Referees. Every round there will come a time when coaches demand their demotions and fans demand their blood. They will never receive sympathy from anyone.
It’s a high pressure job and people get angry because seemingly simple decisions are made wrong. Unfortunately there is no answer. Refereeing is a high pressure job and human error will always play its part, but inconsistency is the current issue.
Three areas in particular are currently officiated poorly and making the game look messier than it needs to be.
Obstruction
Unfortunately obstruction as it currently stands is a flip of the coin. Even commentators don’t know whether we’re going to see a red or green light. There is no consistency whatsoever with the obstruction rule.
It seems this has led to the occurrence of diving. As soon as defensive players are coming into contact near their own try line, there has been a growing tendency for them to go down on first contact with the offense, no matter how hard or impeding the offensive dummy runner is going.
The rule is there and it is necessary for the game, it just needs to be officiated clearly and consistently. I’ve watched plays where I don’t know which player is supposed to have been impeded. As a spectator, I should be able to watch a replay and have a fairly certain idea of whether or not a try is a try.
Currently this is not the case.
If it looks like a defender could have got the attacker, a try is not awarded. It needs to swing back where there is reasonable certainty the defender would have stopped or interfered meaningfully with the attacker. There is too much doubt awarded in favour of the defence.
Stripping
Attacking players in two-man tackles are being rewarded for loose carries. Due to the angles available to on-field refs, it seems a lot of decisions are going in favour of the attacking player when a ball is dropped in a tackle of two or more defenders.
If we can see on our televisions that a refereeing decision was wrong immediately after it happened, then why can’t on-field referees work with video referees so the correct decisions can be made live on the field?
This is where the game needs to bring in more technology. In Origin 2, the ball hit Aaron Woods from the kick-off and it should have been Queensland’s ball with good field position at a crucial point in the game. We could see it immediately after it happened but instead the on-field referees didn’t see it and New South Wales got a penalty and good field position. Not everyone will agree but the game needs to be updated for more technologically savvy audiences.
Tackles
The Alex McKinnon incident was terribly unfortunate but these men are playing contact sports and freak accidents and injuries do occur. Of course dangerous tackles need to be removed from the game but having knee jerk reactions to incidents is not the right way to handle it.
Terrible tragedies happen in contact sports, but those are the risks the people who play them take. We can ban every gang and lifting type tackle there is but nothing will remove the fact that this is a contact sport and things go wrong.
Most people can agree on what constitutes a dangerous tackle yet the penalties awarded to the offenders are varying and inconsistent. This a problem with the judiciary. Josh Reynolds lifting tackle on Brent Tate in Origin 1 looked bad.
It was penalised for being a dangerous tackle. Then it was inexplicably downgraded at the judiciary and Reynolds didn’t even cop a week. Everyone knows that Origin is treated differently but the exact same tackle under different circumstances would not be treated so lightly.
Solution
We need to introduce a challenge option that allows either captains or coaches to have a limited opportunity to challenge a call on-field. Cricket, tennis and the NFL incorporated technological in-game challenges successfully. It would be something at least worth trialing at some point down the line. Currently if players can waste some time on-field and a video replay can be shown at the stadium, the referees can sometimes overturn it. It is inconsistent and confusing.
There needs to be a big brother element involved in decisions. I have heard discussions of a war room where a bunch of officials can make and I believe overturn decisions from upstairs during the game, which is a great idea.
Less mistakes and more consistency is all that is needed. Even if it only makes us complain a little less.
The problem is not actually the referees, it’s the NRL. If they are going to change rules every few rounds then how can we as fans expect consistency? The game the refs are officiating in Round 1, is not the same one being played in Round 26. There can’t be such a swift shift in rules mid-season, it’s jarring for the game. At least wait until an off-season review then introduce new rules at the beginning of seasons – not during them.
Consistency is something that is lacking in general for the NRL. They are quick to change when they are put under pressure. Be it by media, fans, or professionals opinions. There comes a point where they just need to say this is how it’s going to be and stick with it.
Change is inevitable of course. I was watching a late 1990s Origin match on Foxtel the other day and was amazed at just how different the game was. Most visibly the roughness of it. There were elbows in faces, high tackles, and nothing was penalised, it was a rough game.
It was what rugby league was originally built on, and I just hope in the future the NRL won’t strip away everything that has made the game great.
Richard Tate
Guest
Completely agree with all of this. The stripping one bugs me most as it is frustrating seeing players be rewarded more possesion and a chance to score for dropping the ball, or a team be wrongly called for a knock on. The Obstruction rule is something that will always have problems. Only way to solve it will be to penalise any players standing in the line of the defending team. Great Article
Bluebag
Guest
Let alone umpires in cricket or AFL, judges in boxing, etc, etc. You can't take the human element out of decision making, no matter how hard you try.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
more time to talk abouy this week's episode of the voice......
AdelaideWill
Guest
but then we risk the video ref getting it wrong in their 30sec and the media going on and on about it - The key is for the NRL to take back the filming of the games so Channel 9 doesn't hold back on footage to create controversy later on.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
it got to be a billion dollar game with the current pros and cons though and soccer hasn't fixed it. Check the football side of this website and you will see the same complaints about refs there
turbodewd
Guest
Its easy to have video review that doesnt hold up the game. Give the vidref just 30 seconds to view the clip. And allow just 3 challenges per team per game. Whatever u use, it can be finetuned.
AdelaideWill
Guest
If you get the chance to watch the NSW cup on fox you will notice one big thing - The game is better because a decision is made on field by one ref and the game moves on without 50 replays. I cant think of anything worse then stopping every 10minutes for multiple endless replays because a coach is unhappy his play dropped the ball. It will become an extended KFC ad break filled with commentator talking endlessly about "The voice" while we see 50 replays at different speeds. The biggest sporting event in the world is held this month without having a video ref
The Barry
Guest
The problem is that whatever system you have - bunkers, challenges, players in the box - eventually a human being has to make a decision. When was the last time you watched a game with your mates and all agreed on every decision? Even with replays and super slow mos it's never happens. We all have our own perceptions and it's impossible to make rules on things like strips and obstructions black and white. I made a pact earlier this year not to complain about decisions any more. It's not easy but very liberating. Give it a go.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
"Maybe if the Roars gurus spent less time with their stats and watched play they would see what we are all seeing which are simple mistakes being missed by the most experienced refs." i don't have the stats either John - which is why I asked you for them - maybe you misread my post. I certainly see the mistakes but have been watching sport since the 60's and I don't see that referee mistakes have become more prevalent. what I have seen is more focus on the mistakes that are made.
Scrubbit
Guest
I'm less worried about soft penalties being given for diving in nrl than I am no penalties being blown when players from both sides are swinging wildly at opposition players heads.
MAX
Guest
Hi John, Respect your views without qualification. My also ageing eyes have witnessed more than 10,000 games of RL. I despair when incompetent lazy men run the ship and good men do zero.
MAX
Guest
When an NRL player makes an error it becomes a stat, available to the public. The current referee stats. are a farcical comedy of omissions. We do need to have a referee profile to reveal his pattern of awarded penalties and the subsequent results (if any) on the scoreboard. There are > 20 points. Playing standards have gone NORTH. Refereeing is in freefall.
Dane Lillingstone
Roar Rookie
Well since the NRL changed the rules to make the on field refs make a decision, I actually doubt either of these tries would have been awarded under the current rules. I believe with the Inglis and Hodges tries, the on field ref would have ruled a no try to the video refs and would probably not be overturned. Just more inconsistency.
john badseed
Guest
Craig - When I watch games I don't sit with a note pad marking down statistics. Maybe if the Roars gurus spent less time with their stats and watched play they would see what we are all seeing which are simple mistakes being missed by the most experienced refs. You don't have to look too hard to see the howlers being made by GF and SOO level ref$. I now look to who is reffing games before entering my tips. It can count as much as form. If you want proof look at a few of the finals played last year. Surely conspiracy remarks from high profile players and coaches are enough to suggest a problem exists in regard to ref$ influencing results. Another prime example has been the two SOO games played this year, surprisingly involving the NRL's chosen whistle blower. It may even be worth looking at your stats to see not so much the penalty count but where and in what situations certain teams are given their penalties. I think "contentious decisions" is the term journalists are trained to use. My eyes may be ageing but I and other viewers are not blind. Sometimes it gets to the stage where you you get sick of saying "refs are only human".
Dane Lillingstone
Roar Rookie
I agree to a point. I know it gets old bagging refs but there are just some things that have started appearing in the game that could be easily fixed. I would prefer someone having the ability to immediately overturn decisions. There are still going to be mistakes but we can weed out some of them and at least make it a fairer game.
Dane Lillingstone
Roar Rookie
I didn't know this. Would love to see it trailed in the preseason next year, perhaps even in something like the 9's.
Dane Lillingstone
Roar Rookie
Channel 9 must have someone sitting up there better equipped with access to footage and replays and it's wrong. The NRL should have ensured they have the main say and control in cameras and footage.
uPelican
Guest
Nah. There is no room for error in a billion dollar game with various stakeholders. Refereeing is the stand-out problem with the game. It needs fixing or people will give up on it. Soccer fixed it.
Gappy
Guest
I find it article funny as the bad ref calls have been happening for years. As a NSW supporter I call recall GI try, how can you possible no play at the ball when you are trying to ground it???? Hodges ran behind a player to score a try??? I didn't see anything like this about the refs then. Before you start the abuse I sure NSW have got some to but like I said NSW supporter so I don't remember then. As for origin get all the refs, touch judges and video refs form England. No bais they don't care who wins, fly then in on Monday night put then in a hotel until Wednesday night. Don't let anyone know who they are and where they are staying hence no bias. As for the nrl if a ref is bad week in week out drop then from first grade until they can prove they we capible over doing the job right.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
It has worked but in the second half they are only allowed one challenge regardless of whether it is overturned or not. The powers that be felt there was too much time wasted going for challenges so teams wqere restricted to only one in the second half.