Two referees for NRL matches

[El Diablo]

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24642529-5001023,00.html?id=

Two referees for NRL matches
Article from: The Daily Telegraph

Exclusive by Paul Kent, Chief Sports Writer

November 13, 2008 12:00am

TWO referees on the field at the same time is the NRL's best chance to attack grapple tackles and other illegal wrestling holds that have blighted the game in recent years.

The shock change, set to be introduced next season, will also lead to better decision-making and more consistent rulings.

The move to two referees will be one of the most significant changes in the game's 100-year history.

The two referee system will be the major topic at today's NRL football conference, where the coaches and players will be given the opportunity to air their opinions.

Provided support is reached the change will be discussed again at the chief executives conference in a fortnight before going to the NRL board for approval.

Only a strong backlash from clubs and coaches can prevent the rule from being adopted but the chances of that happening are extremely unlikely.

Driving the change is referees boss Robert Finch.

Finch has been working on a steering committee with the game's former No. 1 whistleblower Bill Harrigan and first-grade coaches Ricky Stuart and Matt Elliott.

After years of being trialled in lower grades the NRL believes it is time to implement it in the premiership.

It begins today when its coaches and players assemble at Mascot for the NRL football conference, where the new system will get its first airing.

Finch is aware it is a watershed moment in the game.

"I think so, yes," he said, before adding the time had come.

"All the stats we have got about it are extremely positive," he said.

"We are one of the only sports in the world running around with one referee."

Finch said the impact of a second referee lessened the physical stress refs were under, with figures showing their heart rates above 175 beats per minute for almost two-thirds of the game.

They average about 7.6km a game, most of which is done at high intensity running. Less stress equals better decision making.

A referee who is better equipped to focus on the ruck will also allow grapple tackles and illegal wrestling holds to be better monitored.

One of the agendas today will be about finding ways to eliminate the grapple and wrestling holds, with the two referees considered a sure winner.

NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley agrees the time is right to implement the change.

"We have talked about it for 10 years so the time has come," he said.

One referee will control play while the other will sit in the pocket behind the attacking team's ruck. They can swap at breakdowns.

While the change needs to be ratified by the NRL board before being made official, Finch is pushing for tacit approval so that referees can begin preparing when they start pre-season training next week.

"We need to know whether it's yea or nay because we need to start doing some work on it," he said.

"We need to work on the positioning side of things, the verballing and the team work, who is in charge.

"All those issues we need to really break down and drill between now and the start of the competition."

While the change will have major, widespread implications on rugby league, only the NRL board needs to approve the change for it to be introduced to the NRL.

The change comes under the jurisdiction of a change to convention, not a change to the rules.

Whether other leagues such as the English Super League and junior football eventually adopt the change is uncertain, but it is eventually likely.

The steering committee was responsible for the two-referee trial in the later rounds of this year's under-20s competition, which reinforced support for the innovation.

Data revealed last year showed referees ran enormous distances in each game, and often at a heart rate comparable to triathletes.

They were then required to make critical decisions on top of that, stunning NRL coaches with their workload. The two referees lightens the stress considerably.

"They travel as many yards, probably a bit more, but their heart rates are massively lower," Finch said.

This was crucial to accurate decision making, he said.

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24642663-5016307,00.html

NRL's two referee move long overdue

By Andrew Johns | November 13, 2008 12:00am

ANYTHING that helps take the pressure off the man in the middle is a good move.

Two referees were trialled in Toyota Cup this year and I watched a few games, specifically to see how it was handled.

As an old halfback watching on, my worry was that the second referee would get in the way, but after seeing how they handled it I am convinced. Being a halfback you are reading numbers and looking for opportunities all the time and the last thing you want to see is a referee in your way.

The way the second referee positioned himself behind the attacking team, behind the ruck, caused no interference at all.

The referee stayed there and when the collision occurred he moved forward three or four metres and watched over the tackle and talked the tackle out.

One of the big benefits was that it really cleaned up the ruck.

This year all we have seemed to talk about was the ruck and the wrestle and the speed at the play-the-ball and not a lot of viable solutions were offered.

