Bob Fulton unleashes legendary serve on bumbling NRL referees

SEAN Hampstead will become the latest referee to be sacked for a howling error when Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper conduct a review of games.

VIDEO referee Sean Hampstead will become the latest referee to be sacked for a howling error when referees bosses Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper conduct a review of games tomorrow.

But the biggest question remains: who is going to fix the constant inconsistencies and blatant mistakes from the NRL match officials ahead of the finals series?

A mid-season move to overthrow referees coaches Harrigan and Raper failed when an NRL inquiry turned out to be little more than the usual hot-air gabfest.

Acting NRL CEO Shane Matiske and operations boss Nathan McGuirk gave Harrigan and Raper a stay of execution despite complaints from within the NRL's whistle-blowing fraternity being publicly aired by Ashley Klein and Luke Phillips.

The problem now is that nothing has been fixed.

ARL commission chairman John Grant has his head buried in the sand and refuses to acknowledge the standard of refereeing is near an all-time low despite all of the technology available.

And every week we hear another NRL coach rolling the $10,000 dice by publicly criticising the blunders and calling on the powers that be to enforce some accountability.

NRL coaches are tired of going around in circles during weekly conversations with Harrigan and Raper.

Rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton yesterday led the call for a complete overhaul speaking on 2GB's Continuous Call team.

What's that ref?

The Wests Tigers are in danger of missing the finals after video referee Hampstead awarded a try to the Bulldogs on Friday night despite a clear obstruction.

"The try was awarded, but it was just wrong. Wrong. I have been saying all year that a referee will cost a team a finals berth and that might have come to fruition," Fulton said.

"The referees are in an unbelievable mess. I think we need to get back to one referee. Get rid of the two. We need one man controlling the game because as it is it is pathetic. It is amateurish."

Referees coach Harrigan yesterday conceded he 'had reservations about the decision' but would refrain from making further comment until tomorrow's de-brief.

"If a decision has impacted on the game from a video referee, all year we've stood them down," Harrigan said.

"We'll do exactly the same thing here. We'll review the decision on Monday and then we'll work out what we need to do."

NRL coaches John Cartwright and Shane Flanagan agreed with Fulton's fear about a blunder in the finals.

"The problem is with the wording of the rules. Especially with the grounding and obstruction. There is too much grey and they need to take a common sense approach," Cartwright said.

"We need to change the rules, the guidelines because the ones we have now are not working."

Cronulla coach Flanagan, summed it up best when he said: "The worry is these aren't 50-50 calls, they're the rules of the game. You just pray that it doesn't happen to your team during the finals."

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy said that all clubs wanted was consistency.

Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg, whose club is currently appealing a $10,000 fine for Des Hasler criticising the whistle-blowers, said "consistency, transparency and accountability are the attributes that we're all looking for".

"We have communicated our on-going frustration with the overall performance of the match officials on numerous occasions this year," he said.