Fixing the NRL's refereeing dilemmas

Justin Olam wasn’t chosen as man-of-the-match in the Melbourne Storm’s 10-8 win over the Titans but could have been.

It was Olam’s running in from metres offside, snuffing out a Gold Coast attack close to the Storm line that probably cost the Titans a try.

There were unmarked players outside the intended Titans ball receiver. Olam was penalised but not sin-binned.

The appropriate commentary on this absurdity came in the second half when the Titans were warned after giving away four successive penalties while the Storm were attacking, each penalty trivial compared with the Olam offence.

S0 is illustrated the folly of the early-season return and extension of the old rule-of-the-week refereeing campaigns.

The irony of the Olam incident is that it was the type of offence the campaign was supposed to eradicate; players stopping attacks while being deliberately metres offside.

Instead, under the unofficial four-penalties-and-a-sin-bin rule a player can be offence-free and be sin-binned for a triviality just by being the unlucky fourth.

An Aaron Woods can run on from the bench for Cronulla and run straight off for alleged holding down in the play-the-ball, just by being the unlucky last.

According to the rules, there is no difference between being 0.5 meters off side and 5 meters offside. Of course.

But overhead cam showed a pocket referee standing 13m from the play-the-ball and a team being penalised for being a metre in front of him, earlier in the season.

A pan showed Isaac Luke taking a tap penalty 11m from the tryline and the defensive team spread out on the line. They were penalised for offside. Of course.

Earlier this season, Peter Sterling said the game was becoming almost unwatchable because of the blitz and the destruction of continuity. Sterling wasn’t alone in his observation.

A good referee like Henry Perenara has often lost his way this season by being over-zealous in his adherence to rules. So have others.

The referees’ jobs are tough enough, trying to combat coaches seeking an advantage, especially at the play-the-ball.

A simple directive and reassurance to referee what they see could have avoided the carnage.

Sin-binnings for similar Olam-style offences in past seasons could have avoided this season’s crackdown.

Olam is a talented speedster and one hopes a long and fruitful NRL career is ahead. Through Saturday, he’s already provided a great service.

There is one great service the NRL could provide for next season from the evidence of this season, and it won’t a rule of the week.

Modern technology’s advances and availability means it’s time… no, it’s overdue for the bunker to have the power to rule on forward passes when tries are scored when the evidence is clear-cut. And there have been many times this season when the evidence has been clear-cut.

Games have been won and lost when a clear forward pass was allowed or a legal pass disallowed.

No blame need be attached to referees and touch judges. They’re making decisions in real time at real speed at ground level.

Easy to make correct decisions from an elevated position with the benefit of replays and clear markings. Most times the bunker gets it right. You can’t go back.

Those calling for the bunker’s removal are urinating against the wind and inevitable progress in technology, and probably think funding new coal-power plants is a good idea.

It certainly wasn’t a good idea for Dylan Napa to persist with his head-first missile attacks on players.

Napa should count himself lucky Bronco Andrew McCullough only suffered concussion from the Roosters prop’s latest attack.

The prop might never have forgiven himself if it had been one of the worse outcomes.

Napa doesn’t seem given to much self-reflection but might have learned something from his previous missile launch at Corben Sims and the outcome.

Understandable that Roosters coach Trent Robinson would publicly defend his player after the Sims incident but he might have privately had a word to Napa, point out there was no margin for error in the tackle – polite term – and the possible consequences were catastrophic.

Time to remove it from his game. He could have pointed out Napa had already proven himself tough and lethal.