Contentious refereeing decisions.

[Frank Facer]

This weekend there were so many contentious refereeing decisions. I will give you all a brief list off the top of my head that I can recall.

Napa being penalised and sin binned for a head clash

Granville being for being offside in the dying moments and the ref gifting Souths victory.

Milford passing the ball backwards into Napa, when he wasn't even in the ruck and the ref penalising Napa

A Parra player passing the ball into a West player lying on the ground to get a ruck penalty.

DeBelin penalised for not getting to his feet to play the ball. He did get to his feet and the penalty usually would have gone to the team with the ball.

Frizell being penalised for not getting to his feet to play the ball

Woods being penalised for not playing the ball with his foot, when Canterbury probably should have received a penalty for Woods not being allowed to get up and play the ball at his first attempt. Cronulla scored off the next set.

The refs and touch judges missing Mbye being pulled back by Prior. It probably should have been a sin bin.

Lee receiving a penalty for losing the ball when trying to get up and play the ball.

There was an instance in the Saints Canberra game where I saw Canberra players standing blatantly offside right in front of the ref and the ball went to where they were. I could not believe that the refs didn't penalise them.

Melbourne throwing a forward pass from dummy half, that the refs and touch judges missed and then Jake Turbo gets penalised and sin binned from the same play.

The play the ball and ruck is such a contentious part of the game. I see so many penalties given for holding down in the play the ball and then others not given when player hold down for much longer.

I am sure that others could add many more examples to this weekend's contentious refereeing decisions. Referees can swing the balance of the game with their decisions or even decide the game.

 

[VodkaSaint]

Quick tap, team mate in front of you, Allowed to play on, Try

 

[Mickthedragon]

Makes it hard to pick a winner in my tipping. I know that much!

 

[Frank Facer]

View attachment 20183

Quick tap, team mate in front of you, Allowed to play on, Try

I am not a fan of the quick tap rule. I think that quick taps should definitely not be allowed within 20m of the opposition try line, instead of 10m out. I also think that if a player takes a quick tap, and one of their own players is in front of them, then it should be scrum with the feed going to the team who didn't take the quick tap.

 

[Mickthedragon]

Never noticed that above one when watching on tv but have seen that pulled up time and time again and you hear the refs saying 'no he's infront of you, mate' and they pull it back.
They must of all missed it cold.
But hey, Greenburg says #talkthegameup and at least we are winning more games.

 

[st shaneoh]

View attachment 20183

Quick tap, team mate in front of you, Allowed to play on, Try

Motherf#cker. I thought I was seeing things on fox cos commentator didn't mention it of all the blatant tries that get sent to video ref when they are clearly tries and the amount of quick taps that get called back this gets past.Referee is 1 metre away what was he looking at

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

This weekend there were so many contentious refereeing decisions. I will give you all a brief list off the top of my head that I can recall.

Napa being penalised and sin binned for a head clash

Granville being for being offside in the dying moments and the ref gifting Souths victory.

Milford passing the ball backwards into Napa, when he wasn't even in the ruck and the ref penalising Napa

A Parra player passing the ball into a West player lying on the ground to get a ruck penalty.

DeBelin penalised for not getting to his feet to play the ball. He did get to his feet and the penalty usually would have gone to the team with the ball.

Frizell being penalised for not getting to his feet to play the ball

Woods being penalised for not playing the ball with his foot, when Canterbury probably should have received a penalty for Woods not being allowed to get up and play the ball at his first attempt. Cronulla scored off the next set.

The refs and touch judges missing Mbye being pulled back by Prior. It probably should have been a sin bin.

Lee receiving a penalty for losing the ball when trying to get up and play the ball.

There was an instance in the Saints Canberra game where I saw Canberra players standing blatantly offside right in front of the ref and the ball went to where they were. I could not believe that the refs didn't penalise them.

Melbourne throwing a forward pass from dummy half, that the refs and touch judges missed and then Jake Turbo gets penalised and sin binned from the same play.

The play the ball and ruck is such a contentious part of the game. I see so many penalties given for holding down in the play the ball and then others not given when player hold down for much longer.

I am sure that others could add many more examples to this weekend's contentious refereeing decisions. Referees can swing the balance of the game with their decisions or even decide the game.

FF...... the game is being over refereed at present, yet..... they miss some big things and or make mistakes on simple plays.

I don’t like seeing any team ( except Storm) being ripped off. I like a fair game that the refs are seen but not heard.

Today’s refs are drama queens.

