NRL’s aim to stop criticism of referees and bunker eroding public faith in game’s accountability

THE NRL’s plan to stop coaches criticising referees and the bunker is fine, in principle. But in truth, it’s eroding fans’ faith in the game, live blog with PAUL KENT at 1.30pm.

NRL Referees Bunker. Note there is a 7pm embargo on these. Please credit NRL Photos.

BEFORE he was banned for talking about referees North Queensland coach Paul Green called referee’s boss Tony Archer the Minister for Justification.

Over the weekend Minister Archer issued all coaches with an edict that went a step further. As well as banning criticism of referees, he banned them from criticising the brand new $2 million bunker and some of the crook decisions that have come out of that.

In principle, I agree.

Unfortunately, coaches disqualified their right to legitimately question the referees’ performances by steering nearly every post-match press conference towards criticising the referees. But if referees are going to be above public criticism they need to be accountable.

LIVE BLOG WITH NRL 360 HOST PAUL KENT BELOW AT 1.30 PM.

Instead, Minister Archer and his administration put up smokescreens designed to deliberately mislead the conversation and excuse their mistakes.

Unless there is accountability, this will only end in tears. It does nothing but erode public faith in the game.

The NRL act too clever by half, which is not very clever at all.

Brad Takairangi had a fair try disallowed last Thursday when he was judged wrongly to be offside. Anybody that has followed the game for five minutes could see they got it wrong.

Yet when this mistake was pointed out after Parramatta’s win over Manly the NRL went into “Yes, Minister” mode.

“For the player to be onside,” said the Minister for Justification, “he needs to have both feet behind the ball when it’s kicked. For the bunker to overturn the live decision, there would need to be sufficient evidence.

“It was the correct process.”

Referees boss Tony Archer is denying coaches’ arguments oxygen.

Maybe. It just was not the correct decision. I am sure Archer has those key phrases written and neatly folded on a piece of paper kept in his wallet.

For like he does every time, Archer hijacked the conversation away from everything that mattered, whether it was right or wrong, and steered it towards what he could defend. So instead we heard the “process” was right and there was “sufficient evidence” to justify the decision.

Of course the “process” was followed. Right up until the “sufficient evidence” took it into a grey area that could land them on any decision they care to justify.

You can apply “sufficient evidence” to support any decision already made. It is generic enough it gives officials wiggle room to justify any decision they care to make.

Doesn’t make it right, though.

We saw it again on Sunday. Less than 10 minutes into the game, with the contest still on between Cronulla and Canberra, Josh Hodgson kicked the ball in-goal and Andrew Fifita pulled him off it, a clear professional foul, and the ball rolled dead.

It should have been a Raiders penalty. Fifita in the sin bin, as happened to Josh Jackson a fortnight ago.

LIVE BLOG WITH NRL 360 HOST PAUL KENT BELOW AT 1.30 PM.

Instead, Cronulla got a seven-tackle 20m restart and marched upfield and Ben Barba scored off a Mick Ennis grubber. The video referee did not interfere.

Eight minutes later a bomb went up and Edrick Lee dropped it but the referee gave Canberra the scrum feed. Quickly, the video referee stepped in an overturned the call. Cronulla feed, now.

A minute later Bird pushed over Croker to score. So the video referee felt the need to get involved in one but not the other.

Later that night Suliasi Vunivalu was reported for a high shot that jolted the ball loose from James Tedesco in the Storm-Tigers game. No penalty, though, as Vunivalu picked up the ball and headed down field.

He later scored in the set with the Tigers without Tedesco, still down hurt at the other end.

So there was enough evidence for a report, just not to halt play and stop the Tigers’ disadvantage. Where was the bunker?

Tigers coach Jason Taylor couldn't afford to respond to questions about the decisions.

Again, why does it jump in sometimes and not others?

“You blokes are taking me down a path I’m not allowed to go down,” Tigers coach Jason Taylor said when asked about it afterwards.

He can’t, the Minister has banned him. So Archer should come out now and make it right. Remove the need for complaint.

Too often at headquarters nowadays there is no honesty in explanations, no accountability for mistakes, no transparency to keep the people that keep the game surviving, the fans, from losing faith.

LIVE BLOG WITH NRL 360 HOST PAUL KENT BELOW AT 1.30 PM.