Watching State of Origin on Wednesday night with a few friends, it occurred to us that the constant bagging of the refereeing subtracted from the overall spectacle on display.
This idea is not new to rugby league, with commentators and media personalities alike constantly finding flaws with refereeing decisions and focusing on them rather than the product we love.
It is unique to the sport and a contributing reason that the overall appeal is waning.
Prime examples from Wednesday night included the following.
1. The penalty count
Numerous times the 9-1 penalty count was either spoken about, or complained about. I hate to tell you, but Queensland deserved to have it look this way with poor discipline.
It had nothing to do with refereeing, nothing to do with bias, but it appeared that way from the comments on Channel 9.
2. The hit on Josh Dugan
Andrew Johns bagged the decision, saying that it was tough to be a penalty in club land, let alone Origin. I’m sorry, but Greg Inglis shoulder charged Dugan in the head, breaking his jaw.
It was a deserved penalty. Just because in the ‘old days’ it was soft, it was still a penalty and well picked up by the officiating crew.
They are just a few examples from Wednesday night, but a constant week-to-week theme in the NRL. We need to accept that referees are humans. Players make mistakes constantly throughout games, yet we want out officiators to be 100 per cent accurate every weekend. It’s just not going to happen.
Compare this type of attitude to the AFL and NBA or NBL, and I’m putting it to you that it is having a drastic impact on the appeal of rugby league.
AFL
Watching the Swans versus Hawthorn last night, the Hawks were winning by one point midway through the fourth quarter. This was the top-of-the-table clash in front of a record crowd, as big a stage as it gets.
A long bomb looked to have scored a behind but the umpires ruled it to have hit the post and the ruling was out of bounds on the full. It was a contentious call, one that could have gone either way, but the commentators let it go, got on with the game and it wasn’t spoken of again.
It’s the old adage that no one can name an AFL umpire, they just don’t cop the heat or constant negativity as their NRL counterparts.
NBA/NBL
Basketball lovers will know that referees have a tough job. Three officials have to watch ten athletes competing hard in a game that penalises contact. They make challenging calls night in, night out, but do so without the barrage of commentator negativity.
In the NBA, the referees are even awarded hall of fame status, with 15 referees awarded the honour at present. This respect for officials is the direction the NRL needs to go.
The attitude towards referees across our codes is significantly different, and the constant negativity around rugby league is hurting the game I love most.
When I started studying journalism one of the first things someone told me was ‘choose now’. Choose whether you want to be known as a positive writer, advocating for change and writing about the positive things sport has to offer, or a negative writer, constantly grabbing headlines and stirring the pot.
I love rugby league, I have since I was four years old. But it has changed. It frustrates me to try and work out why, of course I have my opinions, but we need to change the attitude and be more about change and positivity then headlines and stirring the pot.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
A glass jaw? Uhm....
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
When there is little to no choice, of course rugby league games will rate. But in the world of monopolies and apathetic viewers/consumers, that is not a expression of quality.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
It's pathetic, that's what it is. Fittler is an absolute joke of a 'professional'. Gould is a great league thinker and that should be his commentary role - tactical analysis. Any half decent producer ought to be able to recognise that.
Cass
Guest
Only because we have no choice. The only games I have watched on Channel 9 this year are the Origin games. If they played those games on Fox Channel 9 would be a forgotten memory. Gould is just getting downright embarrassing. Watch Super League and listen to their fantastic commentators. They absolutely love the game and show it. They might disagree with a decision but they make one comment and then move on with calling the game. Not continuously carry on about why they are right and the refs are wrong. It is painful.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Who the hell keeps re hiring Johns and Fittler? They are 40 yrs old and carry on like teenagers. Maybe with the coverage on fox being so superior CH 9 might finally realise their commentators and experts are outdated and cringe worthy to listen to.
Albo
Guest
Still, 4 of the 5 highest rating TV ratings programmes every year are the three NRL State of Origin games & the NRL Grand Final ! Seems for entertainment value the people don't mind all this negativity from the commentary box ? After all, our sport it is about entertainment, and negativity always trumps positivity when it comes to ratings ! Controversy rules and rates highly ! Could be much worse, you know ! We could have some political commentators calling the footy ! Then you would see some real negativity and narrative confection.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
If his jaw was broken it's highly likely high contact was made.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I have a feeling that Fittler and Gould were promised jobs for life by 9 during the super league war. I can't come up with another explanation as to why neither is held to account for their performance. Fittler has shown negligible improvement in 10 years and Gould, despite being one of the best thinkers in the game comes across as a cranky, crotchety old whinger when he's commentating.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Considering the NRL earns the bulk of its income from broadcast deals and that's the way the game is delivered to fans (and potential fans) then yes, this is one area of the game that should 100% be treated like a 'business commodity'. What's the alternative? Run it like an amateur chook raffle?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
The interpration issue and the changing role of a referee is an important issue that needs to be resolved. My personal view is that the referee's role has changed and the fans, players and 'commentators' in some respects, are still to accept that new role. This is causing tension.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Well said. Yvonne and Sterling are the only professionals on that commentary team. I'll never forget Yvonne asking Fittler about St Helens just prior to their match against the Roosters in the World Club Series and Fittler's response which was along the lines of "I don't know. I don't really watch Super League." He couldn't even spend 10 minutes reading Wikipedia as preparation for his job. Australian rugby league commentary is embarassingly unprofessional, amateurish and pathetic. Well done boys club, well done.
Simon
Guest
Yeah, if there's one thing the NRL needs, it's to treat the game even more like a business commodity -______-
Jeff Cook
Guest
Hi Jarrod A important and well written article,and i agree completely. It is all well and good making these points here,and i am these opinions already expressed will be heard. If you or the other readers can direct me to the proper channels of complaint at NRL. This is a serious request. Keep up the good work .
The Barry
Roar Guru
I've heard league refs called plenty worse than maggots...
AlanKC
Guest
It may be cognitive bias - in most people our brain contrives to show us evidence of what we already believe to be true. So as a Queenslander I don't see a Nate Myles headbutt but I do see a Paul Gallen forearm and vice versa - just one of a few ways our noggin fools us into believing we're right and somebody/everybody else is a twit. Most of the commentators are, having played or coached at a high level, hardwired to believe that they know better than the ref. Therefore they find it much easier to criticise decisions than applaud them. When they do applaud a decision it's generally as a follow up to something they've already highlighted previously.
Mike from tari
Guest
The courier mail have spent 3 days crying about the penalty count, you have Bill Harrigan criticising the referees but his criticism to me was telling the refs to ignore the lesser penalties & let the game flow in other words he was telling them to cheat, but my advice to Ch9 is to get rid of ex famous footy players & bring in some real footy commentators.
Jeffrey Dun
Roar Rookie
With regard to attitudes to the umpires in AFL Jarrod, I don't follow the game, but I worked with a bloke who used to umpire senior AFL matches. He told me AFL crowds referred to umpires as "white maggots". I think that is pretty disgusting - that the crowds would hold their umpires in such contempt. I can't imagine NRL crowds giving referees the same epithet. It sounds from your discussion that the AFL commentators give the umpires an easier time than the spectators.
Ian
Guest
Is there any other sport where penalties are seen to be the referees' fault not the players' as everyone seems to think in league?
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Very true Barry. What is it about league that this weird self flagelation seems to keep recurring.
Doc79
Roar Rookie
Why can't people just watch the vision from nine? I got a two and a half yr old running round the lounge making more sense than their commentary.