The restraint Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor has shown in his reaction to unfavourable decisions by match officials is one of the most refreshing aspects of the first seven rounds of the NRL competition.
There are some other coaches in the NRL who could learn a lesson from him.
Taylor refused to blame the referees for the decision to disallow a try with four minutes to go that – had it been awarded – would have almost certainly won the game for the Tigers against Canberra on Sunday.
It was ruled that Robbie Farah had gained an advantage by running behind Keith Galloway along the way to grubber-kicking for a try to Luke Brooks.
Whether the decision was right or wrong doesn’t affect my point, which is that Taylor accepted the ruling rather than try to use it as an excuse for a loss.
Some other coaches would find it terribly hard to accept a ruling that cost them a game like that, regardless of whether it was the most obvious thing on earth that the decision was right.
“That’s the rule,” Taylor said at the post-match media conference. “You can’t run around your own player and gain an advantage. The fact we scored a try at the end of it, I suppose that’s an advantage, isn’t it?
“We don’t practice running around behind each other. For me, that was a sign we weren’t playing what we practiced. We’re clearly still a way off in relation to how we play and where we want to be as a team.”
It is obvious from the way Taylor talks that from the moment he took charge of his mostly young team at the start of the pre-season he was determined to make them own the result.
The players – and we’re talking about a side that has very young players in three of the four ‘spine’ positions – had to be accountable and not use anything that might happen that was out of their control as a crutch.
It might seem a straight-forward and sensible approach – and it is – but how often do we see coaches blame something other than the mistakes made by their players or themselves for a loss?
Way too often.
Taylor is teaching his young players good habits that will inevitably make them better able to handle adversity than those who see and hear their coaches look for excuses.
The Tigers led the Raiders 22-0 after 25 minutes at their spiritual home – Leichhardt Oval. There shouldn’t be any set of circumstances under which they could lose from there.
But they did, 30-22.
The Tigers got a bit soft in defence approaching halftime and instead of going to the break with a whopping lead they were up only 22-12.
Canberra had discovered new life when they should have been strangled. They ended up scoring 30 unanswered points.
That just shouldn’t have happened.
“An NRL game goes for 80 minutes and we’ve been talking about that,” Taylor went on to say. “We want to be more consistent across the course of that 80 minutes. As a club and a team we identified that at the start of the year.”
Taylor was the same after the Tigers had lost to the Warriors in the previous round. He refused to use a couple of controversial decisions that went against his team as an excuse.
Later on Sunday night, after the post-match media conference, it was reported that the referees had erred by giving the Tigers only five tackles in a set in the 78th minute.
The Tigers trailed 24-22 and possession was turned over after Chris Lawrence went to ground with the ball, rather than the Tigers kicking downfield.
Referee Henry Perenara raised his hand after the fourth tackle to signal that the last tackle was coming up, but obviously Lawrence may have been unaware of that.
Canberra went on to score another try.
I don’t anticipate Taylor using that as an excuse either. When you lead 22-0 at home and you fail to go on with it, pointing to things that went against your team in the dying stages of the match doesn’t wash.
The Tigers should never have found themselves in that position in the first place. If they blame themselves for what happened, they’re more chance of learning how to prevent the same thing from happening next time.
matth
Guest
You sort of missed the whole point of this article didn't you. Not using the refs as an excuse as they are out of your control.
Ltp
Guest
Hi Muzz, Have you ever jumped in a cold shower on a freezing day and thought it was warm? If so thats what the ref's get now, the Roosters penalties are so blatant that anything less extreme can be lost in the haze. I haven't seen this so called bias in any of the games I have seen.
Muzz
Guest
Send him over. He'd love Bondi.
Kingcowboy
Guest
Muz would try and turn him to the dark side.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
What if C3PO was the referee?
Clint
Guest
That's what I'm talking about! Booing and plastic bottles wouldn't worry the T-800. Seriously, though, one solution is simply making the ref's aware there is a bias in the first place. The NBA found that media reporting on the subject increased awareness among referees about their own implicit bias and that this awareness led to a reduction in such bias. Time magazine covered the subject in a Dec. 2014 article titled "What NBA Referees Can Teach Us About Overcoming Prejudices".
Kingcowboy
Guest
I stopped and I wondered where you were going with this post Clint and then it hit me. Robots!!! We need Robots to ref the games, that way, there is no bias. I can see it now, Big Arnie from Terminator 2 taking on Dessie after the game.
Clint
Guest
Implying that the ref's are biased doesn't mean there's a conspiracy, it could be an unconscious mindset. Police in the US aren't sitting down before each shift and discussing how they're going to focus more on particular minorities or ethnic groups, but its obviously still happening. There's been tons of research done on implicit bias in sports adjudicating - for example, see "Referee Bias" by T. Dohmen and J. Sauermann for a thorough review of the current literature. In a nutshell, biases exist (for different reasons) and they can and do effect the outcomes of matches.
