Phil Rothfield: NRL referee blows whistle on internal rift
A PROMINENT NRL referee has revealed the extent of an internal rift within the officiating ranks that is set to emerge as a major problem for Todd Greenberg.
Phil Rothfield
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I HAD a phone call late last week from a prominent NRL referee. He will not allow me to use his name.
“They’ll sack me,” he said. “Matt Moylan can go from Penrith to the Sharks but we’ve got nowhere to go.”
He spoke at length about the disharmony in the NRL refereeing ranks.
If what he says is true, NRL boss Todd Greenberg has a major problem on his hands.
There are many issues that have caused a split and lowered morale in the ranks. Many feel appointments are not being made on form or merit.
That there are favourites who receive preferential treatment.
These issues will not just disappear if video reviewer Bernard Sutton replaces Tony Archer, as has been speculated.
The referees need a fresh start. They need someone from outside and not necessarily from a refereeing background.
They need someone who can restore confidence with the clubs and fans.
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SYDNEY LOSING GROUND TO OTHER STATES
Premier Gladys Berejiklian is days away from announcing almost $2 billion worth of funding for Sydney stadiums.
The importance of this decision and getting big-time sport, entertainment and tourism into Sydney cannot be underestimated.
Over the weekend, I spoke to legendary American boxing promoter Bob Arum about how much Brisbane had benefited from staging the Jeff Horn-Manny Pacquiao fight in July.
“We only used to hear about Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.
“Brisbane was considered to be a backwater. Now it’s the city everyone talks about in the United States.
“It’s a prominent place. That’s what happens when you host significant sporting events.”
A new world-class 75,000-seat stadium in Sydney’s west has to be the government’s priority.
Otherwise, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth will continue to lift their international profile by taking major events, including the NRL grand final.