This will help there.

Another benefit is it will address the fatigue factor which we don't really take into account when we watch the referee's performance.

I remember I sometimes used to walk to a scrum and the referee would be next to me blowing a gale.

I'd sometimes joke to him about it. "You make three in a row or something?"

It wasn't until talking to Robert Finch, the referees boss, that I realised firstly how hard they are worked and, secondly, how hard they have to work.

Figures showing they pulse 175 beats a minute for two-thirds of a game are staggering.

And speaking to Finchy, I know they are flogged at training, so it's not as if they are unfit.

When I sit in the stands now I often see a player go left when he should have gone right, or make another poor decision, and you sort of throw your hands in the air and say, Why'd you do that?

What you don't understand is the fatigue element. That's when the dumbest errors are made.

It's only common sense that referees are no different.

And along with that they've always got someone barking in their ear.

They're having to judge the tackle and call dominant or tell the tackler to get off while watching for illegal holds and then patrol the defensive line as well.

There is so much going on in each tackle, and this happens a couple of hundred times a game.

Certainly, the issue of grapple tackles, chicken wings, rolling pins and the like will be better policed.

Hopefully two referees will lessen the fatigue and clear up decision making for the referee.

All round, a good move.

 

[Hanscholo]

I must have been watching a different game to the one Robert Finch has been watching. I really dont see how 'grapple' tackles are even slightly a problem in the game, sure occasionaly an arm moves up around the neck, it always has, and always will.

The game already has 4 referees. To say anything else is complete garbage. Two guys standing watching the action with not much to do other than keep an eye on things, one guy keeping the ten and checking the tackles and another guy watching the f**king game on TV. Just how is it that we need another referee to get things right? The more officials they toss into the mix the more the game slows down.

This will be another robert finch debarcle. The sooner this merkin f**ks off the sooner we can get back to some decent football. I find it so ironic, that Finch sites wrestling and grapples as the reason for the change. It shows just how poor his self assessment is. In 20 years time, when people look back at this period of league and the tactical side of it is discussed, Finch and his introduction of dominant tackles into the game will be the number one point as to why the game turned negative, and why sides started to work overtime on controlling a tackled players movement.

If you really want to improve rugby league robert finch, walk away mate. Its the best possible outcome.

 

[The Gambler]

Providing it doesn't slow the game down (god help us if it does) I can live with a trial.

It better assist in cutting down on incorrect decisions.

 

[Slackboy72]

People complained when aussie rules introduced multiple umpires but it just allowed the game to become a faster and better spectacle.
The main problem with league is the predominance in teams tactics to win the ruck ahead of playing attacking football with flair and intelligence. Hence we get grapples and chicken wings and other filthy moves designed to stifle attack and slow down the game.
I think it's a good thing if league cleans up the ruck and the best way to do it is with a second ref controlling the ruck.

This has already been trialled and it worked a treat.

 

[nadera78]

The NRL is not rugby league, the game is much bigger than one competition in one country. If you want to play your own sport then fine, go and set up on your own, but stop f*cking around with the rules of RUGBY LEAGUE without the consent of anyone else.

You'll be introducing helmets and forward passes soon.

 

[Jimmy The Judge]

As a Pom who gets to see 3 or 4 full NRL games per week I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works. It has the potential to make a great game even greater.

My initial concerns are:

- will the trial be giving a long enough chance to work ? There is certain to be a large increase in the number of pens awarded until the players adapt and we have to factor that in before abandoning the trial claiming it creates too many penalties

- is there enough good enough refs to go round ? Surely the vast majority of touchies aren't up to the job as they don't have the balls to make a decision when they have a flag in their hand. Where will the extra refs come from ?

If I were the NRL I'd make French referee Thiery Alibert a decent offer to move down under. Very promising ref who gets a ridiculously small number of oportunities in ESL.

 

[adamkungl]

I must have been watching a different game to the one Robert Finch has been watching. I really dont see how 'grapple' tackles are even slightly a problem in the game, sure occasionaly an arm moves up around the neck, it always has, and always will.

