Kasey Badger’s inexperience and not her gender is leading to NRL players pushing the boundaries, the competition’s head of football Graham Annesley says.
Badger’s performance has come under the microscope following an ill-tempered match between Canterbury and Wests Tigers that led to the referee sin-binning two players and the NRL dishing out $11,800 in fines.
Saturday’s 22-14 win for the Bulldogs was only the third NRL game Badger has taken charge of.
“This is not a gender issue, and my discussion today is not about gender,” Annesley said.
“Because even when referees do make mistakes, they don’t make mistakes because of their gender, they make mistakes because they’re human.
“We have to remember it doesn’t only happen to female referees.
“There are plenty of players who have towered over male referees and attempted to exert some influence.”
Annesley’s comments came soon after NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, who did not reference Badger by name, released a statement on Monday to say match officials deserved greater respect.
Badger has been heavily scrutinised and she found herself in the headlines after a Canberra-Gold Coast clash last month where she was routinely surrounded by players.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, whose side won the game, praised Badger’s courage while Titans coach Des Hasler was scathing of her officiating.
In the loss to the Dogs, the Tigers finished with 11 players on the field after David Klemmer (dissent) and Alex Seyfarth (headbutting) were sin-binned in the final 10 minutes.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Annesley said Klemmer was lucky to have not been sent off because he refused to leave the field after being sin-binned and then became embroiled in the fracas involving Seyfarth.
“I think he can consider himself fortunate to have not been sent off,” Annesley said.
“He was sent to the sin bin and from that moment on he has no right to participate in anything except get off the field.
“Kasey had to say to him get off the field and a touch judge also said you need to leave and it was only after another delay that he left the field.”
Annesley also suggested Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney and five-eighth Matt Burton were also lucky to have not been binned.
The NRL announces match officials for this weekend’s games on Tuesday but Annesley would not guarantee if Badger would take the whistle.
Head office has made a habit of rotating referees in and out of games to start 2024.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
yep, starting to look like soccer
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
rah rah has the right idea - march them 10 M or reverse penalties. that'll stop them quick smart
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
I like how even in defending Badger, he is critical of her not sending Klemmer off. If it isn't a gender issue - stop saying it is a gender issue. Lord knows there are plenty of examples of players and coaches acting like clowns that Annesley could use. Even this website - Wants to repeat in multiple articles how Ricky praised Kasey Badger a few weeks ago, when he has bashed every male referee and bunker official from here to Timbuctoo countless times - hence making it a gender issue.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
How often do we hear the old, out of touch pundit blame the refs for “ruining the contest” when they rightly bin or send off a player? Same as stuff like “feel of the game”. It’s not a refs job to make it entertaining. It’s their job to ref to the rules.
Renegade
Roar Guru
His saying #refsfault is one of the biggest issues in the game. I’ve been saying for years, it’s the biggest issue…. Can’t go a game without someone claiming the ref ruined the game or “cost my team the game” even when it’s 50-0
The Barry
Roar Guru
Your last point about commentators deserved a number of its own Fox is better than 9, but even they’re terrible at dragging a decision through the mud and give the old “referee is ruining the game”. It’s amazing how much of this attitude down to exact quotes gets recycled through social media
Tony
Roar Guru
Got it! John Percival, Kiwi referee.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
We never saw these problems with player back chat when Bill 'The Man's Man' Harrigan had the whistle.
Tony
Roar Guru
Fred Lindop?
Phil
Roar Rookie
You're thinking of Julien Rascagneres the ref who used to wave a hankie. Not him though.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Yep, on field captain has a yellow arm band, any other player approaches the ref, march them up field 50m and a tap restart. But, the refs have to stop being on field coaches and mates. No more Christian names, no more "stay out of it", no more get back onside, and as for tackled/held/release. Call held, 5 seconds if defenders have not released = penalty.
Tony
Roar Guru
It seems like every player is appealing to the referee for something these days, or whingeing about a referee's decision, calling forward passes, waving six again or just waving their arms around generally. What chaos, and it wasn't always like this, as once upon a time no one spoke to the referee at all.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
When is the last time a team has been advanced another ten? I miss those days
Ian_
Roar Rookie
I don’t know why the rule isn’t just don’t speak to the referee unless you’re invited to, including the captain. And if you do, first time (and this is applied to a team not each player) its a penalty and every time after that its a sin bin. Problem solved.
Tony
Roar Guru
French guy?
souvalis
Roar Rookie
You watched today's review in its entirety and came away with that ?
Phil
Roar Rookie
The marching 10 was first done by an international ref (can't recall his name) and he got immediate results. A no nonsense approach needed to pull players into line. I would like to see it again.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
March them 10 to start. If they don't shut up go another 10. It used to be common. If it persists, tell your story walking sunshine. Honestly it would be worth the outrage from Phil Gould et al for a couple of weeks just to shut the players up.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
100%
GhostFacePilfer
Roar Rookie
3 easy steps to deal with abuse from players: 1) Referees should stop referring to players by their first name and start referring to them by the numbers on their backs. 2) All communication comes through the captain and vice-captain. 3) Penalise any backchat. Repeated backchat gets 10 in the bin. That should sort it out pretty quickly. And maybe if the on-air talent wasn't so vitriolic and hysterical in their commentary around refereeing decisions people might start treating it for what it is - which is a bad call in a game of footy - not the end of the world.