Fri 23rd Feb: SL: Warrington Wolves v Hull FC KO 8pm (Sky)

[Roy Haggerty]

1 hour ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

 

I never expected much of us as a team this year, yet I've been looking forward to watching the sport as a whole more than I have for a while with the improvement in coverage. I've gone from looking forward to watching every game to considering walking away altogether in the space of 2 weeks, that's how bad this is.

This sums it up for me. I feel exactly the same. I was genuinely excited about the increased coverage. I planned to record and watch every game each week. Now, I reckon I’ll watch the saints game and not bother with the rest. 

I had thought that in the KR v Leeds game there were signs the officials were starting to apply sensible judgments, even if I still thought at least one yellow card was harsh. But last night was mad. That decision wrecked the game for the players, fans and viewers.
 

Worse- these aren’t even the most significant changes. The below-the-armpit change they’re planning for next year is far more significant and drastic than these. Yet these minor changes are already having a huge impact on the game’s entertainment value. 

We *cannot* carry on like this. 

[Roy Haggerty]

28 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Worth pointing out the decision last night was a mistake by the ref. There's always been bad decisions by refs and always will be regardless of rules in place. 

It wasn’t. It was a decision by 2 refs who made that decision at leisure, without time pressure, using a record of the incident. They didn’t make a mistake, they implemented the new interpretations. 
 

This isn’t about human error, it’s about decisions which have been made by the RFL which are already having a very significant impact on our game, and we haven’t even got to the major change yet. 

[The Blues Ox]

As someone who has complimented ref's on how they had handled games this season, in my opinion that was easily the worst officiated game we have seen so far and its not really close. There were just a whole host of incidents and decisions that made little sense, not just the sending off, but then we had little consistancy when we had at least two further incidents, another late shot and another high shot, that you feel should have resulted in yellow cards but seemingly were not even given a second glance.

That is without mentioning an incorrect play the ball call where the player literally could not have gone through the motion of playing the ball any better other than the ball going end over end which is totally fine if you want to do that. Just a really bad night at the office for the officials and it will be interesting to see the fallout from this.

[JohnM]

Back to the actual game itself, Burgess must have been happy with the way Warrington started. Fast, progressive, intense and coordinated, running from the PTB. I felt FC didn't seem to have a structure to their game. Too random, too " here mate,  you have a go" nearer the line. Later in the game, both sides too flat in their attacking formation at the PTB, resulting in too much running from a standing start.

[sentoffagain2]

       I think true supporters of the game have already spoken.Never expected a forum to be at one over decisions like three or four of them last night.It is now time to use a bit of common sense and not ruin the game for players and spectators.

[JohnM]

6 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

As someone who has complimented ref's on how they had handled games this season, in my opinion that was easily the worst officiated game we have seen so far and its not really close. There were just a whole host of incidents and decisions that made little sense, not just the sending off, but then we had little consistancy when we had at least two further incidents, another late shot and another high shot, that you feel should have resulted in yellow cards but seemingly were not even given a second glance.

That is without mentioning an incorrect play the ball call where the player literally could not have gone through the motion of playing the ball any better other than the ball going end over end which is totally fine if you want to do that. Just a really bad night at the office for the officials and it will be interesting to see the fallout from this.

I'd like the fall out to be a focus on the 99.9,% good, discussing the game. It's as if we only know how too ref the game rather than looking at how it's played.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, sentoffagain2 said:

       I think true supporters of the game have already spoken.Never expected a forum to be at one over decisions like three or four of them last night.It is now time to use a bit of common sense and not ruin the game for players and spectators.

We don't need to overstate it. There was one major controversial decision. Other incidents in the game were the same as every other game, some agreed, some didn't. 

Personally, I didn't like the refereeing performance, I thought he was too whistle happy and had a bad night at the office, but without the red card we wouldn't even still be discussing the match. It was that one incident. 

[sentoffagain2]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

We don't need to overstate it. There was one major controversial decision. Other incidents in the game were the same as every other game, some agreed, some didn't. 

