must rely on his well-pampered former colleague to override his decision making authority?
Think about it. Shayne Hayne is in the thick of the action, running with the players, fielding queries from the captains, stopping the players from killing each other, keeping an eye on the penalty count, trying to keep a steady 10m, watching for one of the countless grappling moves in the ruck, listening to his touch judges for forward pass calls or other infringements, keeping an eye on the ball for any possible knock-ons or strips while keeping an eye off the ball for players tackled late – the list is pretty long.
So when there’s a possible try scored and Hayne wants to query it, he has to completely give over his command of the game to that guy high up in the stands who now has to put his coffee down and actually do some work.
And after that decision is made, the video referee presses a button and goes back to relaxing. Then Shayne Hayne has to address an angry and often justified tirade about why the try was or wasn’t awarded.
The ridiculous thing about this situation is that Hayne might not even actually agree with the decision that was just made!
If the player has so much to say about what just happened, he obviously has a pretty good view of the replays on the big screen from the field. I’ve seen those screens and these days, they are not only huge, but display a very sharp picture. It’s easy to see what’s happening on the ground.
So my solution to the video refereeing problem is simple – don’t get rid of video replays, just get rid of the video referees’ box.
When a possible try is scored, Shayne Hayne shouldn’t have to defer his decision to a bloke who was sick of all the running and fitness involved in being an on-field referee and retired to video adjudication in order to collate a retirement fund for himself.
Hayne should be able to simply request a replay of the incident, and then with his other referee by his side, watch the replays on the ground, request a specific angle from the production crew where needed, and make his decision right there on the ground.
He can cross reference what he sees on the screen with what he remembers seeing of the actual incident through his own eyes, something that video referees cannot possibly do.
He can then explain his decision to the captain based on his terms. What could be simpler?
It cuts out this needless middle man who is obviously in no position to make consistently good decisions from their position of command high up in the stands.
I would like to see the NRL trial this in a few pre-season games, or even towards the end of the 2013 season in inconsequential games that don’t affect the makeup of the finals series.
Something definitely needs to be done. Instead of just throwing resources at the problem, maybe now rugby league needs to think outside the box.
ken oldman
Guest
Maybe the game is so fast now that the refs.are unable to keep up with the play. You can blame this on the scrum ,which isn,t a scrum , brought in to speed up the game. Get rid of this blight on the game and make scrums again competitive, who cares if it slows the game down.the players can have a breather and so can the refs. Todays game is full of forward passes,offside play by the kick chasers etc etc and the refs are unable to keep up with the play. T his game does not need the video refs,the refs should make their own decision on the field and should they get it wrong,they will square up during the game as it was in the past...a slower game should avoid all these 'impact players\ off the bench giving tired players a rest. scenario. Certainly the game needs new direction,most supporters I talk to are watching less and less rugby league. ..for the game is not the same
Mantis
Roar Guru
In NFL, the umpires have these tv/camera kinda things they can walk up and look at. The only problem is it can take a while, and no one else can see what they see on the screen. Because NFL is so stop start, the crowd doesnt seem to mind because that is the nature of the game. In NRL however, I imagine the fans would get very restless very quickly.
Shawn Dollin
Roar Rookie
The fact that there is a "manual" of sorts released before the start of each season and handed out to media (Andrew Voss paraded a copy on the Roast a few years back from memory) really underscores the problems you mention. If you've watched the game for years, why should you need a handbook on key areas that are going to be focused on for the coming season? One year it was play-the-balls, another it was grappling in the ruck, then gang tackling, then the "downtown rule" came into vogue ... what you're saying makes a lot more sense. We don't have to regress to the bad old days of messy rucking and scrimmaging, but we can simplify a lot more.
Shawn Dollin
Roar Rookie
Wholeheartedly agree - touch judges, too. Give control of the game back to one referee from kickoff to fulltime, and touch judges could do the job of policing the 10 while the main referee controlled the ruck and the game. Two touchies and a referee with access to video replays where needed.
Shawn Dollin
Roar Rookie
I'm not surprised mate, it seems to me like such a simple and straightforward solution that surely a few people have pondered it before on occasion.
Rob
Guest
An excerpt from an article I wrote for LeagueFreak a little while ago regarding the introduction of the 'captain's challenge' and poor refereeing standards. Just some ideas to help referees: 1. Start simplifying sometimes bloated/contradictive rules – You only have to listen to some of the explanations given by Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper to particular incidents in the game to know that some of the crucial rules regarding such things as grounding of the ball (not only the hand, but the chest or forearm as well) and determining legal tackle styles do not work for the good of the game. There may be a rule for something, but it then has several addendums attached to it, to the point where it doesn’t make sense to anyone. Rather than introducing new rules to fix old problems, we need to look at restructuring our current rules and eliminating the extras that cause confusion. 2. Give referees every opportunity to be better educated and confident in the rules and their ability to follow them – I don’t believe referees are stupid, or lacking in what it takes to look after our game. I think that in some instances they have not received the support required from the NRL in terms of getting everyone on the same page regarding rulings and expectations in the game. At this stage though, I think it is sometimes unfair to make referees accountable to some rulings because the rule itself does not make sense. I think referees would prosper under simpler rules. A simpler set of rules is easier to understand for all concerned, and would eliminate much of the confusion regarding particular decisions that are being made. Less confusion would then hopefully lead to referees being more confident in their ability, and restoring the relationship between players/coaches and referees. 3. Involve recently retired/injured players to identify critical areas for that need fixing – I believe the game has changed dramatically over the years, especially it’s significant increase in pace and rule changes. I think there have been some cases (Simon Dwyer comes to mind), where a young player cruelled with an injury keeping them from playing could be used as a consultant for the NRL to work with referees and the game’s Rules Advisory Committee. Darren Lockyer is on the committee, but as time goes on, continuing to involve those who have played recently will only help with ensuring rulings and interpretations are informed by those who have worked under them. Another benefit would be for the NRL to then send these players out to the clubs to work with them, explaining rule changes or bringing individual club grievances back for consideration. It also gives these players a meaningful job and part to play in the game they love, especially those whose prospects of playing again are slim. Contributing to rugby league, the greatest game of all (the ARLC really need to trademark this before someone else does).
solly
Guest
It feels as if the authority of the referee is being slowly whittled away. If you are going to have a video ref, then US method seems reasonable.
oikee
Guest
Oh, P.S Shaun, i brought this idea up about 2-3 years ago i mentioned this on one of our blogs. ;) Cheers mate.
oikee
Guest
How do the yanks do this, has anybody looked. They have video replays, if they get it right maybe we should be following them. I think the idea of just having the refs on the field make the call is brilliant. Yes they have a big screen, or if they dont have one at a ground, just take a huge TV screen to the game, plug it in and watxch the replays we see at home on the sidelines, we waste a couple of minutes for ads, Bob's your uncle, Why is this so hard. We save a fortune on video refs stitting around in retirement, everyone is happy. See, this is the problem with our game, nobody knows who is thinking, what is being done, we are all just walking blind, walking with dinosaurs. :)