And just like that, the war is over.
‘Crackdown 2018′ lasted a bit longer than previous rule enforcing sprees, but yesterday NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and ARLC Chair Peter Beattie conceded defeat.
It was a strange time for the NRL to pull the ripcord on its previously rock-solid commitment to rule adherence.
What the announcement makes clear is that the NRL has been spooked by the constant ‘fans are hating the game’ narrative being pushed around the place, even though the data doesn’t back it up.
Overall, crowds are up a little and the NRL is beating the AFL handsomely in the TV ratings.
What makes it even stranger is that as fans, we’d all pretty much become accustomed to how things were. We grizzled about it at times, but we understood the bigger picture.
And we understood this bigger picture because Greenberg himself went to great lengths to explain the crackdown, so even those who hated the direction couldn’t say they didn’t know about it.
The Roar
The NRL’s spin on things now is that issues around the play the ball have largely been solved, but referees were nitpicking penalties above and beyond their preseason directives to police the defensive line and the play the ball.
So they’ve told the refs to back off. Again.
You can guarantee within weeks that we’re going to be back to the sprawling, spoiling tactics which somehow generate the mythical ‘flow’ everyone talks about, but can’t properly explain.
“I don’t want referees looking for penalties, what I want is referees to police those areas we have tasked them to do and allow the game to flow,” Greenberg said.
Once again, it appears the referees get publicly hung for doing their jobs as instructed.
In the lead-up to last week’s Origin series opener, the appointment of Ashley Klein and Gerard Sutton was almost universally panned. No matter where you looked, here were two undeserving, incompetent pretenders who shouldn’t have been in the same galaxy as a State of Origin game.
Now, their handling of Origin 1 is apparently the gold standard for how rugby league matches should be curated.
No consideration is given to the fact Origin brings together 34 of the best players in the league, playing in a three-game series where the impact of a penalty means much, much more than one given away in week 13 of 26.
No consideration, either, for the fact that this grouping of elite players only made a combined 13 errors.
Last Friday night against Penrith, Canberra made 16 errors of their own. That game was panned for taking too long because apparently the referees were blowing too many penalties, not because the Raiders were straight out garbage with their ball handling (they completed just 65% of their sets).
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The crackdown split the NRL community down the middle. You were either 100 per cent for it, or 100 per cent against it. There was no middle ground.
For each person who complained about the flood of penalties, there was another who fully supported the approach and wanted the game to move away from the greco-roman game style of recent years.
But there was one area where we all agreed, and that was wanting consistent decision making. If you think this new direction for referees is going to bring more consistency, prepare for disappointment.
Because, as Greenberg himself says, “Don’t over-referee, don’t look for things. Simply referee the play that’s in front of you.”
Nearly 18 penalties per game are conceded on average across the league. Now that number could easily be six, or it could easily be 30. That’s the nature of the game.
So don’t complain when the referee turns a blind eye to a transgression, because they’re just ‘allowing the game to flow’.
If there’s a major sporting league anywhere in the world that shows less respect for its officials than the NRL, I’m yet to encounter it.
Bashing refs is great fodder for broadcasters and fans but its long-term impact will be significant, with massive ramifications for the sport of rugby league.
On the victors’ side of the battlefield stand the Daily Telegraph, Channel Nine and some pockets of Fox League, who have vehemently campaigned against the direction since Week 1. They see this announcement as the NRL once again backing down when things get a bit too hot.
If the NRL thought they’d get credit from their opponents for this decision they’re sorely mistaken – these outlets have already pivoted to asking what the league is going to do when the spoiling tactics inevitably return.
I can’t wait for the opinion pieces complaining about referees letting things slide and not penalising teams. But there’s no doubt now everyone is on the same page: the flow must keep flowing – not even the rules of the game will stand in its way!
On the field, this news is manna from heaven for teams who love to spoil in the ruck like the Storm, Roosters and Sharks.
Cameron Smith (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
It’s amazing during this whole debacle that the coaches and players effectively escaped any serious scrutiny for the inflated penalty counts and record sin bins.
But why would they change? Their lived experience told them that all they needed to do was stick it out, keep infringing, keep complaining, and they’d get their way.
It’s not the first time the NRL squibbed a contest, and it most definitely won’t be the last. In fact, if this ‘crackdown’ couldn’t work with all the publicity, goodwill and support it was getting from fans, why on Earth would any future administration tempt fate by even thinking about doing something similar?
Clint
Guest
I get where you're coming from Simon but until the technology allows the bunker to see what the ball does immediately out of the hands (e.g. camera directly overhead and perpendicular to try line) it will still be subjective. Hence the video ref in union still attracts controversy when they call on forward passes. The alternative that some on here suggest where the ball has to be caught back from where it was passed would be easier for the video ref to call on with the current tech but it is a no for me - kills off flat play and passes to support players after breaks at speed.
Simon SS
Roar Rookie
Ah Clint do you prefer some vague notion of flow over accuracy? I pick being right over being wrong even if it incurs a few more kfc ads
Brian Jones
Guest
The AFL has it all over the NRL at the moment....A bloke can’t even take a dump in the ladies room at an NRL game .
