Maguire hits out after heartbreaking loss

You said it yourself, if Souths were winning by plenty you wouldn't have had a problem with the calls. It's the situation you're upset with not the calls. Can't you see that by the very nature of the debate here and on other social media that makes the calls the very definition of 50/50? Just because they were clear to you with all of your inherent biases doesn't mean it's so. I appreciate that you see the decisions as 100% wrong but other people will see them as 100% correct and I see them as genuine 50/50s. That's what a 50/50 is. You can't say it's not a 50/50 just because you're own view says it's wrong. And I'm not having a shot at you, I acknowledge that I'm the same about my club. I'm not pushing an agenda regarding the refs, this is just the perfect example of the point I was making in Tim Gore's article just a day or two later. It's almost funny that you agree there's too much sooking about refs but you can't see how that applies to your situation.

Love the passion he shows need to work on team still

Barry you mention you are watching as a "neutral" however this is not the case. In an article on Archer dropping a touch judge you made several points about the culture of fans always blaming referees for losses or even for not winning by as much as the should. Much or your comments here on this post are as per that regarding sides making mistakes and 50/50 calls etc. So you are not in fact a neutral observer but someone who is looking to push your agenda of less whinging about refs and taking ownership etc. if you watch any of Souths past three years of press conferences that is pretty much Maquires stance also. Now don't get me wrong I agree there is too much sooking by fans and it does the game no good overall. If Souths had of been in front or behind by plenty then no issue as the decisions would have made no difference. But they weren't and the decisions did. In that post about Archer the first point you stated was the misalignment of the rules to that which the referees apply. That is the key in this for Souths couch and for me. It was not a 50/50. Was not just my opinion but now admitted to by the head of referees as plain wrong. In terms of the rules then he was held. If the rules are applied equally and consistently then no one can whinge. People may try but they likely just wouldn't know the rules. This decision was clear cut so to take your agenda and try and push it on this post was a mistake. If your comments had of been on a genuine 50/50, even involving Souths then I would have read it and simply agreed. I do however agree with what your trying to do so keep going and I hope your next effort at pushing your agenda fares better than this.

I don't know what all the drink driving stuff means but at the end of the day at worst, the refs missed a half volley knock on and a messy over the line, six hands on the ball scramble. They were probably incorrect calls but they weren't howlers and two tough decisions don't qualify as the worst refereeing performance of all time as Souths fans are leaning on. They certainly don't compare to drunk drivers running breathalysers and killing people.

That's at the heart of it. The refs calls were bad luck for Souths. Awful luck if you like. But winning teams whether in sport or business will review their own performance and assess where they can eliminate the impact of bad luck rather than point fingers and make excuses. I don't think anyone's arguing that Souths weren't unlucky.

It's up to you how you view the game and your teams performance. I watched the game as a complete neutral and am just relating how I saw it. Souths got the rough end of a couple of 50/50 calls in tough situations for the referees to correctly adjudicate. Most teams in most games will have two decisions go against them and usually in much clearer circumstances than what happened last night. If you're happy to believe that's the only reason Souths lost, that's fine with me. I watched a game where Souths played well overall - except for 20-40 minutes where they were poor - but let themselves down with silly errors, bad calls and extremely unnecessary penalties. They could have locked down the two points regardless of what the refs did if their execution and discipline was better. I'm not saying the refs got it right, just that they're not the main reason Souths lost. Good luck for the rest of the season mate.

steveng, I can't be certain, but I think you missed my point. You talk about how Souths aren't getting a fair go, and never seem to in these games: I simply pointed out in 2013 and 2014 when you were one of the premier teams, Souths were generally less penalised, and got the better of the 50/50 calls. It isn't right - but the better teams, the ones with more rep players are adjudicated more leniently. I remember a Souths vs Broncos game a few years back when Griffen was coach, and there was a stinker of a call go Souths way 5 min from full-time which gifted them the game - the Broncs were ahead until then. Griffin in the press conference immediately after didn't go ballistic about the call, he said it was wrong, but out of their (the coaching staff and playing group's) control, and what they did have control over were the poor defensive errors that lead to tries to Souths earlier in the game. And he focussed on that. I would be dirty about the calls too, but refs are human, and will always make errors, and they will determine the outcome of games. There are definitely ref processes that can improve, but even when they're as good as possible, 2 points will still go down the drain for unlucky teams. Maguire should focus the team on what they can control.

right. So you confirm that those decisions cost the bunnies "points". The bunnies lost by a point so by your own admission the refereeing errors cost us the game. I appreciate the confirmation. All of your other comments Barry are effectively white noise. Talakais mistakes cost us 12 points, the Burgess penalty 2 points, John Sutton effort to block the kick 6 points, goodwins push on Roberts 4/6 points. Maguires drop ball 6 points If those things didn't happen then yes the refs would have been irrelevant as Souths would have won comfortably. However if no sides ever made mistakes in defence, dropped balls, gave away penalties or made poor decisions all games would end nil - nil. That is what this sport is. One side being more skilfull putting pressure on the other to force mistakes or outmanoeuvre the less skillfull side to score points. This is and has always been our game. The referee is there to apply the rules in accordance with the rules equally and consistently so that each side has an equal chance under the laws of the game. Last night the referees failed to achieve that and that is the reason Souths lost the game. They directly cost Souths 7 points - all other efforts at deflecting blame is just a smokescreen away from this which is real issue. Perhaps as a referee this is how they see it, to justify their errors they tell themselves that the players make mistakes and if they hadn't of done this or that then their errors wouldn't have mattered. To a sportsperson or fan on the reviewing end this is not good enough. Anyone who has played sport knows mistakes occur. Fans can accept players mistakes when players put in as they did last night. Fan can even accept refereeing errors when they are applied consistently throughout the game. That was not the case last night.

