NFL in the NRL sets a worrying new precedent

I wish I didn’t have to write about the referees, or the bunker today and instead focus on what was simply a scintillating game of rugby league. Alas, it’s not to be and here we are again, critiquing the performance of the multi-million dollar bunker.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, or simply haven’t looked at any social media since about 5pm on Monday, Curtis Rona scored a try set up by Tony Williams who may as well have been playing NFL.

Unfortunately for their opposition, the St George Illawarra Dragons it put the Bulldogs ahead in the game and they never looked back, running away to take the victory 34-16, but the Williams set up in his return to first grade will be the talking point of the weekend and sets a worrying precedent.

When Roar expert Dan Eastwood wrote a fortnight ago that biased officiating in the NRL wasn’t a thing, I wanted to believe he was true after a dubious call for a Raiders no try. After the events yesterday afternoon though, I have to wonder exactly where the game is going.

What I don’t want to do here is get into an argument about whether Luke Patten is biased being in charge of the bunker or not. I am certain he is a professional and got the role because he was the best man for the job, but when things like that happen it is a worry.

Williams essentially looked to pass the ball to his left, surrounded by Dragons defenders including Benji Marshall, and the ball popped up about five metres forward of his position when passing. From there, Williams managed to regather the ball, ahead of the defenders and put Curtis Rona over in the corner.

Replays from the bunker would show Williams had passed the ball out of his right hand, then to his left where the ball cannoned forward. Whether Williams had meant to push the ball forward or not with his left hand is a completely different question, and certainly something the bunker shouldn’t be ruling on. Looking at replays, it is easy to make a case for both sides of that debate.

What is frustrating, whether for Dragons fans or NRL fans who just want to see consistency from officials is the way referee Jared Maxwell explained the event to Dragons captain Gareth Widdop. “The bunker ruled it was accidentally pushed forward”, meaning it wasn’t a forward pass, but more of a juggle action simply doesn’t cut it.

What that does, and not just for this specific rule, is helps to create a very worrying precedent for the bunker and officiating in the NRL moving forward. How can someone watching a TV screen rule on someone who has made a play on accident or on purpose?

Moreover though, when a play like this inevitably gets called up for being a forward pass in the next month of rugby league, it is going to be a terrible look for the NRL.

I say when another play like this happens and gets called up and not if it were to happen, because NRL coaches are smart. They are going to find a way to bring this into the game-plan and have players make it look like an accident week in and week out.

Under the official NRL rulebook though a knock-on is defined as ‘means to knock the ball forward towards the opponents’ dead ball line with hand or arm while playing at the ball’ and a forward pass is defined as ‘is a throw towards the opponents’ dead ball line’.

Whichever way you look at, performing a pass that comes off a player, or the same player and goes five metres forward, and over the head of opposition players is not allowed under the NRL rules.

So there is no denying that Williams committed one or the other under the rules.

NRL teams are not going to get away with this week in and week out and referees will call teams up for a forward pass, but then of course the consistency debate from officials and indeed the bunker will come in.

Fans of the team that ‘have been robbed a try’ will tell you until they are blue in the face that Curtis Rona scored one off Tony Williams doing that, so why can’t we?

It has been one of the biggest gripes in recent years of NRL fans that the referees simply have no consistency in their decision making.

Now don’t get me wrong, referees have the toughest job in the game, but whether it is obstruction, penalties in the ruck or ruling on grounding there always seems to be something up for debate, and no one willing to make consistent decisions on issues that are totally ruining the great game of rugby league here in Australia.

I understand that it will take a lot more than inconsistent refereeing to ruin the NRL, but it is well and truly on the way. On various social media outlets, and not for the first time this season fans have been using lines such as ‘won’t be watching the NRL anymore’ and it has become common place.

The other thing that has to be considered is about new fans and how they are ever going to grow to appreciate the game and NRL if referees are coming up with different decisions each and every single week.

Back to the Williams incident though – consistency on an issue like this is going to be near impossible unless there is a black and white rule (which there is) stating any pass that travels forward is exactly that – forward.

None of this ‘he might have done it on accident in a juggle so we will give him a let off.’ It’s got to be black and white with no ‘ifs’ and not ‘buts’. End of story.

But it won’t be the end of story this time around because whether it was an accident or not yesterday at Homebush, the fact stands that it happened, was awarded as a try and we now have yet another new worrying precedent in the NRL’s officiating.

Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde