Vote which current ref do you dislike most?

[Rabbits21]

Results should be interesting.

Also discuss who you like best.

Everyone knows my most hated.

One I like most I have to say someone so I’ll say Gerard Sutton don’t mind him he does speak to the players with respect.

 

[Pplspoet]

They’re all fine.

People make way too much re: this ref or that.

I could care less who refs our game. When we’re the better team we win.

 

[brend]

The individuals are just executing to a stupid plan. Their puppet master Annesley needs to be moved on.

Their varying individual interpretations all stem from them attempting to apply Annesley’s instructions.

Everything to do with our officiating feels like it’s just counter intuitive to the fabric of the game. And that all falls back on him!

 

[Rabbits21]

The individuals are just executing to a stupid plan. Their puppet master Annesley needs to be moved on.

Their varying individual interpretations all stem from them attempting to apply Annesley’s instructions.

Everything to do with our officiating feels like it’s just counter intuitive to the fabric of the game. And that all falls back on him!

If you had to pick one though who do you dislike most?

 

[Shauno]

 

[raider]

Klein is a dork but for some reason he seems like he has a soul.

Atkins is just pure venom. A worm of a guy. He is proud of being wrong. He doesn't seem sincere or likeable.

And he robbed us in 2021 when we were the statistical best team in the land.

Penrith hadnt won their titles yet. He had to make sure he got them home.

 

[Rabbits21]

They’re all fine.

People make way too much re: this ref or that.

I could care less who refs our game. When we’re the better team we win.

I think the standard is getting worse and inconsistency.

I don’t think they’re all fine in tight games calls can make a difference when they’re blatant against you. Atkins has a history of scrutinising us more heavily in our games when we have him. If there are 50/50 calls we will rarely get them.

As for when we have him on field or bunker when we play Penrith don’t start me. I was told the club made an official complaint in 2020 about him when we lost the penalties 12-2 to Penrith and had the downtown penalty against Nicholls that we haven’t seen in about 30 years.

 

[Bully]

Is the problem the refs or the rules? The refs have all been turned over in the last x amount of years yet we have the same complaints. There is more rules and interpretations than ever and the game is faster than ever, what allowances have we made with that in mind?

“fixing” the refs is too big a job that no one will take on I think. Theyve overcomplicated the game/rulebook and I can’t imagine anyone is too keen to sit down and simplify it.

 

[Pplspoet]

I think the standard is getting worse and inconsistency.

I don’t think they’re all fine in tight games calls can make a difference when they’re blatant against you. Atkins has a history of scrutinising us more heavily in our games when we have him. If there are 50/50 calls we will rarely get them.

As for when we have him on field or bunker when we play Penrith don’t start me. I was told the club made an official complaint in 2020 about him when we lost the penalties 12-2 to Penrith and had the downtown penalty against Nicholls that we haven’t seen in about 30 years.

It’s the system, not the refs.

Annesley is obsessed with refs getting more calls right than wrong to avoid ref bashing (being a former ref, it’s a reasonable stance).

His approach for the last decade plus, has been to:

- Make rules black and white (they aren’t),

- Over explain rationale of calls - with ‘inside and outside shoulders’, ‘downward pressure’, ‘separation’, etc (missing the fact no one actually cares, the team they follow will dictate their take on a call, not common sense),

- To leverage technology in a ‘big brother’ role with the thought that oversight will improve fan satisfaction for ‘majority of calls’.

On all three points, he’s fundamentally wrong and as a result the game has gone down the path we see now.

For starters, despite him having data that ‘more calls are correct these days’, the average punter feels the exact opposite is true. That should be a clue your approach is flawed.

Defining the rules to the nth degree to fans only creates more debate and emphasises each issue. He’s turned every fan into a part time referee.

And the introduction of technology only angers fans more when a call is wrong.

When it’s one bloke on the ground, you’re angry for a beat, then you chalk it up to bad luck and move on.

When it’s a guy on the field plus 100 camera angles, people want justice as the system has failed them.

It speaks to the choice paradox. Where more choice often leads to less happiness, despite intuition saying the opposite should be true.

The guy is responsible for most of what is wrong with the game.

Unfortunately the commission are happy with him, and for whatever reason, no one who talks about the game feels the need to critique him on anything other than his weekly media appearance to explain what the refs got wrong on the weekend (a farce in itself), so I guess we need to wait for him to retire.

And this rant doesn’t even go into the ‘gotcha’ mentality of referees (which is encouraged), that see the average fan unsure why a number of penalties are blown in any given game.

There’s that coaches saying that if you listen to the fans you’ll end up sitting with them. Well, the referees missed that memo. They are 100% reactionary to fan sentiment and media hoopla, to a fault.

 

[yobbo84]

Refereeing went to shit once they went down the route of game management rather than officiating, and it hasn't recovered. I've died on the hill of refereeing tip sheets enough on here.

Other than that, I don't like the way Grant Atkins talks down to players. The rest of them are victims of the system.

 

[brend]

It’s the system, not the refs.

Annesley is obsessed with refs getting more calls right than wrong to avoid ref bashing (being a former ref, it’s a reasonable stance).

His approach for the last decade plus, has been to:

- Make rules black and white (they aren’t),

- Over explain rationale of calls - with ‘inside and outside shoulders’, ‘downward pressure’, ‘separation’, etc (missing the fact no one actually cares, the team they follow will dictate their take on a call, not common sense),

- To leverage technology in a ‘big brother’ role with the thought that oversight will improve fan satisfaction for ‘majority of calls’.

