It is no secret that State of Origin games are adjudicated differently to regular games. Since the early 1980s, men with the whistle have shown more leniency to players wearing their respective state jerseys.
It is a fact and it is one of the reasons Origin is so special.
So it was with immense fear that I heard Greg Alexander say the refs had offered NSW the warning that they would be applying the same interpretation of the rules that have been applied during NRL games this year.
State of Origin 1 complete coverage:
» GORE: Inglish massive for Queensland, but they don’t get the calls
» The funniest State of Origin ratings on the internet
» The players who stood up for the Blues; NSW Game 1 player ratings
» Who shone, who sunk for the Maroons? Queensland Game 1 player ratings
» State of Origin highlights and match report
There is no legitimate reason to ruin our game’s greatest spectacle. The teams will play three games and that is it, it will be over, the series decided. Thank you linesmen and ball boys.
The edict in the NRL is to stop coaches exploiting the rules using gradual, systematic and pre-determined tactics. I get that – I don’t necessarily agree that the refs are doing it consistently, but I get it. It’s a necessary evil.
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It is not going to achieve a thing by blowing 25 penalties in an Origin game, because a coach cannot possibly gain a competitive advantage over the course of six weeks. The coach is there to develop a strong culture within a group of talented footballers.
Brad Fittler and Kevin Walters will not mention a wrestling manoeuvre during camp – they will preach the one percenters, like making it back the ten, getting square at marker, being first to a loose ball – because the whistle can decide an Origin game. And playing the whistle is what great players do.
The refs need to know this.
When they look right and see Boyd Cordner six inches offside, he needs to get a warning on the run. I guarantee he won’t re-offend because he knows the repercussions of his actions.
It is imperative that Gerard Sutton and Ashley Klein also know the repercussions of theirs, for it is their reputations on the line on the biggest sporting stage in this country.
Don’t blow it, men.
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