Bunker blokes take the ‘might is right’ stance:
I think the problem is the broadcasters who continually play back ref decisions to look for or highlight a possible error. If we look hard enough, we could probably find a reason to disallow most tries.
57 eyes makes the bunker all powerful…power can corrupt so maybe it is meant to be blown up after all. Have you watched the grimacing faces of the on field referees throughout games? They will shake their heads and put a hand over their ears. They will put their heads to the side and frown and you know they are about to give a signal that the bunker bloke demands yet another stoppage, as he thinks he spots something not quite right out there on the pitch. Rewind, slow mo, fast forward, rewind, slow forward, again and then again and yep AGAIN, until a decision is made by Bunker bloke or a referee decision is overturned because super slow mo caught a maybe tiny something… that something isn’t always meaningful in relation to this NRL rule ‘book’…perhaps ‘hefty, unwieldy tome’ is a better description…just add a new chapter for every season and scribble out those rules which have been made redundant. Oh it’s a tricky dicky thing this bunker with its BB acting like the
Wizard of Oz.
My love of the great game has me mourning the steady erosion of it.
If you look at the two incidents highlighted here, it would appear that the serial successful clubs get the rub of the green pretty often. I was shocked that Tedesco didn’t get binned or suspended for his blatant trip, it was not an accidental clip when wrong footed. Schneider’s ankle tap on a support player in the clear was similar, deserving of a sin bin. I’m a Penrith fan and admit it used to go our way against the strugglers, so it’s not bias against the Roosters or Storm or Broncos.
Refs have a subconscious bias in that top teams don’t need to cheat because they’re superior, not always so.
It doesn’t change the result . Penrith win, But Schneider goes to the bin every other time that’s ever happened.
The tackle ??? On the air was absolutely a penalty . Most times just a penalty , very occasionally a sin bin but usually much more contact is required .
That’s the difference , one is automatic in the bin , the other usually not.
Penrith win anyway so it’s not about the result.
What’s right with the game? It’s still resembling Rugby League.
What’s wrong with the game?
The bunker is pretty wrong.
Can the bunker get it right? Sometimes. Can the referee get it right? Sometimes.
Can the bunker and the referee work together to get it right? Sometimes.
The all-seeing bunker bloke has taken much of the power of adjudication from the on-field referee. The ref can’t even call a try without the bunker confirming it. Some tries come with multiple replays from the bunker. Some tries come with zero replays from the bunker and it is confirmed. In another game on a different day at a different stadium that confirmed try is called no try or visa versa. It’s becoming farcical. I won’t go into the ‘stop the game illegal tackle!’ – on report, sin bin/send off, charged, found guilty, fined/suspended, match review committee misses and hits and judiciary misses and hits. What’s good and right for one bloke from one team is not good and right for another bloke from another team Ex players on the judiciary seems wrong… ex players as referees and bunker officials seems a bit wrong too.
No …I give up. I’m waving the white flag. I surrender. I’m past believing in the NRL and it’s six again, bunker infested nest of vipers. Loved the game, love my team.
If we’ve got a game where momentum is so important that every micro decision has to be 100% correct or it has a huge impact on the result, then there’s other bigger problems than this.
ABC Grandstand radio is now my go to. I’m not putting on the box for the foreseeable future because personally I don’t like watching the game anymore. It’s become quite unbearable for me at times. After all this whining from me, sometimes a great game is still to be found amongst the rabble and confusion. I'd hate to miss that one great game but I’m in protest mode for a while. My editing is poor – apologies.
I can’t find my spectacles.
But you know, no matter how many times we go at it, we go round and round in a circle like a waltz from the jolly old days when boys would be sent off to war and come back without any legs.
We want extra officiating and then when it all goes wrong, we want freedom and no officiating at all.
It happened in the time of Covid, where we wanted some government instruction, instead what we got was lock downs and vaccine mandates.
Hang on, how did we get from some so-called smart people trying to help to a bunch of authoritarian clowns running the show? it's the bloody long way round on a finite road to destruction.
But its the same with VAR in Soccer. Anyone else see the Nottingham Forrest owner actually call the guy who was doing VAR in his game a cheat and accuse him of being a Luton Town plant. Luton Town and fighting Nottingham Forrest in the relegation battle in English Premier League.
Now it is all litigation and lawyers at 5 paces, but it shouldn't get to that.
We are actually trying to fix a problem, but we are CAUSING a bigger problem.
We’re also artificially taking momentum away from teams by stopping the game for a few minutes for a 50/50 or a props challenge or a strategic challenge…
If getting the correct decision on every play was the most important thing we’d stop after every tackle and have it reviewed to ensure there were no illegalities and the right team has the ball
But of course it’s not – it would be unwatchable – there’s a balance between that and letting the game naturally flow
Just as interesting facts. Which two teams have conceded the most penalties against them on average this season? West’s & Penrith.
Who hadn’t offered a single line break or line break assist, when Cleary has been out of the side this season? Jarome Luai .
With the first fact , if everyone was against them ,from most comments that a certain South’s supporter likes to put forward. You’d think that South’s were the most penalised team.
My dear Grand Ma Ruth, who lived till 90 and who fell pregnant out of wed lock at the age of 16 in 1928 told me before I died, "Son, don't try and solve a problem by creating a bigger one!"
My Gran was Fit too.
And that is what the Bunker is NOW!
The game thrived without the bunker for 100 years. Teams copped incorrect decisions and got on with it. I’m not saying scrap it any more than you’re saying review everything, but I think these whole refs decide games is hugely overblown…
The only way to fix the Bunker is with a sledgehammer.
