Tuesday, February 22, 2011

With the start of the 2011 NRL season fast approaching, I will, over the next couple of weeks, be outlining some of the things that would be tremendous to see happen over the upcoming months of this season, as well as some of the things we could do without. So, let's begin with something that has no place in our game such as the:



The Referees Recourse

Yes, you know, that vomit-inducing, time-wasting exercise more commonly known as the referees lecture.

That odious exercise that, so far as anyone has ever been able to ascertain, brings no tangible effect to the game of rugby league.

Admittedly, the referees are only following the instructions of their bosses, but, all the same, it is a practice that has all the appeal of a meeting of the minds that is a hillbillies convention.

Not only does it waste precious seconds of the rugby league viewer’s valuable time, but, the team that has been penalised deliberately uses it to set their defensive line, thus negating the advantage their opposition may have gained from being awarded a penalty in the first place. Way too much jibber-jabber for the liking of most, and jibber-jabber we most certainly do not need.

Perhaps the referees should attempt that rather novel notion of sending the offending player to the sin-bin. And, keep sending them off until the message sinks in. Finally, when their team is down to ten players, with any luck, they will finally catch on that it can be rather difficult playing with a man down, thus necessitating the need to now play within the laws of the game. And their sticking to the laws of the game would save the rest of us from suffering that diatribe of the senses that is a referee’s lecture. For, jibber-jabber we do not want.

The stakeholders in the great game of rugby league are the fans. Without them, there would be no NRL. Players and referees alike would no longer be able to earn a living doing what they enjoy. So, let the fans, and especially the tortured television viewer, enjoy the game without having to listen to the nonsensical gibberish that is the referee’s recourse.

Jibber-jabber, be gone with you.

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