Eventually, all organisations will be dragged kicking and screaming into the reality that in today’s hyper-connected world, the one guiding policy that must be pursued is transparency.
Ruling authorities, still stuck in the pre-Internet era, often attempt to justify their attempts at censorship or secrecy by saying there is a need that their authority and reputation be protected “for the greater good”.
Such is the case, whereby the NRL threatens clubs with large penalties if they dare question the standard of refereeing or other aspects of the game’s officialdom. Of course, right now the Parramatta club is staring down the barrell of a $10,000 fine for comments that Ricky Stuart made at the post-match press conference following the Titans match.
In that press conference, Stuart makes the point that he and his players are under the glare of microscopic scrutiny and they have to cop it when they underperform. In a society where most everyone has the ability to blog, tweet, facebook their opinion into an every-expanding tapestry of views and beliefs, that is to be expected. The reality is if you put your head up in a public position, you have to accept that you will cop not only criticism but, more than likely, a good dollop of irrational and unfair abuse as well.
Clearly, the NRL is a very, very public forum, and everyone from the coaches and players, the referees and officials, as well as the code’s administrators and directors all must realise that when you make the decision to be a part of the sport in that kind of high-profile fashion, you have to take the bad with the good. All sport is performance-based, and when you underperform, it’s going to get pointed out - emphatically and repeatedly.
Ruling bodies will use the excuse when imparting censorship that it’s important that the public’s trust in their authority is not undermined. However, it’s fair to say that we live in a society that not only understands that the emperor may not be wearing any clothes, but will take any opportunity to tear away pretences of royal garb. You don’t win trust by hiding behind censorship, secrecy or veiled notions of confidentiality.
You win trust by providing, at every opportunity, transparency and then performing. You win trust and respect by manning up to your mistakes or past failures, taking criticism on the chin with humility, and then backing up and proving the naysayers wrong.
We, the public don’t need Ricky Stuart to tell us that the referees got it wrong against the Titans. Well before the game ended, this website had lit up with complaints about the penalty count. You don’t patronise the public by thinking that you can stop them thinking ill of you by censoring criticising. Because the public know and they will talk, share and debate, online and off, regardless.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that I’m right behind Ricky standing up for what he believed was right, and his passionate call for transparency and fairness. I long for the day when it’s a core philosophy of both our club and code from the top to the bottom because with transparency comes accountability, then higher-performance and ultimately that's how you positively achieve outcomes for the greater good.
Replies
I also believe in transparency when it comes to the cheer girls uniforms!
Jamsey, are you trying to get Phil summoned by the cheer girls?
agree
Quote Of The Year Winner is
.......Jamsey
If he was I think he'd thank me for that one!
I completely agree with everything Phil has said. By these referees being backed by their employer, the NRL is saying that they can do no wrong. Given they are human I highly doubt that is the case. Wherever you work, if you under-perform you are held accountable, the referees aren't.
The other thing that I hate is when a captain comes to the referee looking for an explanation. Instead they get the referees blurting out lines from a textbook. The players don't want the textbook definition because they can't understand it. I refereed soccer for five years and I always tried to provide the players with an explanation. My senior referees didn't like it but I did it anyway. Why? Because avoiding confusion avoids bad tempers. If a captain came up to my and asked why I made a certain call I'd explain it in plain English. I was also a player and captain so I could empathise with the player. I knew what he was asking about and I gave him a straight answer. This meant the players were informed on the rules and it also meant they had my respect and I had theirs. In those five years I refereed several hundred games and never had a problem with a captain not understanding a decision because I was transparent and spoke English. If only those elite referees could understand that being consistent and explaining your decisions simply would take so much pressure off them.
Whilst many will applaud your values and intentions Mr 1 Eyed Eel you fail to recognise that the current generation of business leaders and politicians are the Power Generation.
Power and Control are their ideals and mantra, so they will do everything they can to maintain their Power and Control regardless of the damage they do to others, and indeed their own companies or political party.
The 1970s was labelled the ME generation - these people are the result of that upbringing.
I think there needs to be some form of protection for the referees otherwise it bacomes open slaver for coach's to pressure referees into favouritism just like when Bob Fulton attacked Bill Harrigon after a Manly loss and threatened to run him over with a cement truck, Manly didn't lose another penalty count that season and i don't think Harrigon refereed another Manly game during the regular season that year. To what extent that protection should be i'm not sure of but it can't be open slaver.
I think everyone is missing the real point of Ricky's rant, it was more about protecting his confidence depleted, inexperienced team from all the media and fan scrutiny they were sure to come under after throwing away what looked certain victory. All the talk since the loss has been about Ricky's attack on the ref's hence deflecting pressure away from his struggling team. The benefits of this attack could be many with one being a bit more even scrutiny from the ref's in future games meaning penalty counts similar to the opposition, His players will appreciate him taking a stand for them which will earn more of their respect making them more likely to play for him, it could build a seige mentality of us against them among the players bringing them closer together, most of all it has protected what little confidence the players have from being eroded even more than it already is.
A show of support.
I'll kivk it off with a fiver.
Crow you wanna collect it ??
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