Bill Harringan and Sean Hamstead on Matty Johns

[The Indian]

This is a little disingenuous by Bill Harrigan. He practically invented the "turn the other cheek" mentality and would let the game flow if its just a small error, an attitude that is so prevalent now.
Remember in his games Bill used to give very few penalties ( unless Manly or Toovey was playing ) and was proud of it. He will argue he was able to still control a game anyway ( this is debateable ) BUT subsequent referees who try and copy this "near enough is good enough" approach to the minor rules clearly cant. You started this ball rolling Bill. Don't throw them under the bus now.

 

[Duff]

Bill's absolutely correct in what he was saying.
It's pretty poor though that he's had his time as both a ref and a ref's boss and never managed to walk to match his talk.

Going back to him is not the answer but getting someone who'll put his ideas into action is.

 

[Ryan]

Call me old fashioned, but I'd like:

X 5 minute sin bin brought back for lesser offence's (like fights)
X 1 referee to run the game
X Shoulder charge below the opponent neck is acceptable again
X If someone throws a punch - 5 minutes - (not weeks) - worse depending on the act (whether it was dirty etc)
X If you have a scrum, make it mean something - alternatively - tap it
X IMPORTANT: MUCH better long serving player allowances, and much more incentive for players to remain at one club
X Player draft, as well as Restricted Free Agent contracts (keeping the young players at one club if possible).
X Salary cap dispensation for long term injured players.

We need to toughen the game back up. We need to even the playing field on and off the park (which IS being addressed with off field salary caps). Bring back tribalism. Bring back community. The player shuffling kills the love of the sport for me.

Not sure what positive changes Greenburg has introduced? The game is dying numbers wise both at the grounds, and on TV, and that worries me.

/rant. Hehehe

 

[Lord Eagleton]

Refs will end up deciding a semi or GF imo

It happened. Roosters (& Shayne Hayne) against Manly in 2013

 

[TokyoEagle]

He also said the two refs had to go. Back to only one ref a game and I agree. Can't stand the two refs, you get two totally different interpretations during the game. Its the worst it has been since I have been watching footy - over 30 years!

The forward passes leading to tries is killing me. What is it with manly and refs letting opposition get away with massive forward passes that lead to tries and win games. The Warriors on weekend, tigers 2 weeks ago which cost us the match, the GF in 2013 - will never get over that!

Parramatta push the boundaries constantly, especially offside and get away with it.

I think our play the balls are rubbish to be honest, but we certainly get some rough calls. Its an absolute lottery these days. Refs will end up deciding a semi or GF imo

Did anyone else hear the refs comment about not being able to call the offsides every tackle on the coverage on the weekend? What was it that they said exactly?

 

[nightster]

Not sure if the following article has been posted here before but Harrigan makes a lot of sense.

https://www.triplem.com.au/sport/nr...bill-harrigan?station=sydney&geoRedirect=true

Tony Archer Must Go, Writes Bill Harrigan
Bill Harrigan 27/07/2017

...The ‘Play The Ball’ has deteriorated into a joke. Less than 50% of PTB’s have a foot touch the ball or even go through the motion. Players play the ball facing side ways, they move off the mark and not to mention the amount of markers pushing the ball carrier over after he has played the ball. All go unpunished.

Player’s offside at kick offs and line dropouts.

Line dropouts are kicked in the field of play not behind the line.

Penalties are taken sometimes 3 metres in front of the mark.

Scrums are no longer bound. Back rowers stand resting their hands on the player in front of them watching the halfback. We know scrums will never go back to being a contest but surely we can make them look like a scrum.

Blockers on kick chasers. When did this become legal?

Players walk out ten metres from the try line as a conversion is kicked. The rule says they remain behind the line until the conversion is kicked.

Then we had the rhetoric at the beginning of the season. If a team continually gives penalties away close to the try line players will be sin binned. Anyone see that happening?

I could go on and on and some may say these are small things in the big picture. No they are not. They are the foundations of the game of rugby league. They are the easy things which can be policed and build the rest of the game on.

...It is time for Tony Archer to resign and show some dignity and move on.

If he doesn’t and I expect as much, the NRL needs to move him on for the sake of the game....

and he didn't mention the constant forward passes from dummy half and all the ones that put someone over for a try

 

[nightster]

Not sure if the following article has been posted here before but Harrigan makes a lot of sense.

https://www.triplem.com.au/sport/nr...bill-harrigan?station=sydney&geoRedirect=true

Tony Archer Must Go, Writes Bill Harrigan
Bill Harrigan 27/07/2017

...The ‘Play The Ball’ has deteriorated into a joke. Less than 50% of PTB’s have a foot touch the ball or even go through the motion. Players play the ball facing side ways, they move off the mark and not to mention the amount of markers pushing the ball carrier over after he has played the ball. All go unpunished.

