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NRL ref Bill Harrigan sacked as video referee after Gasnier try blunder

Parra Guru

Coach
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14,645
NRL ASSISTANT referees coach Bill Harrigan has been dropped as a video referee until further notice following his controversial and incorrect ruling in St George Illawarra's Monday night win over Manly.
Referees boss Robert Finch said a review of the match on Tuesday confirmed that Dragons centre Mark Gasnier should not have been awarded his try in 30th minute of the 32-10 victory because he clearly lost the ball.
After the review, the vastly-experienced Harrigan conceded he'd made a mistake and should be accountable and Finch dropped him from video refereeing duties until further notice.
"We expect people to be accountable and Robert Finch should expect that of me," Harrigan said.
Finch said the decision to drop one of the game's most experienced officials should be a wake-up call for all officials.
"That was a very senior team [of match offcials] and we would expect a higher standard of performance all-round," he said.

"Like any squad of people there are times when you can suffer a drop in form but it isn't something that we can continue to accept and certainly not at this time of year.
"I've already acknowledged that some of the squad are not performing at the standard that I know they can reach.
"We have been working on that with them but we can only maintain that approach for so long.
"We do have people in the wider squad that are in form and who have a lot to offer and the message is very clearly that the focus now will be on form and not reputation in the weeks ahead.
"People are always going to argue about refereeing decisions at this time of year whether the referee is right or wrong and everyone has to accept that mistakes will happen from time to time.
"I can live with the criticism if we are performing to our best but we need to be able to look at ourselves honestly and say that we are doing the best we can.
"There is no doubt that at the moment we can improve things and no doubt about the commitment this group has to getting the best possible result.'

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...nier-try-blunder/story-e6frexnr-1225906275338

So what about Hampstead call last week at skilled park then? Gasnier had about as much control as Minichiello did....
 

Suitman

Post Whore
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55,320
Worst decision I've seen period. How on earth he saw a try in that is beyond me.

I've seen worse. Last season's disallowed try by the Bulldogs against St George at Kogarah that cost them the match. That was f**king disgraceful.

Suity
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,662
Sacked permanently or just for 1 game?

Harrigan is a ridiculously awful referee. He never administers the rules of the game, he administers his OWN rules - and oftens allows calls in order to make the game 'more exciting'.

I never liked him as a ref - most overrated EVER. I like him even less as a video ref, particularly because he never followed the letter of the law as an on-field ref - so he is about the least qualified ref EVER to get in to the box!
 

TheParraboy

Moderator
Staff member
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66,996
Sending all those Parra players to the sin bin vs Newcastle that still has me shaking my head every time I hear the name Bill Harrigan. I think Bob Fulton was onto something with cement trucks
 

Parra Guru

Coach
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14,645
Actually I would argue that the incident where Ben Pomeroy was being held and then Gibbs ran in late and basically toppled them all over the line to make Pomeroy score.... and instead Pomeroy was penalised is the worst call of 2010, and one of the worst I have seen. That should have won the game for the Sharks.
 

Suitman

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55,320
Actually I would argue that the incident where Ben Pomeroy was being held and then Gibbs ran in late and basically toppled them all over the line to make Pomeroy score.... and instead Pomeroy was penalised is the worst call of 2010, and one of the worst I have seen. That should have won the game for the Sharks.

Yep. That was very sh*te as well.

Suity
 

Gazzamatta

Coach
Messages
15,234
I heard Harrigan trying to convince everyone he was correct and now he admits he made a mistake.
Pure arrogance. Cant stand him and refuse to listen to Talkin Sport when he is on. He is a blight on the game and a know all fancy pants who is way to full of himself.
BUT
What annoys me even more is the fact that Manly conplain and the guy is dropped. Not sure that would have happened with any other team complaint.
Could it be Im still annoyed those bas****d stole Ray Higgs from the Mighty Eels all those years ago or started the death march for the once Mighty Western Suburbs Magpies by descimating their playing ranks.
Dunno really but gee it annoys me.
 

strider

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78,832
token sacking to make it look like they are actually doing something - billy will probably end up sunning it up on the far north coast sometime over teh next few weeks
 

The Omen

Juniors
Messages
56
why is it a Ref can be standing there for some of these calls (granted not this one) and then they call for the Video Ref who has all the tools at hand to make the correct call and they still mess it up or my persoanl fav when a Ref is there and call should be made that the Video Ref turns the call back to REFS CALL only to have the call made by the guy in the pink shirt on the field ... :?
 

mrpwnd

Bench
Messages
2,640
Worst call was Hayne's disallowed try in origin 1 last year. Took way too long particular for a game as intense as origin, can't be wasting away player's momentum with pathetically long verdicts.
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,662
token sacking to make it look like they are actually doing something - billy will probably end up sunning it up on the far north coast sometime over teh next few weeks

Is he the only video ref to have been sacked this year?

If so, that would make him the worst (if not, then in the bottom 2 or 3 I guess). So in THEORY he wouldn't be doing the finals because there are better video referees available.

If he's on deck for a finals match it clearly means that the sacking was a PR move for the Moanly fans...
 

hineyrulz

Post Whore
Messages
150,890
That try against the Rooster's where Folau dropped the 2 metres forwards was the worst i have seen this season, Gasniers was a close second.
 

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