What I witnessed today was a disgrace

[miguel de cervantes]

Here are the three major refereeing blunders:

Cronk knock on + Tate baskball try
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEd4fp9 ... r_embedded

Cronk knock-on really is clear, the video ref should definitely not miss it. The Tate try would be awarded probably 1/20 times, and even then it is a poor ruling. In any case, why straight to a try without benefit of the doubt?

Sidenote: Watch for the Slater dive in the Lockyer try...

Lewis foward pass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74GM03rWixI&NR=1

Tony Archer is not only perfectly placed to see the foward pass, but clearly watches it as well. The touchie is also well placed. It's just astounding.

The french commentators successfully picked up and bemusedly questioned all three wrong decisions by the refs. Why couldn't the video ref? It's like the bloke was still half asleep or just not trying.

 

[JasonE]

46th minute. James Child (English TJ) was on the near touchline in the first half and is seen to wave away the "try" awarded to Brent Tate after Archer ignored him so I reckon he was on the far touchline when Lewis passed the ball forward about six feet away from Archer.

38th minute.
Billy Slater knocks on, Archer says play on.
Worst decision in the game.

 

[Evil Homer]

Here are the three major refereeing blunders:

Cronk knock on + Tate baskball try
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEd4fp9 ... r_embedded

Cronk knock-on really is clear, the video ref should definitely not miss it. The Tate try would be awarded probably 1/20 times, and even then it is a poor ruling. In any case, why straight to a try without benefit of the doubt?

Sidenote: Watch for the Slater dive in the Lockyer try...

Lewis foward pass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74GM03rWixI&NR=1

Tony Archer is not only perfectly placed to see the foward pass, but clearly watches it as well. The touchie is also well placed. It's just astounding.

The french commentators successfully picked up and bemusedly questioned all three wrong decisions by the refs. Why couldn't the video ref? It's like the bloke was still half asleep or just not trying.

That's the first time I've watched these, and they are absolutely unbelievable. How can any Australians honestly feel pride in their national team?

 

[Joker's Wild]

lol excuses galore

So you're saying we're going to lose the next 2 games then?

I thought that was fairly obvious, even with our 2nd string side

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Wow ok then...I guess time will reveal it all...

 

[Geordie]

Sucks eh. To be on the receiving end of bad officiating.

England did it to Australia for at least 60 years on English soil. Even cost us the Ashes in the 20's when the ref even admitted he couldn't award a try to Joe 'Chimpy' Busch, which would have won the series for Australia.

His reason, as he said to the Australian Players after he disallowed the try "Fellas, I've gotta live here, you don't"

My point - dodgy refereeing has been part and parcel of the game since it's inception. If you have to rely on a referee to win a game of footy then you clearly aren't going to be good enough.

Yes, Australia got a heap of bad calls they shouldn't have, I'm not denying that, but in all honesty, even if those calls were called properly, England still would have lost.

You could have thrown in Darcy Lawler from the 1958 Ashes Tests in Oz. He gave the Aussies everything in the first test which they won and GB evened it up in the second test (Prescotts broken arm test). After that match the Aussie President, Jersey Flegg, told Tom Mitchell the GB Manager that Lawler would be the ref for the final test. Mitchell told him if that was the case then the GB team would not be there. Flegg came back and told Mitchell that Jack Casey would ref the match and GB won. Later Lawler made a full confession in the Aussie Press under the headline, "I confess, I cheated" allegedly collecting £50,000 (the equivalent of about £600,000 today).

In those days they didn't have the benefit of video recordings that are instantly viewable so it would probably be easier to be "swayed" but nowadays there is no excuse for what happened in this latest match other than total incompetence or biased decision making and I suppose only Archer and Clark can really answer that one.

 

[mrpwnd]

That's the first time I've watched these, and they are absolutely unbelievable. How can any Australians honestly feel pride in their national team?

We don't.
Most of us go for the other teams because it's more exciting that way...Australia's such a boring team to watch especially this year.

 

[newman]

Why couldnt there have been a NZ ref? You know, neutral officiating and all that?

Australia gets home ground and referee advantage. That doesnt happen in most other international sports.

 

[shane87]

I hung my head in shame at the appalling referring in this farce of a game.
Totally disgusted and agree with every word the op posted.

I'm truly passionate about my league and have played club footy since I was 6, but this crap just blew me away.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

I hung my head in shame at the appalling referring in this farce of a game.
Totally disgusted and agree with every word the op posted.

I'm truly passionate about my league and have played club footy since I was 6, but this crap just blew me away.

The thing that worries me more than the actual decisions is the fact that so many people on here including many Australians lament what happened, but you wonder whether that sentiment ever gets back to the people in charge so that they actually do something to stop it happening again. This goes for so many issues in game, notably international eligibility, and it is a real shame that the game is not run more like a democracy of sorts, by the fans for the fans, with forums such as this one acting as a mouthpiece for the most important stakeholders in the game.

 

[Joker's Wild]

We don't.
Most of us go for the other teams because it's more exciting that way...Australia's such a boring team to watch especially this year.

Speak for yourself douchebag

 

[shane87]

The thing that worries me more than the actual decisions is the fact that so many people on here including many Australians lament what happened, but you wonder whether that sentiment ever gets back to the people in charge so that they actually do something to stop it happening again. This goes for so many issues in game, notably international eligibility, and it is a real shame that the game is not run more like a democracy of sorts, by the fans for the fans, with forums such as this one acting as a mouthpiece for the most important stakeholders in the game.

Mate, we watched down the pub, I've never seen a bunch of guys watch a game so quietly. When it was over we downed our beers and walked home, it took about 10 min for the silence to break.

One guy said 'yup, yup. Another guy answered and said 'uh huh.' and that was all we had to say about that game.

I agree it would be good if the powers that be read here and took note!!

 

[Joker's Wild]

Wow ok then...I guess time will reveal it all...

Time is very telling aye mate, 2nd string side and all

Guess next Saturday cant come soon enough for you now

 

[roughyedspud]

Why couldnt there have been a NZ ref? You know, neutral officiating and all that?.

cos the ARL won't allow it......