The referees Origins

[Huge]

Thinking about the referees recently and I wondered where they came from. By that of course I mean which state ! The following is a breakdown of the 2014 refs.

N.Z......1
ACT......1
WA.......1
QLD......3
NSW.....14

As is obvious there is quite an imbalance in favour of NSW. I'm not suggesting anything in particular but it would be naive to think each ref didn't have a favourite team they supported as a youngster.

Any thoughts on the matter ? Something to talk about as we drag through the off season.

 

[Broncoman]

You have nothing to complain about after winning 8 straight series and the most one eyed ref in Origin ever was a Queenslander Barry Gommersal. Tired of NSW trying to get QLD conspiracy theories.

 

[Huge]

I actually wasn't thinking about the Origin, more about whether or not a ref might subconsciously support/ favour the side he grew up loving when making decisions.

 

[Big Pete]

I was thinking about this the other day actually. It's funny how the World Cup will do anything to try and present objectivity with their referees by making them from an unaffiliated nation yet in Origin nobody really cares and we're constantly bombarded with who the referee's boss views as the best referee - most of them from NSW.

Personally, it doesn't matter to me where they're from, only if they can do their job. Sadly, I can't remember the last refereeing performance that I thought was good.

Still, one thing that needs to be remembered about Queensland's 8 straight victories is that they won a lot of those games IN SPITE of bad refereeing performances. NSW cry over Hayne's foot being on the sideline to this day yet have retroactively tried to wipe out the terrible refereeing performance in Game 3 2006. Reading a lot of media, it's usually down to Hodgeson throwing 4 straight away and Lockyer having the presence of mind to take full advantage.

 

[Alec]

I don't really care where they are from, if they show bias, they'll likely be fired after many complaints. So I'd just prefer the best referees, which basically means no Henry Perenara.

 

[KingWebcke]

As is obvious there is quite an imbalance in favour of NSW. I'm not suggesting anything in particular but it would be naive to think each ref didn't have a favourite team they supported as a youngster.

I've always thought that by the time someone dedicates themselves to reffing at that level they probably would be over biases towards certain clubs, states etc.

I reckon you're more likely to see biases among NRL referees towards individual players or teams. For example, I can see how a referee (either subconsciously or consciously) might be slightly more lenient to a certain player or team if they always conduct themselves in a really professional way ... kind of like how Smith is always really courteous and knows the rulebook inside out and always seems to get away with more. Or how a ref might be a bit harsher if one team is always giving them crap ... like Lyon or Ennis or Gal whinging about every single penalty

 

[Huge]

Fair enough. It just made me ponder how a ref maybe influenced by a lifelong passion for a team. Imagine if a ref supported say some side like Parramatta ,blue and gold from infancy,maybe played in the juniors. A knee injury blows his dream or perhaps never was going to make it. Later he refs. How could he totally divorce his feelings ? Anyway, it was just a thought. I'd be curious to see which teams the refs supported in bygone years. I'm not saying they are biased,just recognizing that the appearance of impartiality has to be maintained.

 

[subsbligh]

I disagree.

It takes a certain personality to referee - one who recognises and appreciates rules and duties.

That kind of person would be less inclinded to be swayed by loyalty to your junior club.

I'd dare say that by the time you reach first grade NRL coaching level, your watching the games as much, if not more, from the assessment of the referee's performance than for the love of the game.

 

[Coxy]

I think the biggest issue is that to be a full time NRL referee you have to live in Sydney. So that means for a QLD ref, you have to participate in inferior competitions like NSW Cup to train with the full time squad.

Even worse for Kiwis, who obviously have to move to Australia.

It's not as if you get paid a motza to be a non-first grade full time referee, so you have to relocate your family and get a job in Sydney to supplement income. Hence the massive imbalance.

It'd be great to see some full time "lower grade" referees able to stay in their home state, and perhaps train in Sydney one or two days a week with the squad, but get evaluated in their home competition.

 

[Huge]

My own view is that justice not only be done but needs to be seen to be done. I don't believe that being a full time referee makes one capable of being totally impartial. The only fair way to treat all teams is to have referees from other states in proportional numbers. Justice being seen to be done as well. It's about perceptions. NSW refs will invariably favour NSW based sides at some times, not always, not every game but over the distance. We seem to make sure we have refs with no interest( even an implied bias is unacceptable, even the possibility of it )in other sports yet we accept NSW referees in the overwhelming majority of games.

No biggie, just be nice to have a lot more truly neutral refs around.

 

[subsbligh]

Honestly, I think 99.9999% of referee errors come down to negligence or incompetence or poor rules to interpret.

I'd rather better trained and funded referees than equal split or "affirmative action" for QLD referees.