I'm starting to feel sorry for the refs . .

[The Who]

I know. There must be something wrong with me. But the expectations we are placing on the on-field ref are unrealistic.
The poor buggars have to deal with rule changes every week. Crackdowns on transitory issues. Bunker clowns in their ears. Doctors diagonising from their divans. Dopey commentators who can watch incidents in slow motion before uttering their 'expert' opinions, which are invariably wrong ...
TV coverage, and the Clunker have forced refs to micro-manage each decision so we get the most inconsequential incidents ruled upon: the feather touches that only the Clunker and Clark Kent can see; the dropped ball/loosecarry/rake/knock-ons/play-the-ball interpretations. Then we come to high tackles, force used, intent, milking, crushers, chicken wings, prowlers, escorts, lurkers, downtowns. . .
I'm at an age where everything was better in the old days, so forgive me when I yearn for the Col Pearce-Rex Mosop-Barry Ross years. Although I do admit that watching the game in colour is a step-up from B&W.

 

[lsz]

Honestly it is a no win situation

We, the fans, have created an expectation of perfection from referees which we can never attain (and this is in all sports).

Throw in the need for a "product" it means the refs are on a hiding to nothing

 

[mave]

The NRL thrives on controversy.
Always has, always will.

A cynical bloke might even wonder if they purposely create it.

 

[Ohgeez]

The main problem is these random crackdowns every 2-3 weeks. TKO & Pole definitely wouldn’t have got binned 1 week ago for their tackles. Also what’s annoying is when they go back to bin players it sometimes continues play from that point & other times they go back 2 sets & give the team a penalty. Any consistency for a couple weeks would be nice

 

[Rocky]

Trying to remove my Manly bias here - but I'm still shaking my head at Yeo not being binned and TKO getting 10 minutes.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Trying to remove my Manly bias here - but I'm still shaking my head at Yeo not being binned and TKO getting 10 minutes.

100%

Maybe it’s who you play for 😂😂😂😂

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Magic round , supposedly the showpiece of the game , will be an absolute farce if we get 25 sin bins ( they had 18 I think last weekend ).

Talk about manufacturing results.

And that stupid decision on not sending Yeo.

Yes an accident BUT so were many if the other 18, the only reason he wasn’t sent , because it would have meant the Riff would only have had 11 players and we can’t have that can we??

 

[Once Was Brissie Kid]

Can't go to Vegas and brag about how our players wear no helmets, then come home and penalise and suspend the same players for making head contact, in particular accidental contact.

If the NRL are convinced they have a duty to do all they can about head contact and that is why we now have these penalties and bins, then the only rational answer left is mandatory helmets.

As in the NFL could then stop giving helmet/head contact penalties and sin bins.

 

[globaleagle]

I thought someone said refs get 300k a year.

So that can buy them the therapy they may need.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Can't go to Vegas and brag about how our players wear no helmets, then come home and penalise and suspend the same players for making head contact, in particular accidental contact.

If the NRL are convinced they have a duty to do all they can about head contact and that is why we now have these penalties and bins, then the only rational answer left is mandatory helmets.

As in the NFL could then stop giving helmet/head contact penalties and sin bins.

Sadly I think that’s coming , it’s almost the only way forward for them to eliminate the head injury issue

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I thought someone said refs get 300k a year.

So that can buy them the therapy they may need.

Jeez for the pressure they are under it’s not huge money is it

 

[globaleagle]

Jeez for the pressure they are under it’s not huge money is it

I thought it was damn good. Albeit I’m not a billionaire like you!!!

Plus coaches can’t complain in interviews any more so… well it seems like a lot

 

[The Who]

Oh, I forgot in my original diatribe to include a further artifical imposition placed on NRL refs: Having to remember the names of every player! No longer "Number 13, out here now!"
Can you imagine how much time they must spend learning the players' names? It must be like tedious schoolwork.
I forget some Manly players' names occasionally and the Sea Eagles are the only team I follow. As for trying to pronounce some of the surnames: impossible.

 

[mickqld]

I heard someone talking on SEN radio about an AFL game on weekend and how good it was to watch in the last quarter because the refs swallowed the whistle and didn't blow hardly any infrigements and the game was decided by the best team who lasted the distance not because of some junk decision. Imagine how good NRL would be to watch if they did the same and kicked the bunker to the curb for try decisions only. No bullsh*t 6 agains , penalties only for obvious foul play. There was a play the ball penalty when the player clearly had his boot within mm of the ball that was absolutely outrageous on the weekend I forget who.

