The Bulldogs were today handed a $10,000 fine because of Des Hasler's comments pertaining to the refereeing performance in the Doggies' match. Now, all Hasler said was that it was a disappointing performance from the 2 men in pink. He did not rant about them, nor swear or explode in anger about it. His comments were measured and well said. The NRL have thrown a protective blanket over the referees and they are shielded from plenty of criticism from coaches and players. The coaches and players are directly affected by the referees' decisions. I believe that they have every right to comment on a referees performance so long as it is respectful. It would give the people running the referees a fair indication of how well the referees are performing instead of the usual crap saying how wonderful the referees are. The refs, as soon as any criticism is labelled against them, hide behind the NRL and a fine is handed out. I'm a referee myself and I honestly couldn't care what the coaches and players think about me. It's time the referees grew a spine and decided that the coaches are allowed to have their say without the threat of sanctions.
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It was also a disappointing performance in tonights game against the tigers from the men in pink. Maybe we need 'men in black'
FME totally agree mate, human nature comes into it alot with some refs, thats why we need a shrewd capt to get the best outa the refs, we need a captain thats smart shrewd n street wize n knows how to talk n butter the refs up..
It all comes down to the fact that there are too many grey areas in the rules. There are simply too many incidents in each game that the ref has to make a judgement call on. Until that is sorted, the refs are always going to play a large part in each game, and the comp as a whole.
You're generally allowed a couple of seconds for a tackle. But you can generally lay in the first tackle for three seconds and the last tackle for three seconds without anyone questioning it. Things are more stringent on the middle tackles. If someone has made a break or is on a roll, it's pot luck. If the player is humping the ground, it's pot luck. If the people in the previous tackle layed on just a little too long, it's pot luck. If the fans are booing, it's pot luck. If you annoyed the ref earlier on, it's pot luck. If you got the rub of the green in an earlier decision, it's pot luck. If the ref was briefed about you before the game, it's pot luck.
And this is just in a single regular tackle. Sooooo many things weigh into it, when really, the rules should be a black and white, "How long is too long" and the same applied to every tackle.
Remove the grey area and you lessen the impact that referees can have on a game.