Nice balanced review of the game, thanks.

In your analogy you would have been busted by the breathalysers, then continued to drive, but bitched and moaned when you got into an accident with someone who didn't get busted.

Worst analogy ever...

It's not end of story. Souths copped two questionable decisions in difficult circumstances for the refs. My point is that ok those decisions cost the Rabbitohs points but there were far, far more instances of the Rabbitohs costing them points scored and points conceded. I think they're more to blame for Souths loss than the refs mistakes. For instance, Talakai's poor reads cost Souths 12 points. They're poor fifth tackle plays cost them two shots at field goals. Not to mention the simple errors and thoughtless penalties. Souths execute even slightly better and the refs calls are irrelevant. Souths fans have every right to feel dirty about those decisions but the real reasons they lost the game lie a little closer to home. As for the Sam Burgess hit, he hit Milford high. It wasn't intentional, it came up off his shoulder, he's taller, etc but he made contact with Milfords head. It's a penalty every day of the week.

On the very last play of the game the Broncos cover defence on the Souths winger- I believe it was Gillett- clearly uses his leg to either strike at the ball or trip the player. Obviously the refs missed it but surely the match review committee should be suspending him for at least a week I would think.

i find it very interesting that people want to point out Souths errors and use this as the reason they lost. If they had of done this or that those decisions by the refs wouldn't Matter. This is like getting involved in an accident with a drunk driver who was ignored by two police breathalysers and then being told it was your fault because you were on the road in the first place. All football sides make errors. This is part of the game. Teams have no control over the refs decisions and actions. Their job is to apply the rules of the game consistently and accurately. This they did not do. With Moga's try there was no reason for Souths to strip the ball. They held him up. His momentum had stopped. End of play. Milford lurched and twisted his body to get the ball back. The defenders could not do that from the positions they were with hands around the ball. It was all Milford and the defenders were just following the ball. For the bunker to say they could not determine how the ball came out was wrong as it was clear as day it was Milford passing off the ground Then the knock on was also clear. I thought it was live so cannot understand why from metres away the refs couldn't. Madge said the audio indicated the pocket ref asked to check it so one of them felt it was not right. It is a natural reaction to look for someone else to blame. This however is not Madges go. Despite poor decisions over the past couple years (Melbourne and titans last year) Madge rarely blames decisions as he wants his players to take factors beyond their control out of the equation. To see him blow up like that tells you just how bad the refereeing was Your argument is flawed and point irrelevant as despite their so called poor defence, bad choices, silly penalties etc correct decisions here on your so called 50/50's (even though plenty of broncs supporters have acknowledged the bunnies were robbed due to these being incorrect) mean Souths would have been in front toward the end of the game and not going for the field goal at full time.

And what's you point Barry. take away Milford being held up in goal and after passing the ball off the ground with penalty to Souths and the no field goal and Souths likely win 24-18. All of these matters are irrelevant. The only thing that would have evened this game up is if you have of been say " ref ingnores" in front of all of the indiscretions that Souths made as he did for the broncos such as Ref ignores 5 forward passes from broncos Ref ignores broncos hand in Souths face Ref ignores broncos loose carry and penalises Souths incorrectly for strip Ref ignores good chest tackles from Burgess anf gifts 2 points to broncos for a non high tackles in Milford. You might be able to come up with a few things that Souths should have done differently last night but it was absolutely clear that the Broncos were gifted that game. End of story

'Bunney' I'm glad that you do think that 'consistency in reffing must be introduced' and 2013-14 was only in your and many anti Souths imaginations. Look, these sorts of games are not attracting fans to the NRL they are sending them away, simple.

Short memory steveng - 2013 & 14 Souths got the rub of the green more often than not. But I agree that consistency in reffing must be introduced.

Well said TB. I watched the press conference last night, and thought Maguire's dummy spit was a sign of someone feeling pressure. His comment about Cam Murray is illuminating: "I had Cam Murray go out there, who is a Souths junior, absolutely play a great game for us and have to sit in the changeroom and be disappointed because of things like that. Ridiculous." Ummm, you're the coach. He had a good game, and you still got pipped. It might be a good object lesson for him about the realities of top-flight football. Every player out there - even the guys we pronounce as mediocre - is an absolute gun in every other rugby league comp in the world. He needs to work hard, and then harder again, but he also needs to be able to deal with disappointment. The really good team cop bad calls, get on with it and still win. Maybe I'm judging Maguire harshly - maybe it was another case of a coach deflecting attention away from his troops...but that clenched jaw told me it was more to do with pressure.

Great to read your post 3 Hats. We are supposed to suffer in silence and accept the incompetence handed out each week by sub standard refereeing. I do not doubt their honesty. The players are analysed with endless statistics. The only way we can embarrass refereeing into reaching the appropriate standards to officiate at our code is to have the same degree of detailed analysis completed and publish it. It is also imperative that a complete review of the Rules is necessary in order to improve the game rather than hinder it.

It's the refs fault...