 

[mave]

There was a play the ball penalty when the player clearly had his boot within mm of the ball that was absolutely outrageous on the weekend I forget who.

Ash Klein single handedly got the Raiders back into the game yesterday, with 2 of those calls.
1 on the Hammer, we're he did actually touch it, and the other on someone else who missed the ball by a whisker.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

We were supposed to move away from two referees in a game but it's back just in a more frustratingly interfering form. The video referee needs to be reeled in big time. Enough is a enough.

 

[Eagle 1]

I heard someone talking on SEN radio about an AFL game on weekend and how good it was to watch in the last quarter because the refs swallowed the whistle and didn't blow hardly any infrigements and the game was decided by the best team who lasted the distance not because of some junk decision. Imagine how good NRL would be to watch if they did the same and kicked the bunker to the curb for try decisions only. No bullsh*t 6 agains , penalties only for obvious foul play. There was a play the ball penalty when the player clearly had his boot within mm of the ball that was absolutely outrageous on the weekend I forget who.

Think it was a Dolphins player against the Raiders. That completely ruined the Phins chances, the Raiders scored not long after that.

 

[HoldenV8]

Magic round , supposedly the showpiece of the game , will be an absolute farce if we get 25 sin bins ( they had 18 I think last weekend ).

Talk about manufacturing results.

And that stupid decision on not sending Yeo.

Yes an accident BUT so were many if the other 18, the only reason he wasn’t sent , because it would have meant the Riff would only have had 11 players and we can’t have that can we??

FYI Magic Round 2024 also had some sort of referee crackdown going on ... yet it only resulted in 12 bins all weekend.

You know, for all these people who want to suck up to the likes of V'Landys and Abdo and pat them on the back saying how great they've been for the game, like Manly since the Penn's, things have literally turned to 💩 on-field since they took over.

Set restarts that everyone hates. Drop out clocks, scrum clocks, crackdowns that last a week or two before they're forgotten (play the ball.......), and now with the bunker basically micro managing every single play you can literally get sin binned and penalised for a tackle that happened in a previous bleedin' set for Christs sake!!! And the bins for the head highs are 100% inconsistent. As everyone here is pointing out, Taukeiaho gets binned for a tackle in the previous set, yet Yeo does a high tackle and no bin. Guaranteed had that been Haumole and not Yeo, he'd have been on a 10 minute break, not to mention on report and because of his record, likely suspended.

We all love this game so I don't think any of us would seriously turn our backs on it, or Manly. But the NRL right now for mine is guilty of something NASCAR has been guilty of for over 30 years ... they're continually trying to fix what was never broken in the first place.

 

[mave]

FYI Magic Round 2024 also had some sort of referee crackdown going on ... yet it only resulted in 12 bins all weekend.

You know, for all these people who want to suck up to the likes of V'Landys and Abdo and pat them on the back saying how great they've been for the game, like Manly since the Penn's, things have literally turned to 💩 on-field since they took over.

Set restarts that everyone hates. Drop out clocks, scrum clocks, crackdowns that last a week or two before they're forgotten (play the ball.......), and now with the bunker basically micro managing every single play you can literally get sin binned and penalised for a tackle that happened in a previous bleedin' set for Christs sake!!! And the bins for the head highs are 100% inconsistent. As everyone here is pointing out, Taukeiaho gets binned for a tackle in the previous set, yet Yeo does a high tackle and no bin. Guaranteed had that been Haumole and not Yeo, he'd have been on a 10 minute break, not to mention on report and because of his record, likely suspended.

We all love this game so I don't think any of us would seriously turn our backs on it, or Manly. But the NRL right now for mine is guilty of something NASCAR has been guilty of for over 30 years ... they're continually trying to fix what was never broken in the first place.

I agree with all that.

What I don't understand is that ratings are up, attendance is up, money pouring in....so therefore logically more people clearly think the product is better.

I do fear we are a few more rule tweaks away from following Rugby Unions slide into irrelevancy.

 

[manlyfan76]

Was if Gee who missed out on finals last year because of his lack of 6agains and penalties?
Who evever it was they are not heavily penalizing.
I think he did our warriors game