Nrl announces overhaul of judiciary
9 August. news.com.au
A raft of sweeping changes to the match review committee were announced today which will see the introduction of still photography as a key tool in the NRL's efforts to ensure Manly are hindered from attaining the minor and major premierships. Future games will be photographed using the Daily Telegraph's arsenal of 35mm cameras. The films will be rushed to the local chemist, and 7 to 14 days later the prints will be couriered to sports editor at large Phil Rothfield for forensic analysis. A committee comprising experts Dean Ritchie and Peter Peters will assist in the task of poring over each print looking for evidence of illegal contact. Manly players will be stood down from games until the photographs have been perused.
A critic of the new scheme, Manly coach Geoff Toovey, has been labelled a "whinger" by the NRL. Dave Smith said today in a media release crafted by 27 PR operatives "the new system will ensure transparency, and enable news ltd, the owners of the nrl, the daily telegraph and courier mail, to maximise negative publicity for Manly and assist our clubs to make the top 4. And Souths, because we will sell lots of papers if they make the finals."