 

[jeffdragon]

We. Were penalised twice for play the ball .
It was jumped on early in the season but stopped until today.
Nighty got away with one ,last week Reynolds put his foot on it only and it was play on.
Refs can swing games with different interpretations.
They should not have put two junior refs in charge of our game last week.
I heard Ennis was commenting about players milking penalties not to be rewarded.
He was the biggest friggin culprit when playing.
Glad walkers mouth got him a shiner.
Korisau should be gone being third man in.

 

[Brutalitops]

There was nothing contentious about that Granville offside, and Granville knew it

 

[BennyV]

There was nothing contentious about that Granville offside, and Granville knew it

I would say about 50% of the decisions in the OP werent contentious.

 

[Dragon for life]

FF...... the game is being over refereed at present, yet..... they miss some big things and or make mistakes on simple plays.

I don’t like seeing any team ( except Storm) being ripped off. I like a fair game that the refs are seen but not heard.

Today’s refs are drama queens.

I blame Harrigan for the state of the current refereeing. For years he just let the game go on and everyone thought that this was better for the game. Melbourne then ruin the game with their wrestling and slowing down of the ruck and now look at where we are. The game is poorer for it ( watch a game from yesteryear and look at the difference). Now the refs are penalising for ruck infringements when if they didn’t allow this to happen in the first place they wouldn’t need to be policing this area and could concentrate on everything else that they need to control. We just want consistency FFS. If you penalise for holding down then be consistent about it not just when you feel like blowing your whistle. The game will suffer for a while but teams will have to adjust to suit.

 

[Lovemedragons]

Let's face it, the coaches have caused these problems, they coach to cheat for any possible advantage and Bellamy is the master at it and good luck to him. I also agree that Harrigan is also at the root of all the current referee woes including the 2 referee system which is an appalling blot on the game, and he helped Melbourne home in 99 so will never be forgiven anyway. Touch judges are not very good at picking up forward passes either, certainly a lot less capable than the video ref would be at it. Just rambling here, so frustrated with refereeing. Commentators piss me off too.

 

[Old Timer]

The quality of the refereeing and the players behaviour towards them is abysmal.
Far too much familiarity and questioning of decisions.
You ask your question (if it is deemed necessary that you ask it) you get your answer and then straight back to your position or off to the bin as I will only discuss it once. If I wave you away best you go immediately or in the bin. I will call players by their number and address captains as captain and if he is off before leaving I am to be advised who is the captain.
Players wondering off like brown's cows on their way to the bin is an absolute blight on the game and pure gamesmanship trying to get their team a breather.
I put you in the bin, there is the sideline or touch in goal and you take your exit immediately at the nearest point. None of this walking diagonally in a slow death march. Comply or you get an extra 5 in the bin.
If the ref is unsure about a try he asks the question "is there ANY reason I can not award this try" and the bunker then has access to all the play to make sure the correct decision is made.
Linesman should police the 10m and the bunker any 40 - 20's and the ref controls the ruck so therefore you only need 1 ref and that will at least stop the disparity of how 2 refs police it.
Re the 10m infringement (regardless of where it happens) I told you once, you did it a second time, 3rd time you are off to the bin and every subsequent infringement someone will be off to the bin.
Re free kicks or quick taps they can be taken anywhere except inside the opposition 10m and if a player interferes then in the bin.
Harsh punishment is needed to get all to comply and refs must be removed completely from any association with the players during the game.

 

[ozbuck]

There were as many incorrect plays, choices, errors, mistakes, and stuff ups by players as there were referees.

What's in common? People. That's the srama of it. At the end of the day it all goes both ways of the course of a year/years.

Just as many stupid ref decisions were made in the decades before... Technology (detailed, slow mo replays, etc) have just pumped our eyes with steroids so they become so much more apparent. The fact that there's minute scrutiny over every detail of every play in this unachievable desire for perfection just screws things up.

Gotta say it was better back when players just played the game hard and the refs did their best, and if there was any questionable calls nobody knew for sure what actually happened because they had no full hd frame by frame replay to show it.

And don't get me started over the milking of penalities that has started over the last 15 years. Spirit of the game my ass

 

[2010]

One thing I have noticed is the number of trys being referred to the Bunker and they overturn the referees decision. I would like to know the stats on that.
Especially when the referees says no try and the bunker awards it.
We live in a digital age and everything can be seen down to milli seconds.

 

[Lovemedragons]

There were as many incorrect plays, choices, errors, mistakes, and stuff ups by players as there were referees.

What's in common? People. That's the srama of it. At the end of the day it all goes both ways of the course of a year/years.

Just as many stupid ref decisions were made in the decades before... Technology (detailed, slow mo replays, etc) have just pumped our eyes with steroids so they become so much more apparent. The fact that there's minute scrutiny over every detail of every play in this unachievable desire for perfection just screws things up.