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Don’t bother Clint. His basic powers of comprehension are zero. Move on.
soapit
Roar Guru
rob im pretty sure i dont have the capability to explain it to you "eralivant" was the cherry on top though
Clint
Guest
Rob, do a search on 1991 and 1992 Winfield cup tries of the season and watch the videos. I got less than 5 minutes into the 1991 video and already saw at least a handful of passes that traveled forward relative to the ground (i.e. they were running fast, passed it backwards but it was projected forwards by momentum), so it has been happening for a long time. Making a blanket rule where all passes must be caught backward from where the pass was made will eliminate flat, fast play at the line and pretty much every try where a player making a line break hits top speed and passes to a support runner slightly behind them. A prime example is Maloney to Tedesco in the first half of origin 1 - Teddy catches the pass at least 2m forward from where Maloney lets it go. No way would I call that forward, nor did anyone else. It was a beautiful passage of play and had it been Munster passing to Morgan I would have thought it was fine too. A blanket rule such as the one I describe above would wipe those plays out of the game.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
It's too subjective
Clint
Guest
They can rule on them in union and it still attracts a tonne of controversy. Do people really want the bunker to have one more reason to get dragged over the coals on Monday morning?
Nat
Roar Guru
127 penalties this season and Rabbits in the top 4. Coincidence, I think not.
AJ Mithen
Expert
I hope we're wrong Peter!
AJ Mithen
Expert
Bang on Graham.
mushi
Roar Guru
Also I think big Arties Corpse might be able to beat you in a foot race!
mushi
Roar Guru
double...
mushi
Roar Guru
Wow so you accurately know how fast you are running at all times? that's a rare gift
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Cracking article!
Graham
Guest
I think the media tends to be for a small number of penalties with commentators in particular supportive but fans prefer the game to be officiated strictly and turn up more when the refs do that.
Dodgy Dragons
Roar Rookie
Have to agree with most of the comments here. Welcome back WWF!!! Back to Cam Smith and his 3 cronies lying all over the tackled player and counting to 10, play the balls 3m in front and 2m to the left of the mark, hands all over the ball and back to 4 one out hit ups followed by a block play and repeat for 80 minutes. I hope Gould and co are happy. Give it 3 weeks and they will be whining about the refs not blowing penalties for people slowing the ruck down, but the flow of the game will be back, that is great for rugby league. Storm have just gone in to $1.01 fav for the comp. wish I backed them the round Smith got binned, would’ve got great odds then!!!
Edward Kelly
Roar Guru
Rob: and the earth is flat. You just keep ignoring the Physics because you don't understand it, fine by me but don't ever build a bridge.
Rob
Guest
Picture the seen it’s the GF. JT’s final game and he’s playing the Storm. His old mate, the cheating basted Smith. How the hell did they made it, no one knows( rules must have changed halfway through the season). Revenge is sweet. The Cowboys are down by 4 and it goes to Thurston 30 out as the siren sounds. He got no one in support as per usual because he running backwards. He hooks a kick to the far side where only Feldt is chasing. He’s sprinting at top speed and leaps at top speed and throws his arms up to bat it back 2m short of the try line it comes of his hand. Wow, his smashed that. It’s gone back infield and eluding every Storm player as it bounces 6 inches short of the dead ball line directly behind the post. It sits up and bounce back. Oh my GOD (JT) has dived between Smith’s legs as he is watching it role dead. What’s happened there Smithy is rolling around on the ground and JT is laughing hysterically. The Ref’s and touch judges are confuring. What’s this they are listening to the earphone. We have try check for grounding? WTF Gould has stripped off and appears to be getting ready to jump from the box. Joey takes control (ok not possible) anyway he’s attempting to explain the replay. JT has dive between Smith’s legs and planted the ball with one hand, the other hand has upper cut Smithy in the balls (totally accidental of course). The crowd is laughing and Slater is going nuts. What are they looking at? Surely that’s not a try. It’s gone 8m forward. Hang on they’re saying JT kicked the ball at 35km/hr forwards and Feldt was running at 38km/hr when he slapped at the ball. Was it attempted pass. Hmm this is interesting we need another 6 angles and 16 replays. This is unbelievable Todd Greenberg has suddenly appeared on the screen and says his borrowed channel 9’s hawk eye( they didn’t need it anymore) oh dear this is embarrassing it’s showing a six stitch instead of a football. Doesn’t matter. it’s saying it’s calculated the ball has come backwards of Feldt’s hand? It’s gone backwards Joey says “I told ya, like throwing a ball from the speeding bus”.The Ref awards a try. Gus jumps Fatty wakes up and wobble’s his head “what’s going on” he says. The ref give Smith 10 in the bin for swearing (totally out off character but it’s about time). I can’t believe it NQ go wild as JT lines up the kick. He can hardly stand up the old champ. Oh no he’s hit the crossbar. Extra time. Unbelievable.
KiwiBear
Guest
Well everybody its official the lunatics are running the asylum. Fair go! The Principal is afraid of the goons in the schoolyard. These are the Goulds', the Rothfields', the Johns and co who throw their weight about and make the most noise because they don't like something. They are the toddlers in the middle of the supermarket floor throwing a tantrem and Greenburg is the fed up parent giving in and giving the brats the chocolate bar when it was taken off them! Greenburg should've stood his ground but I can see why he backflipped. Don't like it but I can see why it happened.