There is no other sport in Australia that has an unhealthier relationship with its referees than rugby league.
The disrespect and derision that our referees are treated with each and every week is unfair and completely unacceptable. So can these attitudes turn around?
This week, I read an article penned by Phil Rothfield which revealed two NRL referees had received death threats this season following their performance in games. Off the back of this, ARLC chair Peter V’landys has appealed to the rugby league family to “back off”.
It’s going to take more than V’landys imploring us to be different for these attitudes to turn around.
Firstly, death threats – whether it’s a player, referee or any other member of the rugby league family – are completely inappropriate. The rise in use of social media and the ability for people to be faceless behind the keyboard has resulted in threats of these nature becoming more commonplace and its not OK.
I also wonder what role gambling and people desperately wanting their multis to be successful has in this too or people taking their performance in SuperCoach a little bit too seriously.
There is no place for threats like that it in rugby league, or anywhere else for that matter.
But back to the matter at hand. I always find it curious when the media publish articles about respecting referees because in my view, the media have played a significant role in getting fans to a point where every single decision is questioned.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
After every single round of footy, without fail, you will see some media outlets do a social media post that looks something like this: “Des Hasler was fuming at a late penalty controversially awarded to the Eels over a high shot” or “Was this worth the 10 in the bin?” or “the fallout from last night’s controversy was intense”.
We have created a culture where every single refereeing decision is scrutinised and put under the spotlight. There’s always a “huge gaffe” or a “controversy”.
Even when calls are 50/50 they are beaten up into major dramas and there seems to be an inability to understand that mistakes happen.
No one cheers for the referees. We all have our footy teams that we support, but the referees are an entirely different group altogether.
When one of our players makes a mistake, we are much faster to forgive. It’s extremely rare that you would see an article suggesting that Mitch Moses or Ryan Papenhuyzen had cost their respective teams the win, but we see those articles frequently when it comes to the referees.
The referees are also used as scapegoats by clubs, coaches and players, when perhaps their focus should be a bit more inward.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
It also doesn’t help when many members of the media don’t seem to know the rules themselves. These are people that fans look to for explanations and better understandings of the game. When you have them blowing up because a rule has been applied in a way that “wasn’t how it used to be in the old days” it continues this narrative that the referees are incompetent and cannot do their jobs.
Consistent with so many other issues in rugby league though, we don’t seem to know what we want.
Two years ago a decision was made by V’landys and the ARLC to move from two on-field referees to just one.
Some of you may recall this decision was made quite quickly. Was it just a cost-saving measure? Would it lead to more free flowing rugby league?
Now, there seem to be calls to return to the two-person model, because surprise, surprise, things are being missed (as if reducing the number of eyes on the field would not have exactly this result).
We want free-flowing rugby league and a lack of stoppages, but we want referees to get it right all the time.
Those two things cannot happen at exactly the same time.
I often speak about the importance of our players – without them, there is no game. But equally, without referees there isn’t a game either.
And whilst their will be thousands of young men and women aspiring to play in the NRL and NRLW, I don’t think the same is true of joining the refereeing ranks. With the amount of criticism they cop, why on earth would you put your hand up to do that role?
If attitudes towards referees are going to change, we all must play a role. But the media must take a leadership role and focus on educating fans about the rules and the game, rather than trying to generate clicks through social media posts constantly referring to controversy.
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Grant
Guest
I have been critical of referees particularly Ashley Klien. Because he was a better referee when he started to what he is now. I find it frustrating to watch. But death threats is so far across the line and there is no place. If my comments contribute to making people feel it's okay I apologize. I do see the media crisis first mentality as being counter productive by focusing on these minor issues as big crisis, turning the heat on referees, they've missed the real crisis, why are our referees struggling? These tinkering with rules and over reliance on technology to counter the over scrutiny of referees created by the media crisis first mentality, has created a level of complexity that has eroded one of our games competitive advantages it's simplicity.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
That's another article all in itself Nick...
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Disagree Simoc. There are problems with the referees. Though the problem is more with the guidelines they have to work with and that if they aren't followed they can be dropped. I think the refs would be a much happier lot if they told just to referee as per the laws of the game. Of course if they do this, Gould and co will be up in arms about refs ruining the game. Imagine players being penalised for a voluntary tackle. Players walking off the mark and being penalised. The commentators would have a field day.
dogs
Guest
Great post. Always thought it was crazy the way some parents and spectators carry on at junior sports. I'm very uncomfortable with how integrated gambling is with sports coverage these days. It is a very obvious long term plan to have future generations think gambling is a fundamental part of following sport (like it is with horse racing). Obviously banning gambling would be very bad (and impractical) idea, don't want organised crime to be more involved than it already is. But I'd love a ban on the advertising, like we've had on tobacco advertising for several decades.
TA
Guest
I see a lot written around reducing the bunkers involvement but the genies out of the bottle there is no going back. In time the NRL will have to appease sponsors, betting agencies, clubs, members and players and that means a lot more bunker/s involved for the sake of accuracy. NFL game time is 60 mins and averages around 3hrs12mins to complete, while I hope it doesn`t go that far it`s easy to see that it has to. For the most part it will keep the referees out of the firing line and maybe the media will focus on the game. Yeah Right.
Whistle Blower
Roar Rookie
Yeah, like that happens.