Player’s offside at kick offs and line dropouts.

Line dropouts are kicked in the field of play not behind the line.

Penalties are taken sometimes 3 metres in front of the mark.

Scrums are no longer bound. Back rowers stand resting their hands on the player in front of them watching the halfback. We know scrums will never go back to being a contest but surely we can make them look like a scrum.

Blockers on kick chasers. When did this become legal?

Players walk out ten metres from the try line as a conversion is kicked. The rule says they remain behind the line until the conversion is kicked.

Then we had the rhetoric at the beginning of the season. If a team continually gives penalties away close to the try line players will be sin binned. Anyone see that happening?

I could go on and on and some may say these are small things in the big picture. No they are not. They are the foundations of the game of rugby league. They are the easy things which can be policed and build the rest of the game on.

...It is time for Tony Archer to resign and show some dignity and move on.

If he doesn’t and I expect as much, the NRL needs to move him on for the sake of the game....

and he didn't mention the constant forward passes from dummy half and all the ones that put someone over for a try

 

[nightster]

Not sure if the following article has been posted here before but Harrigan makes a lot of sense.

https://www.triplem.com.au/sport/nr...bill-harrigan?station=sydney&geoRedirect=true

Tony Archer Must Go, Writes Bill Harrigan
Bill Harrigan 27/07/2017

...The ‘Play The Ball’ has deteriorated into a joke. Less than 50% of PTB’s have a foot touch the ball or even go through the motion. Players play the ball facing side ways, they move off the mark and not to mention the amount of markers pushing the ball carrier over after he has played the ball. All go unpunished.

Player’s offside at kick offs and line dropouts.

Line dropouts are kicked in the field of play not behind the line.

Penalties are taken sometimes 3 metres in front of the mark.

Scrums are no longer bound. Back rowers stand resting their hands on the player in front of them watching the halfback. We know scrums will never go back to being a contest but surely we can make them look like a scrum.

Blockers on kick chasers. When did this become legal?

Players walk out ten metres from the try line as a conversion is kicked. The rule says they remain behind the line until the conversion is kicked.

Then we had the rhetoric at the beginning of the season. If a team continually gives penalties away close to the try line players will be sin binned. Anyone see that happening?

I could go on and on and some may say these are small things in the big picture. No they are not. They are the foundations of the game of rugby league. They are the easy things which can be policed and build the rest of the game on.

...It is time for Tony Archer to resign and show some dignity and move on.

If he doesn’t and I expect as much, the NRL needs to move him on for the sake of the game....

and he didn't mention the constant forward passes from dummy half and all the ones that put someone over for a try

 

[Rodo]

and he didn't mention the constant forward passes from dummy half and all the ones that put someone over for a try

You can say that again and again and again!

 

[TokyoEagle]

and he didn't mention the constant forward passes from dummy half and all the ones that put someone over for a try

Or the passes that are flat that get called "forward".

 

[HoldenV8]

Did you know....

Back in mid-1995 it was Bill Harrigan and Graham Annesley who signed the South Australian Rugby League to be under the Super League (remember back then the ARL sacked them after they signed with the rebels so SL used them to go around the place signing up people). But privately they actually advised the SARL board to stay loyal to the ARL. The board, looking at the promised increase in funding and the fact that Adelaide was promised a SL "franchise" (and of course their own pay cheques which would rise as a result of the increase in money), signed with SL.

Back then though it was well known that the ARL's preferred choice for a team in a non-rugby league city was Melbourne. Adelaide had seen 5 games at the Adelaide Oval between 1991-1995 - all St George thanks to their sponsor Penfolds Winery being based in Adelaide - but we were no closer to having our own team and despite good crowds of over 20,000 it was Melbourne who got big games like tests and Origins (nothing seems to have changed in 22 years.....). The promise of Adelaide having its own team sooner rather than later was too good to pass up.

 

[Brookie Brawler]

Agree with everything Harrigan has said

BUT...

was he not the referees boss who implemented dominant and surrender tackles?

Ever since that nonsensical attempt to control the game was brought in the referees have been too busy trying to manage the game and coach the players to worry about "trivial" things like play the ball.

I am actually in favour of 2 referees, but only if they dont switch roles during the game.

The main ref should mark the 10m and make the calls on general play while the pocket ref is only responsible for the ruck. If either sees a clear forward pass I see no reason they shouldn't be able to call them but the pocket ref should be the one to decide when it comes to the contentious, subjective AND CRITICAL interpretation of knock on v strip v hand on ball v off the mark v foot on ball v holding down v leg pulls etc.