In February 2016, a handsome(ish) young(er than today) chap from The Roar made his way to Australian Technology Park to attend the official launch of the NRL’s brand new toy.
It was to be known as The Bunker – capital T, capital B, like The Beatles – although at the presentation, Todd Greenberg referred to it as “the Big Mama”.
And it was a fair enough nickname, this was a serious piece of kit.
While the entire office-space was also designated as the home of the NRL’s then-fledgling content and social arms, as well as where the match review committee would now meet, it was clear what was intended to be on display.
We were given a full tour of the facility, including watching Luke Patten pressing a bunch of buttons under the watchful eye of Bernard Sutton, as a demonstration of how The Bunker would slash referee decision times from the 2015 average of 77 seconds down to 50.
(If we’re being honest though, the part I was most impressed by was how The Bunker had that glass that you can turn from clear to opaque at the press of a button. Fu-tu-ristic!)
Greenberg would not reveal a price tag, only saying the game had spent a “significant” pile of cash on it, but the hardware he rattled off – including 20 HD video feeds, 29 kilometres of cable, and 57 HD monitors – suggested the ARLC had splashed out north of seven figures.
But while he insisted the whole thing would actually be a money-maker – “I have absolutely no doubt that we can return that investment,” Greenberg said of the multi-million-dollar facility – the most important aspect was that this was “a massive, fundamental shift to the way we do our business”.
“And the reason I’m saying that is if anyone’s been to the back of Brookvale at a game, and anyone who’s stood in the referees’ box, the box is so narrow that two men can’t stand next to each other. So when we go to Brookvale, one has to stand in front of the other.
“As soon as there’s a contentious moment on the field, the grandstand stands up, and we lose sight of nearly a third of the field…
“And then coming down the wire to make a really important decision, almost every time someone with a beer and a pie is banging on the glass.”
Now apparently Brookvale’s quaint and all, but that scene out of a Cormac McCarthy novel was the reality for our video referees just three years ago.
Let’s be real: TV officials aren’t going anywhere. Every major world sport and code uses a video review system of some sort, and the idea of the NRL going back to a scenario whereby the on-field ref’s view is all that matters is ludicrous.
So a return to what was in place at Manly home games only a few years back would be like giving the game’s officials an Atari 64 to make their match-deciding decisions.
The Bunker (The Roar)
The Bunker is an amazing facility. I know. I’ve been inside it! It is absolutely in the NRL’s best interests that it is a part of the game and frequently updated.
The problem is the people pressing the buttons, which was exactly my conclusion those many (well, couple of) years ago.
Admittedly, it’s a splinters-in-your-bum opinion, but I noted: “if the three people inside the pod can use the impressive array of technology at their fingertips to the best of its ability, then the game of rugby league will definitely come that much closer to being the best it can be as well.”
I don’t begrudge our game’s officials – theirs is a thankless, bastard of a task, whereby if you do your job well no one notices, but the slightest screw up means fire and brimstone (bit like being a subeditor, really).
But I can tell you for sure The Bunker itself is not the problem.
So, if we rule out the hardware, maybe the way to fix the system is to get a new team of people pressing the buttons.
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All the team list information for Round 9.
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