Boydy-in-Brisbane
Roar Rookie
Whilst I'm no fan of the Roosters either AGO74, a 7-1 penalty count certainly didn't help their cause the other night, much as it hasn't a lot lately. For the third time this year, the Roosters played a “perfect’’ football team during the second half against Melbourne Storm on Saturday night when they were not even awarded one penalty. That’s 120 minutes of football in which their opponents have not made one single infringement. In four away games this season the Roosters have received just two second-half penalties — both of them against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Tigers too were victims of one sided refereeing on Sunday, receiving the first 2 penalties of the game and then only 2 more to Canberra's 7 after that. And while we're on referees, after Sunday's no try decision to Luke Brooks I reckon Jonathan Thurston and Justin Hodges et al had better mind how they run in SOO if the NRL's to be believed. They say they intend to enforce the no running behind you team mate rule. Watch this space Also, can someone please explain how a referee can signal six again and then when the player who caught the football scores a try says to the video ref "Can you have a look at that, I don't think it was a try" as happened in last nights Souths V Sharks game. What the bloody hell was he doing awarding six again then if he thought it was no try? This was yet another game where the penalty count went 7-2 against the losing team with the 2nd of those penalties being in the 78th minute when the game was all but over. Seriously, I and my mates are fast becoming AFL fans.
Clint
Guest
Wow, good on you. Souths lost one penalty count and you're not complaining. How gracious of you. It must have been hard not to complain during those whopping 6 matches last year when you lost the penalty count by 1 or 2!! How you stayed silent is just a testament to the character of Souths supporters. Why don't you come back to us pathetic Easts supporters when you've lost 75% of penalty counts since 2007. Or when you lose 18 penalty counts in 27 matches by 3 or more. Or when you haven't won a penalty count for 13 games straight. Heck, come back to me when you lose ONE penalty count by 8 or 9. Or when you face the statistically very unlikely (0.36%*) situation of facing a team that exhibits perfect discipline in the 2nd half of football not once, but 3 times in only 7 games played. * Using binomial distribution model n = 7 trials (they've played 7 games), probability of one successful trial p = 8/56 (8 perfect second half games so far this season), k = 3 successes (3 times they've faced a perfect second half team), n-k = 4 failures > (n/k)*p^k*(1-p)^n-k = 2.333*(8/56)^3*0.855^4 = 0.003635 = 0.36%
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Mate it's further proof that I am a rubbish judge! (I'd still happily back them to miss the eight though. I believe the Gold Coast Titans were leading the comp this time last year?)
BCH
Guest
Well you mentioned the penalty count twice so you must have some sort of issue with it. I wonder if you will feel so charitable if those type of penalty counts continue against Souths for say the next 7 or 8 years though. By way the way, well done for attending that game in those conditions.
Do I look stupid
Guest
I am not complaining about the penalties...........even though! Hilarious!
Muzz
Guest
Sorry mate but drugs aren't my go. Would you care to list what all the "great treatment from the NRL" is ?
pat malone
Guest
muzz, i think you need to get drug tested, as for a conspiracy against the Roosters ha, they have all the connections and get great treatment from the NRL
pat malone
Guest
how those dragons going will? you said they would come a long last?
3 Hats
Guest
Well I just got home from the Souths Vs Cronulla match... OH by the way the Penalty count was SHARKS 7, RABBITOHS 2 Souths received their 2nd Penalty with only 2 minutes to go, and the game was already over. I am not complaining like those pathetic EASTS fans, I accept the fact that we were out played on the night. The Sharks played extremely well and the Rabbits??? Well It was one of our worst performance in the last 3 years. 5th tackle options were very poor without Adam Reynolds. Take note, I am NOT complaining about the tackle count, nor the Referee even though Souths probably should of received a few more penalty's on the night! Cronulla should of got a few extra also but the ref did his best to let the game flow in atrocious conditions.
Nobby heads
Guest
If he hurt someone's feeling it was probably to get the club out of its comfort zone. Don't know if you have noticed but with those you have mentioned the club has gone backwards In years. Something had to change and tough decisions were to be made. Something Mick Potter failed to do So,it's no longer a boys club or jobs for the old boys. It's now is on its way to becoming a professional environment with people who know what they are doing! I also know for a solid fact that there is a great vibe around the club and that Jason Tayolr is impressing most inside and outside of the club and also has the backing of the players.
Rick
Guest
No team leading 22-0 after 25 minutes should ever be beaten, certainly not on your home ground with a crowd that is - at a minimum - 95% cheering you on. Here endeth the lesson.
pjm
Roar Rookie
It's common knowledge that Skandalis had nfi on what he was doing.