The game already has 4 referees. To say anything else is complete garbage. Two guys standing watching the action with not much to do other than keep an eye on things, one guy keeping the ten and checking the tackles and another guy watching the f**king game on TV. Just how is it that we need another referee to get things right? The more officials they toss into the mix the more the game slows down.

This will be another robert finch debarcle. The sooner this merkin f**ks off the sooner we can get back to some decent football. I find it so ironic, that Finch sites wrestling and grapples as the reason for the change. It shows just how poor his self assessment is. In 20 years time, when people look back at this period of league and the tactical side of it is discussed, Finch and his introduction of dominant tackles into the game will be the number one point as to why the game turned negative, and why sides started to work overtime on controlling a tackled players movement.

If you really want to improve rugby league robert finch, walk away mate. Its the best possible outcome.

Exactly. Last thing we need is more incompetent officials to get things wrong. As it stands we have one dickhead in the middle who can't get it right, 2 on the sideline who, as far as I can tell, don't do ANYTHING, except call back the occasional not-forward pass. When something happens near the sideline 30 cm in front of them, its straight to the f**king video. And guess what, the bloke watching 15 replays dragging them game out still gets it bloody wrong! I don't see why we need to add to the wrongness.

 

[joshreading]

I can hardly believe the vitriol from some against this. It IS NOT a proposal to change any rules, just adding a ref on field to help with those rules. It is not fair on the ref's as it stands. Two refs will likely also help with reducing dependancy on the video ref.

 

[Shorty]

I see nothing wrong with this and think it would work to improve the game.

 

[Mr Angry]

I would be willing to give it a go.

 

[S.S.T.I.D]

I can't think of a negative. It's about time.

 

[Brownie.Kougari]

](*,)

 

[The Colonel]

The NRL is not rugby league, the game is much bigger than one competition in one country. If you want to play your own sport then fine, go and set up on your own, but stop f*cking around with the rules of RUGBY LEAGUE without the consent of anyone else.

You'll be introducing helmets and forward passes soon.

What rules have they changed? They are talking about using a second referee to police the rules that already exist.

Most of the people in here complaining about them using two refs will be the same people complaining about the standard of refereeing, the over use of the video referee and why the NRL doesn't crack down on illegal tackles and wrestling in the ruck.

Positive move IMO that should take away the ruck contest and open the game up a bit more.

 

[ByRd]

I think its a positive move as long as this means the video Ref is used alot less, i doubt that

 

[Pierced Soul]

i think it's positive cos each ref can go out there and watch one particular area instead of trying to police everything.

we all know that the only thing touchies are there to do is mark where the ball went out of play

 

[The Colonel]

i think it's positive cos each ref can go out there and watch one particular area instead of trying to police everything.

we all know that the only thing touchies are there to do is mark where the ball went out of play

There are three things a touchie does.

* Gets on TV at least once a week for a "forward" pass or for seeing something in a tackle that no one else did from the opposite side of the park.

* Raises the flag or waves off a penlaty or conversion

* Marks where the ball goes out.

 

[El Diablo]

i wonder if Bellamy will object to this?

could be the end of him

 

[dubby]

This is not what the game needs.

Think about it: 2 touchies
1 ref
1 Video Ref

...........and they still cant get it right.

Another ref wont help at all. All it will do is lead to a game that resembles the NFL with more stoppages and constant interaction among officials.

What changes are needed?

Reduce the 10
Limit the VR involvement
Have the balls to make a decision and not be lambasted over it by your boss would help
Crack down on illegal tactics
Notify all clubs and media/fans of the areas the refs will be focussing on. Dont introduce anything in the mid-season, dont start something with a vengeance then taper off on it (unless its really bad)and above all:

BE BLOODY CONSISTENT.

we want the same level of consistency all year. That is what frustrates us most.

Oh, and dont let the coaches dictate the way the game will be played and the rules. The refs should do that.

 

[The Dodger]

the touchies are the ones that are farked.
they dont call nothing.
they are the ones that should the be refs thrid eye.

the video ref doesnt even come into the equation unless asked by the ref.

having two refs will be a positive i believe.
if this is a success, could this mean the end for the video ref?