I enjoyed seven years of my life as an NRL match official, with the start of the week to the end of the week made up of preparation, game day, review and recovery.
Much like the lamb roast on a Sunday, minor details like work and family became the vegetables and gravy – supplementary to the main meal.
The question I’m asked most about it now is: “Do you miss it?”
My answer seems to be always the same. Yes, I miss the 80 minutes on game day – but everything else? Watching the game again that night, reviewing it with a match-day assessor the next morning, then the early week bash-up on the training paddock before we prepare to do it all again to go out and do my best so some has-been behind a computer screen can tell me what I did wrong?
No, I don’t miss any of that.
In fact, plenty of people told me prior that I wouldn’t understand how much time I would have, free of football-related constraints, until I had realised it for myself.
The only exception is when I see something that I know I wouldn’t have done myself. It’s not usually a single decision – anybody can go one way or another depending on many factors – it’s when positioning is wrong, or a signal is incorrect that are really bread and butter of getting to first grade.
I saw a touch judge on Monday night wave a ball dead when it rolled into the in-goal, and it should have been signalled a different way, with a sideways figure of eight. I started to fire up about it before remembering that I had become a cranky old retired touchie, so getting annoyed with what is a very subtle difference in signals served no useful purpose. I decided to leave it alone.
Until a day later, when I was still annoyed, so I mentioned it in this article.
Which made me think about the other things in rugby league that really annoy me – and they aren’t about refereeing.
Firstly, why do spectators yell out and boo about the ten-metre defensive line when the players they are yelling at are never going to be penalised?
We see it many times across a weekend, most notably at a 20-metre restart after a kick has gone dead. If the ball is being brought back out to the 20 and the opposing players are retreating to get to the 30-metre line to be onside, they are entitled to run backwards while they are facing the ball carrier.
They are only going to be penalised if they contact the opposing player prior to him making a ten-metre gain.
The number of times I see a player run ten metres forward and then get dragged down at the 35-metre mark while the boos reach a crescendo amazes me. Hello? Your team has just made a 15-metre gain while you’re complaining about an ‘offside’ player who has retreated more than the ten metres he is required?
People, get a grip!
Secondly, idiots at junior footy games who want to jump the fence and get involved. I was critical of the handling of the Fifita brothers incident last year because of the miscommunication and the unnecessary escalation of the conflict.
I was not privy to all the information at the time, except at least we knew they were affiliated with the team and were legitimately inside the playing area.
I was acting as ground manager for our local junior club on Saturday when our Under-16s had a scuffle with their opposing team. There were no punches thrown – which I can only say reinforces the NRL’s stance taken in the last two years – despite almost all the players being involved in grabbing and pushing.
Until one idiot jumped the fence and ran on the field to push one of the players.
A whole lot of adrenalin clouded in aggression was threatening to overwhelm the participants, let alone the spark provided from an outsider.
Thankfully, through the outstanding work of the match officials and the leadership from cool heads on either team, the whole incident did not escalate to an all-in brawl, which I have seen dozens of times in my 20 years of refereeing.
Finally, from the same day of junior footy, why can’t people put their rubbish in the bin?
When there are bins around, why do people throw it on the ground so that it can blow away? I know that The Roar is a sporting website dedicated to the games we love, however we can’t forget that we are people within a community as well.
Our ground adjoins a tributary of the Georges River, meaning that a lot of the rubbish left on the ground will end up in the water, before flowing into Botany Bay and ultimately the Tasman Sea. It’s unsightly, it’s unnecessary and it requires personal responsibility from individuals.
On Saturday a young player – probably in an Under-7s team – was kicking a Powerade bottle along the ground as I was walking past.
“Mate, we kick footballs around here, not rubbish. You’ve got a whole park to kick a ball around so that needs to go into the bin.”
Either I wasn’t heard, or I was ignored.
“Pick the bottle up and put it in the bin,” I persisted, but by now he was a metre ahead of me and the distance was increasing.
I reached out in front out and caught his shirt by the shoulder, gaining his attention so that the empty drink bottle could be retrieved and put in the bin. Before I could get a word to the boy a voice from the side called out: “Don’t touch my child!”
I looked up to see a woman (presumably his mother) scolding me for my behaviour. I apologised, said I did touch his shoulder but understood that I shouldn’t have.
Our club president walked past at that instant and said to me: “So she wasn’t happy with what you did, but was happy for him to keep kicking the rubbish?”
I didn’t know how to answer that question. I still don’t.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Cheers scrum. I think mostly it comes down to consistency. I don't think anyone expects perfection but when interpretations vary game to game and from the start of the game to the end of the game is when us mere members of the public are left scratching our heads and getting frustrated.
Ian
Guest
The other thing that happens to the team that gets ahead in the penalty count is that they stop getting penalties for things that were penalties early in the game. Strips all of a sudden become loose carries, their opponent slowing down the ruck gets tolerated more, etc, etc.
Ian
Guest
I think often what happens is the refs manage the penalty count by ignoring clear penalty offences. The problem then is that it rewards the team prepared to take their chances on not being penalised for illegal play, which encourages negative play. I wouldn't mind some 30 + penalty games if that's what's required to get teams to lift their game. I think what we see more often is refs lowering their standards to get to an "acceptable" penalty count.
