Please, video refs, how hard can it be?

At approximately 8.20pm on Friday night during the Canterbury versus Roosters game, the video referees might have hit a new low.

How can this be possible, you may ask?

Referees seem to make the strangest decisions when dissecting the obstruction rule, and their consistency isn’t the best.

Well, what if they stuffed up the easiest part of their job?

No, I’m not talking about them watching a screen of endless replays or talking NRL rules with the on-field refs.

I’m taking about being able to tell the difference between the ‘Try’ button and the ‘No Try’ button.

After Roosters debutant Nene MacDonald appeared to have scored a regulation try, the on-field refs decided to send it upstairs.

Fair enough. It appeared MacDonald might have bobbled the ball when placing it down, so it was left to the video referees to decide the outcome.

A couple of replays later, it was clear MacDonald had planted it down without incident. So naturally , all of us watching the game expected the inevitable… but got the down-right crazy.

‘No Try’ read the giant screen.

In the referees’ defence, Ashley Klein was quick to calm the players down and insisted a try had been awarded. Subsequently ‘Try’ was finally displayed on the screen.

Twitter went into meltdown. Some suggested that MacDonald had jumped too high, thus giving reason for the video referees’ bizarre action. Others suggested Nathan Tinkler was involved.

Now I’ve never been in a video ref box during a game, but I assume there would be some sort of ‘Try’ button as well as a ‘No Try’ button, which sends the message to the big screen. Regardless of the technicalities though, have we seriously come to the point where video referees are accidentally displaying the wrong message?

There will be those who defend the video ref’s action, arguing it was a simple mistake. And all of us, as humans, are prone to making mistakes.

But I’m sorry, pushing the wrong button is not a mistake, it is a complete and utter brain-fade, where the simplest task of the video-ref job could not be accomplished.

I sympathise with the video ref who made the call, I’m sure he is deeply embarrassed. However, it is also an embarrassment to the game, and an embarrassment which should never have occurred.

Follow Harry Easton on Twitter @harryeaston1