Simon Mannering of the Warriors complains to the referee. Photo / Getty
Simon Mannering of the Warriors complains to the referee. Photo / Getty
Who would want to be a league referee?
After the events of the last few days, probably a small, slightly masochistic bunch.
Right at the moment, as a job in Australasia, its popularity probably ranks somewhere between real estate agents, loan sharks and doing PR for tobacco companies.
NRL referees have probably the hardest officiating job in world sport.
Rugby is tough, but there is a lot more elements open to interpretation, and players are generally more respectful than their league counterparts.
Look at the Melbourne Storm, held up as a model for other NRL clubs.
They might be, but Craig Bellamy's team have constantly pushed the limits over the years, from the grapple tackle to the chicken wing, from wrestling coaches to the leg grab.
They are all manuovuers designed to get an illegal advantage, and referees have to somehow police this, while not ruining the flow of the game.
Most NRL referees make excellent decisions most of the time, but they are grossly undervalued and underappreciated.
There is also zero tolerance for mistakes, and apparently no room for human error any more.
Referee Gerard Sutton. Photo / Getty
Gerard Sutton is obviously an excellent referee, one of the best in the world, as shown in his work during the recent State of Origin series and the fact he has overseen more than 250 NRL games.
But suddenly there is an outcry, especially from Warriors fans, with him being demoted to their clash with the Titans on Sunday?
It's crazy stuff.
Sutton is among the top five referees in the world, and will surely put in a solid performance this weekend.
The issue is, of course, much wider than a couple of isolated errors.
As Warriors coach Stephen Kearney alluded to last Sunday, there are concerns over how the whistlers have been led over the last few years.
The NRL has been caught between trying to produce the best possible entertainment product, and the reality of running a sport. It's blurred lines.
It was the NRL that started the ridiculous separation edict around forcing the ball, and also encouraged the referees to police the obstruction rule in a different way, which has been the catalyst for the current malaise of defensive players diving or initiating contact, to create confusion.
From the start of this year they instructed the officials to go hard on the little things, before recently telling them to ease off on the pedal, in the interests of the product.
And it was the NRL that put their faith in the multi-million dollar 'KFC' bunker, with 57 monitors and 20 kilometres of cable.
The bunker is fine in theory, but its forensic approach has created much of the conflict this year.