Personally, I didn't like the refereeing performance, I thought he was too whistle happy and had a bad night at the office, but without the red card we wouldn't even still be discussing the match. It was that one incident. 

    No i don't agree as Blue Ox said the game was refereed well below expected standard.

[Dave T]

Just now, sentoffagain2 said:

    No i don't agree as Blue Ox said the game was refereed well below expected standard.

Yes, but that's happened for the 35 years I've watched, and I expect will continue to happen. 

There was only one incident that was any kind of new thing. 

[Dave T]

I note that the FA have a process in place that can see red cards overturned, for wrongful dismissal (and it isn't just for mistaken identity). 

Are we so arrogant that we don't have a process in place to acknowledge when we get something wrong? 

We shouldn't be afraid of admitting errors, it will help with trust rather than be seen as throwing him under the bus. 

Edited February 24 by Dave T

[gingerjon]

10 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I note that the FA have a process in place that can see red cards overturned, for wrongful dismissal (and it isn't just for mistaken identity). 

Are we so arrogant that we don't have a process in place to acknowledge when we get something wrong? 

We shouldn't be afraid of admitting errors, it will help with trust rather than be seen as throwing him under the bus. 

I think we have had cards overturned before? Probably with different wording but certain it has happened.

[Dave T]

Just now, gingerjon said:

I think we have had cards overturned before? Probably with different wording but certain it has happened.

A couple of people claimed earlier in the thread that they can't say it was wrong. 

I tried to read the disciplinary files, but I gave up tbh. 

[gingerjon]

I’m not even sure you’d put it in the top ten worst video ref decisions to be honest.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Dave T said:

A couple of people claimed earlier in the thread that they can't say it was wrong. 

I tried to read the disciplinary files, but I gave up tbh. 

It may be under an old system then.

[Bull Mania]

I do feel sorry for the refs. You can just feel the pressure on them ever super slow motion replay where there's head contact.  I'd hate to be in their position. 

[Dave T]

Just now, gingerjon said:

I’m not even sure you’d put it in the top ten worst video ref decisions to be honest.

I think it's up there, but it is absolutely being used politically. 

As you say though, we have seen huge errors before - was it Ganson at Magic Weekend in Cardiff? 

[Dave T]

I really am loathe to bring Union into this, but they really have gone through a lot of this pain for us. We shouldn't be too proud to learn from them. 

[Dave T]

I asked this during the game, and didn't see it answered, but can a referee now watch the big screen? Because that appeared to be happening last night. 

[Gomersall]

3 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I think it's up there, but it is absolutely being used politically. 

As you say though, we have seen huge errors before - was it Ganson at Magic Weekend in Cardiff? 

Perfectly good try.

[Barley Mow]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I asked this during the game, and didn't see it answered, but can a referee now watch the big screen? Because that appeared to be happening last night. 

The radio commentary mentioned the ref doing that at Craven Park the night before as well.

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I think it's up there, but it is absolutely being used politically. 

As you say though, we have seen huge errors before - was it Ganson at Magic Weekend in Cardiff? 

Also, and I think Ganson at a Magic again, tracking the wrong player for an offside call …

[Dave T]

Just now, Barley Mow said:

The radio commentary mentioned the ref doing that at Craven Park the night before as well.

I know they do it in the other code, so not against it, but I don't think the comms about new protocols have been great tbh. 

There is a real hole in the media element of the RFL here. 

[Odsal Outlaw]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

Worth pointing out the decision last night was a mistake by the ref. There's always been bad decisions by refs and always will be regardless of rules in place. 

I think the point here is that the RFL need to come out and overtly state that this decision was wrong and that is not the right application of the laws. If they do that then as a fan you have to accept that human error can always happen. If they don’t and they double down on this being the right decision then we have issues as a sport.

[dkw]

Brilliant stuff by Faamanu Brown, it's a great post by him, very level headed and respectable.

 

[Derwent]

The penalty try bemused me. The ref can be clearly heard asking the VR to “check the merits of a penalty try”. The VR then says the Ref has awarded a penalty try on the field and he can’t see a reason to overturn it. But the Ref never said he’d awarded it, he asked the VR to advise him.