Have you ever noticed that the talking heads who commentate on Rugby League matches contradict themselves over and over again?
When Video Referees took their time with replays to make sure they got a decision right you heard commentators whinging about the process taking too long. Just watch a replay or two and make a decision. We don’t need to see 27 replays. Just take one look and lets get on with the game!
However, when we see the St George/Illawarra Dragons dudded by a terrible, wrong decision by the Video Referee who made a decision way too quickly, those same commentators change their tune. Why are the video referees making their decisions so quickly? Why don’t they take more time to get the decision right?
They want to have it both ways.
The National Youth Competition was a fantastic way for youngsters to have a step between junior Rugby League and the NRL. It gave the NRL a high profile pathway for young athletes to compete against other elite junior player. It was a competition that proved over a number of years that it produced high quality players.
Phil Gould didn’t like it. He said many times that he believed that young players should be playing in reserve grade. Give them games against men. He was the highest profile person pushing to have the NYC scrapped, and eventually he got what he wanted. However, now in 2020 Phil Gould has stated that scraping the NYC was a mistake.
You can’t have it both ways Gus.
For years we had calls for two referees. The game was too fast for one referee to keep and eye on everything. When a second referee was added to the field, the calls from the very same people to revert back to one referee were almost immediate. Now they have got what they wanted, guess what there are calls for? Thats right…a second referee!
How about commentators that want forward passes to be ruled on by Video Referees? We tried that. It didn’t work!
So long as the NRL keeps trying to please moronic commentators it will just find itself chasing its own tail. We need the powers that be to have faith in the game itself, and to make decisions that are in the best interests of Rugby League, not the ones that are just to please commentators who change their opinions more than they change their underwear!
