Newcastle Jets vs Sydney FC: A-League live scores, blog

It a bad suggestion as to why a second division of some description has benefits. Rather than view through a demotion lense, I'd see it, similar to new opportunities for players, that a new generation of refs can show their abilities in a pro second division. Saying that, what is the conversion of current NPL refs to A-League? Or is that more of waiting to someone retires or is really demoted. Similar to surf lifesaving should there be a pool of candidate refs going for the few A-League positions each season, previous A-League refs or NPL combined?

It was an over reaction, and Buijs did go across the line into O'Donovan almost with an elbow, but O'Donovan did react with a slap. Now what is the rule on retaliation? And is it a yellow or red card offence? Was the red too harsh? It seemed to me the VAR footage shown at the ground was just the retaliatory slap, without showing the lead up. Buijs certainly didn't lean in as you were taught when learning the rules of the game to be firm and keep your place. So did Buijs deserve a yellow or just to give away a free kick? We won't know because O'Donovan swung his arm (rightly p****d off in the heat of the early part of the game when Buijs forced O'Donovan out of the way) and Buijs made sure that was the focus not what he did from a poor first touch in a dangerous area to ensure O'Donovan didn't get the ball first. But agree on the theatrics and what has happened to the post match review and stamping diving out of the game all those seasons ago. Remember Patricio Perez of the Mariners virtual first game banned for simulation? Perhaps the message worked too well for a time, but flares, crowd issues, and the other issues have taken too much of an already stretched resources and energy away from not only issues of play ('professional fouling' just one of many) but the poor officiating that is slowly increasing. Something which the VAR was suppose to help but has only exacerbated due to a lack of consistent application, and the sometime poor officials siting behind the screens. Fortunately the game did not turn into a dour affair and for once the game's story and outcome outshone the shadow of the match officials decion/s. (Knowing full well I'm commenting on such a decision...)

As they say in the old country...Clenched fist .." My arse ! "... Not a jets supporter but have eyes and boxing experience. Ruling incorrect as charged. Point is the ref should have addressed the first foul. Which was committed by Buijs.

Playing in a winning team gets you noticed. Hope Aussie Bert was watching. Matty Simon for Russia!

I thought it was a very good performance from the referee and VAR team. Decisions were spot on, including the sending off.

You always have to finish with a negative comment, don't you Pip. Clenched fist hit Jordy in the side of the face. VAR reviewed it and said it was a red card. Punch someone in the face in football, no matter how well it is disguised, and its a sending off. pure and simple rule. That was a great game of football. If these two meet in the grand final, they'll sell out ANZ stadium.

If Chris Beath is the best ref we have.........then we're in serious amounts of excrement.

Boogard has actually improved quite a lot. He seems to have lost his ability to impersonate Matt Simon and keep his head on the game. I quite like the pairing of Boogard and NTS.

It always looks that way , doesn't it ?

Hahaha...I don't get the claims by the commentators saying the statisticians name Nabboutt as the number 1 offside offender....compared to Berisha ?...Something won't let me believe that.

Yes , that 6 minutes added to my suspicion of favouritism.

Exactly. The reason he doesn't score goals is because that's not his job. His job is to bulldoze, mame and generally run around like a chook with it's head cut off. Carney, on the other hand, should be going to Russia.

We can only hope that once the 2nd tier league eventuates, the same demotion / promotion act will apply to the refs as well. 3 bad calls in a game and next week you're demoted and paid accordingly.( for example ). The Donovan send off being the latest example of poor refereeing in point. One HUGE peeve is players intentionally running into stationary opposition players AND WINNING THE FOUL !.. I watch this week in and week out, to the point where i'm tearing my hair out. This crap is totally unbelievable. I feel it may have to get to a point where refs and linesmen are removed from the game entirely and have them replaced with automated cameras with a couple of operators overseeing the functions.

For me jb it's refs making poor decisions, even with the benefit of replays.

Stuart - This was a great advert for our football despite the "conditions" exerted on the players by puzzling refereeing decisions. I could not believe the follow up to the Reese Williams 'performance" , when Buijs decided to "get into the act" obviously believing there is an "Oscar " to be had at season's end for "best dive". The VAR is getting a hiding all over the football scene and yet to my eyes it highlighted two things,a change in the rules, or just plain bad refereeing. In the Victory game Williams clearly pushed an opponent with not one ,but two, hands and then"reacted" when the opponent slapped him with a "blow" that would not have killed a "mossie" on his cheek. Then came the reaction,a dive worthy of another sporting arena, Olympic diving. Outcome? - the opponent is sent off and the real culprit admits a day later he did over-react just a bit. If this whole action did not merit the "sin" of " bringing the game into dis-repute" I don't know what would. Now we come to yesterday when the leagues best referee is forced to make a decision based on what he witnessed on the VAR. Again we witnessed a player , making no attempt to "play the ball" dive bodily across the path of an attacking player and in the process collect another "slap" from a flailing arm and then, reacts as if he had been hooked by a round house swing from Mike Tyson.. Outcome? - same as before ,send off the "slapper" and let "Brad Pitt" go through the motions of getting a bullet just above the ear. Sadly, it is becoming patently obvious that either the rules have changed or the referees officiating at our games are not yet sufficiently versed in the use of a TV medium, to analyse, and punish ,these "culprits, who in fact are alienating thousands to our game. Who is going to fix this problem?. Cheers jb.

I thought petratos was brilliant Petratos and Nabbout have to be considered for a Socceroos squad

The A league ain’t dead after all

?? What a game , incredible crowd. This rivalry will build , but enjoy this win for now .

Great report Stuart Some of your words are absolutely priceless