On all three points, he’s fundamentally wrong and as a result the game has gone down the path we see now.

For starters, despite him having data that ‘more calls are correct these days’, the average punter feels the exact opposite is true. That should be a clue your approach is flawed.

Defining the rules to the nth degree to fans only creates more debate and emphasises each issue. He’s turned every fan into a part time referee.

And the introduction of technology only angers fans more when a call is wrong.

When it’s one bloke on the ground, you’re angry for a beat, then you chalk it up to bad luck and move on.

When it’s a guy on the field plus 100 camera angles, people want justice as the system has failed them.

It speaks to the choice paradox. Where more choice often leads to less happiness, despite intuition saying the opposite should be true.

The guy is responsible for most of what is wrong with the game.

Unfortunately the commission are happy with him, and for whatever reason, no one who talks about the game feels the need to critique him on anything other than his weekly media appearance to explain what the refs got wrong on the weekend (a farce in itself), so I guess we need to wait for him to retire.

And this rant doesn’t even go into the ‘gotcha’ mentality of referees (which is encouraged), that see the average fan unsure why a number of penalties are blown in any given game.

There’s that coaches saying that if you listen to the fans you’ll end up sitting with them. Well, the referees missed that memo. They are 100% reactionary to fan sentiment and media hoopla, to a fault.

I want to take this post out for dinner to thank it for being so right.

 

[Rabbits21]

It’s the system, not the refs.

Annesley is obsessed with refs getting more calls right than wrong to avoid ref bashing (being a former ref, it’s a reasonable stance).

His approach for the last decade plus, has been to:

- Make rules black and white (they aren’t),

- Over explain rationale of calls - with ‘inside and outside shoulders’, ‘downward pressure’, ‘separation’, etc (missing the fact no one actually cares, the team they follow will dictate their take on a call, not common sense),

- To leverage technology in a ‘big brother’ role with the thought that oversight will improve fan satisfaction for ‘majority of calls’.

On all three points, he’s fundamentally wrong and as a result the game has gone down the path we see now.

For starters, despite him having data that ‘more calls are correct these days’, the average punter feels the exact opposite is true. That should be a clue your approach is flawed.

Defining the rules to the nth degree to fans only creates more debate and emphasises each issue. He’s turned every fan into a part time referee.

And the introduction of technology only angers fans more when a call is wrong.

When it’s one bloke on the ground, you’re angry for a beat, then you chalk it up to bad luck and move on.

When it’s a guy on the field plus 100 camera angles, people want justice as the system has failed them.

It speaks to the choice paradox. Where more choice often leads to less happiness, despite intuition saying the opposite should be true.

The guy is responsible for most of what is wrong with the game.

Unfortunately the commission are happy with him, and for whatever reason, no one who talks about the game feels the need to critique him on anything other than his weekly media appearance to explain what the refs got wrong on the weekend (a farce in itself), so I guess we need to wait for him to retire.

And this rant doesn’t even go into the ‘gotcha’ mentality of referees (which is encouraged), that see the average fan unsure why a number of penalties are blown in any given game.

There’s that coaches saying that if you listen to the fans you’ll end up sitting with them. Well, the referees missed that memo. They are 100% reactionary to fan sentiment and media hoopla, to a fault.

I get what you’re saying re the system. But that won’t change my mind that Atkins scrutinises us with a fine toothcomb more and gives more calls against us even when some are blatant he rules against us it’s not a one off it’s a pattern.

In his over explaining too when many can see it’s the wrong call he still defends the call on Mondays Annesley he makes himself look like an idiot.

I agree with you they react to media sentiment for sure and the bunker I think the mistakes are human error often. Although Atkins gives any 50/50 call straight to Penrith.

Hopefully something will change but I won’t hold my breath.

I was told by someone who had a link with the club a few years ago Souths made an official complaint about Atkins to the NRL as they felt he wasn’t being fair reffing our games

 

[SF Bunnykin]

I really don’t like Klein. He has an ability to see things very differently set to set and comes up with more head scratchers than the rest.

Sutton would be my favourite, for me he is at least the most consistent from kick off to full time.

 

[Pplspoet]

I get what you’re saying re the system. But that won’t change my mind that Atkins scrutinises us with a fine toothcomb more and gives more calls against us even when some are blatant he rules against us it’s not a one off it’s a pattern.

In his over explaining too when many can see it’s the wrong call he still defends the call on Mondays Annesley he makes himself look like an idiot.

I agree with you they react to media sentiment for sure and the bunker I think the mistakes are human error often. Although Atkins gives any 50/50 call straight to Penrith.

Hopefully something will change but I won’t hold my breath.

I was told by someone who had a link with the club a few years ago Souths made an official complaint about Atkins to the NRL as they felt he wasn’t being fair reffing our games

I get the Atkins thing. Just after the past two seasons, being worried about getting a tough run in a final against the Panthers feels like a first world problem when we’re sitting in 16th.

 

[brendan299]

I think what annoys me is this whole "put the whistle away" in big games mentality.

It also happens more often towards the end of close matches.

Teams stand offside, hold down in the ruck and push the limits so much more which ruins the spectacle to some extent.

But some nuffies think its great because the ref only blew 3-4 penalties...