Scrum
Guest
That is true-but I have an understanding of the complexities of officiating & it is not the black & white job that most imagine. And I have experience of officiating & accreditation qualifications. Joe blow public is not interested in logical explanations-they are all experts despite the fact they have little knowledge and generally biased. That is OK, that is the emotion of sport but they are not interested in logical discussion-anyway the ref is always incompetent
LMM
Guest
I find it very frustrating how some teams get pinged for nothing more than an untidy looking ruck, whereas some teams make a half break, get held down until the whole team is back onside and don;t receive a penalty. The so called "big teams" who are supposed to win seem to get a lot more leeway.
Dan Eastwood
Expert
Right or wrong, referees don't want to be seen as refereeing only one team. There is a perception that even-numbered penalty counts means that the players have decided the match rather than the referee. You might be on to something ...
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Come off it Ken - the goalposts are a permanent fixture. A second ball on the field has referees stopping play on every other occasion that I've seen. Sims deliberately obstructed an opponent who was not in possession of the ball - no ifs, buts, or maybes. He looked directly at the ball as he kicked it, and made a kicking action - not a running action. The ball clearly obstructed the intended catchers line of sight. The whole play by Sims was not in the spirit of the game, and was intended to give his team an unfair advantage, which it clearly did. You'd be screaming blue murder if it happened to The Saints in a tight game against The Broncs.
Alex Green
Roar Guru
Mate, the kids these days, they don't listen to anyone! haha.
ChubbzyK96
Guest
Agreed! I would prefer it to be more formal! They have numbers on their back for a reason right? Captains are known only as captain and the rest by the number on their backs!
The Barry
Roar Guru
Are you not a member of the public?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Interesting to see the refereeing instincts don't switch off when you leave the paddock. They always say it takes a certain type to be a ref...maybe it's true !
Dan Eastwood
Expert
Good summary The Barry - Billy had to work at it over many years. As for Origin games, they are the best players the states can offer so they are mainly the most disciplined as well. Add to that the massive benefit a penalty provides in a (normally) very close Origin contest and players are less likely to transgress.
Scrum
Guest
Unfortunately there is little point in trying to educate the public. I am always amazed by statements that Refs should be blowing their whistle for whatever. If the advice was taken there would be heaps of penalties then the same people would be screaming about too many penalties. But it is so easy from the sideline & for some inexplicable reason the ref is always picking on their team
Ken
Guest
Yeah it's a good point. It's also true though that Harrigan reffed differently at Origin than he did at club level, not just at the start of his career. It was almost ad nauseum that he was quoted as saying that in a good origin game you 'put the whistle in your pocket'. You're right though, he had earned the respect that allowed him to control a game without blowing a heap of penalties - at least a few times a year.
Ken
Guest
Both of those are fairly arbitrary though. I mean 'not in the spirit of the game' - how harsh do you want this enforced? We have quite the tradition of crafty players who turn situations to their advantage, what about kicking for the goalposts with the hope of a deflection or that the defender will be obstructed by the structure? A quick tap while the oppositions back is turned could be a penalty under this rule! You're also on a hiding to nothing trying to prove that Sims deliberately obstructed an opponent not in possession. Obstruction is fairly clearly defined in various sections of the rules to involve tackling, physically impeding or blocking players without the ball - including kicking a second ball in their direction would be an inventive use of the rule. Also Sims was at pretty much full pace, made no obvious change in his action for kicking and wasn't looking directly at the ball - hard to say that it was deliberate (although I suspect he knew what he was doing!)
KOS
Guest
My pet hate is the referees calling the players by their first name? This opens up a personal relationship that should only be made with the captain. This then allows players to begin to argue with ref and junior players believe this to be correct and is a reason why many junior refs leave the game, no respect.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Ken - that's what I call the 'Harrigan effect'. Harrigan started out as a tough, pedantic ref. Do you remember him pinging players for being offside at kick offs? Bozo didn't want to hit him with a cement truck for not blowing penalties. Harrigan built his reputation as a tough, knowledgeable referee who wasn't afraid to blow penalties. Over the years he built the respect of players - they knew they couldn't get away with much so they stopped transgressing (as much). As a result Harrigan was able to modify his style by not having to blow as many penalties but also being able to manage games and warn players on the run. And be taken seriously. This resulted in free flowing entertaining games, particularly at origin level and became the preferred style. The problem is, young refs coming in haven't earned the players respect. They don't know the game well enough at the highest level to know which penalties to blow and which to let go. The result is that players take advantage and you get situations where teams are transgressing fundamental laws of the game for the whole game and not being penalised at all. Instead of the entertaining games that Harrigan was able to facilitate you end up with a mess.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Was about to tell you that it's my right to boo whenever, and at whatever, I want. But then I had a sudden urge to cheer for Collingwood and watch Millionaire Hot Seat and I scared myself. Just like the Rugby team that bears your name, you win this round Eastwood...
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
E-Meter - That's a gold medal for reducing the work of Our Lady Karma.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Dan there are two laws in the book that he broke: Sims should have been penalised for either of the following under section 15 of Player’s Misconduct; (i) Behaves in any way contrary to the true spirit of the game (j) Deliberately obstructs an opponent who is not in possession When are refs going to remember the rules and enforce them?