Gotta say it was better back when players just played the game hard and the refs did their best, and if there was any questionable calls nobody knew for sure what actually happened because they had no full hd frame by frame replay to show it.

And don't get me started over the milking of penalities that has started over the last 15 years. Spirit of the game my ass

you cant ignore the available technology, if the NRL did they would be lambasted and rightly so.

 

[Lovemedragons]

The quality of the refereeing and the players behaviour towards them is abysmal.
Far too much familiarity and questioning of decisions.
You ask your question (if it is deemed necessary that you ask it) you get your answer and then straight back to your position or off to the bin as I will only discuss it once. If I wave you away best you go immediately or in the bin. I will call players by their number and address captains as captain and if he is off before leaving I am to be advised who is the captain.
Players wondering off like brown's cows on their way to the bin is an absolute blight on the game and pure gamesmanship trying to get their team a breather.
I put you in the bin, there is the sideline or touch in goal and you take your exit immediately at the nearest point. None of this walking diagonally in a slow death march. Comply or you get an extra 5 in the bin.
If the ref is unsure about a try he asks the question "is there ANY reason I can not award this try" and the bunker then has access to all the play to make sure the correct decision is made.
Linesman should police the 10m and the bunker any 40 - 20's and the ref controls the ruck so therefore you only need 1 ref and that will at least stop the disparity of how 2 refs police it.
Re the 10m infringement (regardless of where it happens) I told you once, you did it a second time, 3rd time you are off to the bin and every subsequent infringement someone will be off to the bin.
Re free kicks or quick taps they can be taken anywhere except inside the opposition 10m and if a player interferes then in the bin.
Harsh punishment is needed to get all to comply and refs must be removed completely from any association with the players during the game.

100% agree, particularly about the attitude of some players.
If they don't fix this 10 minute walk off once theyre sin binned very soon it will become a big issue - shows absolutely no respect for anyone at the game and is only done to delay and cheat. As Andrew Voss has suggested, add the time it takes them to leave the field to their 10 minute sin bin, that will get them off quick I bet.

 

[ozbuck]

you cant ignore the available technology, if the NRL did they would be lambasted and rightly so.

I agree the NRL would be lambasted if they didnt use it.

However, it doesn't mean the game has improved in terms of the flow of refereeing and players just getting on with it when a penalty is blown. Technology isn't all that its cracked up to be sometimes... and what I mean is that the NRL isnt using technology, technology is using the NRL. It's getting in the way. TBH, I'm not exactly sure how and when it should be used... perhaps all on field ref decisions stand but each team gets 2 contesting choices they can use... the sorta idea they have in the cricket.

It's ironic too, probably a lot of the people who would lombast the NRL if they didn't use technology at all also complain when the video ref gets used too much, frame by frame replays show a decision in general play was incorrect, etc.

The question i ask in my mind is; does it feel like refereeing and people's attitude to refereeing has improved or become worse ever since technology has crept more and more into the game?

Rugby and AFL don't have anywhere near the week in, week out ref chaos that the NRL has. Something to ponder.

 

[Lovemedragons]

I agree the NRL would be lambasted if they didnt use it.

However, it doesn't mean the game has improved in terms of the flow of refereeing and players just getting on with it when a penalty is blown. Technology isn't all that its cracked up to be sometimes... and what I mean is that the NRL isnt using technology, technology is using the NRL. It's getting in the way. TBH, I'm not exactly sure how and when it should be used... perhaps all on field ref decisions stand but each team gets 2 contesting choices they can use... the sorta idea they have in the cricket.

It's ironic too, probably a lot of the people who would lombast the NRL if they didn't use technology at all also complain when the video ref gets used too much, frame by frame replays show a decision in general play was incorrect, etc.

The question i ask in my mind is; does it feel like refereeing and people's attitude to refereeing has improved or become worse ever since technology has crept more and more into the game?

Rugby and AFL don't have anywhere near the week in, week out ref chaos that the NRL has. Something to ponder.

i agree they use it poorly and I also cannot understand why they don't go with the idea of a captain's challenge (1 per half) as in cricket and leave it at that.

if there is no referee mistake on the call then the captain is wrong and they lose the challenge , if they are right then the right decision is made and they keep their challenge. If they did this then they put the onus back on the players, the ones who are meant to be the ones who decide the winners and losers. I would rather blame my own captain for a judgement error than the referee.

 

[Bests Golden Boots]

What about BJ stealing the ball from Nene after Nene went to his knees and got up and was going to play the ball, how long, and how many goes do you get at trying to steal a ball?

There’s no getting around it, two refs have made things worse.

Don’t get me started about the use of the videos for dead set tries or how tries, I’m sure due to the KFC sponsorship they are told it has to be used a certain amount of times each game.