Whistle Blower
Roar Rookie
I am a Rugby League Referee at community level. The article is excellent. Forget everything else, it is all about the win. Doesn't matter if its U7's, U15's, A Grade or NRL. All anyone cares about is winning, at any cost. Winning at the cost of their reputation, their values, winning at the expense of someone else's self worth. Forever while you have meathead coaches and parents complaining about consistency at an U7's carnival where 13yo Officials who are in their 2nd week in after doing the course, when their players can't string 2 passes together, we as a community and supporter base have a problem and this only snowballs as the players get older and ultimately where we are now with the NRL. In no other situation than a top level official are your decisions that you have to make in a thousandths of a second, then scrutinized in a frame by frame manner to see if a finger did leave the ball or not, or if there was a hand in the ruck. Betting on Sports is what has driven us to where we are now. The, need to get it right so punters don't get paid out for what afterwards is found to be incorrect and conversely the punter losing in the same manner. There needs to be a whole culture shift from 'The ref cost us the game', to ' Well, if we didn't leak 16pts, we would have won the game'. The culture needs to start at the bottom and needs to be upheld at all levels of the game. I wonder regularly, at where the media ( ex players, coaches, commentators ) get their ideas from, as to what the rules actually are of the game. It is clear, that they have no idea. Absolutely no idea! Of the rules. So much so, that I would challenge ANY of them to run an U8's game. I guarantee, that the 13 and 14yo's we have running around on a Saturday morning WILL do a better job than these so called experts. Self nominated experts at that. So how to fix it? The Bunker is here to stay. So, show the replays in real time. That's how the ref see's it, so review it at the same speed as the incident happened. It would make any review quick and timely. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, well it is a duck! Get the media and commentators educated. MAKE them spend 1 day, just 1, out in the community on the paddock. Give them an appreciation of the job of an official. Call it, work experience or a development opportunity. The Supporters and public. Good luck there. Most don't know the rules and don't want to know the rules. They just want the win, at any cost and when they don't get it they want to look for the easiest target, the guy in the middle. Not the guy who knocked on, or went the open side when the winger was unmarked or the fella who missed the kick at goal. Finally, bias towards teams and clubs. Never heard a bigger load of crap in my life. The refs decisions are scrutinized frame by frame, the whole game is videoed from multiple angles, the refs are mic'd up for audio.... And then they get accused of bias. What a load of rubbish.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
respect starts on the field with the players - never see a player back chatting to the ref in rugby. cant help with the fans unfortuntely as RL crowds are different than RU crowds, maybe the commentators can tone it down if the ref makes a howler of a call so it doesn't keep hiliting the incident
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
My team was involved in a refs fault blame game late last year, I said at the time that we needed to be better. Why would I want to watch Buzz or Kent rambling on about a decision that was “controversial” or see someone “react” to something, what I want to see is a piece on Preston and Jayden Campbell. A piece on the best player in the bush at the moment, actual interesting journalism, not just a sound bite in commentary that can be extrapolated into a footy show and then be passed off as journalism. I’ve also stopped interacting here on any of the refs fault stuff, except for this article. There are going to get decisions wrong, it’s a fact of life. Learn to accept it spend the next 20 years blaming one person for your teams shortcomings :thumbup:
PaulC
Guest
Very good article Mary, very refreshing to read somebody writing about respect. The game callers & commentators seem to compete against each other to gain 'brownie points" on who can be the most controversial. The Video Referee now Bunker is a hangover from Super League & is a real pain for Channel 9 & Fox as it gives definite decisions that limits their scope. Who wants to go back to the Referee decisions only, leaving the TV callers/commentators room to replay until they could find a mistake? Unfortunately the callers/ commentators aren't covered by the same protocols as coaches at Press conferences. Callers/commentators should respect the decisions & get on with game, other Sports accept decisions. Have a good day Mary.
Prez
Roar Rookie
As a casual follower that only watches Thursday nights I can't believe how often the expert commentators get the rules wrong about penalties.
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Ahhh good thinking ,Mother’s -in-Law an untapped resource for the NRL
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Sell Wonka (or Wonky) Bars at the ground and whoever gets the golden ticket, gets to ref. Their mates can be touchies and the mother-in-law can be the bunker (no one likes their mother-in-law or their meddling, so it's a good role for them)
max power
Guest
superb Mary. great piece
Ad-O
Guest
I've been saying much the same for years. Complaining about refs is sports analysis for the lobotomised. At the end of the day, poor play is what puts refs in the position to make bad decisions. Teams should play better and not leave it to chance. Unfortunately it's too easy for poor pundits to stir up cheap controversy and emotionally immature fans who can't stomach the fact their team stinks to whinge about the ref.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Players are certainly better paid than yesteryear when some held down two jobs e.g. “garbologist”in the wee hours & working in the leagues club. Training consisted of 5 laps of the oval then 5 schooners. However “greed has been around forever” & the opportunity to make a quick buck is always tempting to some. There endeth today’s sermon. Amen.Blasphemy unintended.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I think the reaction to Mundines non-try is overrated. I would expect he'd score from that position just about every time and the risk of failing no greater than passing which carries a risk in itself. Some poor play by Manly players cost us a chance of winning a couple of games this season and the fans weren't hiding from that at all.
John Neeson
Guest
How cute that you believe referees are cleanskins. I suppose they would never be given the nudge to help a particular team “for the good of the game”.
Get_real
Roar Rookie
I struggle to watch fox or 9 broadcasts with the volume up, Ennis droning or expert commentary from the pinga popper does my head in not to mention the gambling angles. The only commentary I listen to is ABC radio very positive commentary. Death threats to ref's is disgusting, I am not surprised when I hear how much apprentices that work with me put on their multi's they seem more interested in gambling yhan the game!
Pedro
Guest
Darcy Lawler. Those were the days. I also understand a South’s, Tigers game a few years back may not have been decided by who was best on the field Agree that punting on football has been around forever. Probably cleaner now than in the past as the players are so well paid.