It hasn’t been a good few weeks for rugby league officialdom.

A number of coaches are pushing the limits with the NRL regarding what constitutes a $10,000 breach for attacking the integrity of officials.

Let’s focus on the game

Unfortunately, following the first State of Origin match we are again talking about the accuracy of the decision making process rather than what was a cracker game, played between two traditional foes in the unfamiliar territory of a packed Etihad Stadium.

Alarm bells must be ringing at NRL headquarters given that much of the recent criticism has been levelled at the video referee. Unlike the man in the middle who deserves some sympathy with decisions made in the heat of the battle, the video ref has time to make the correct decision.

Touch and go decision

With the Blues leading 2-0, Jarred Hayne scooted down the left hand touch line, evaded several defenders and scored what looked like a spectacular try. The referee was correct in going ‘upstairs’ as Hayne did go very close to the touchline. However, after what seemed endless replays of the tape the video ref determined that Hayne had in fact placed a foot into touch.

What concerned me most about this decision was that the number of replays that were required to arrive at the decision. Surely the more you need to look at a replay, the less conclusive the evidence can be. Where is the benefit of doubt?

What’s wrong with trusting the touch judge?

For me there was one shot that indicated that Hayne ‘may’ have gone into touch. However this was from a video camera located on the far side of the field at about a 45 degree angle. It was not conclusive. The touch judge had a great view of Hayne skirting the touchline and he kept his flag down.

It should be pointed out that NSW also had the benefit of a poor refereeing decision late in the game when a try was awarded to them following a forward pass. However, the video referee decision clearly swung the game as the momentum was all with NSW in the early stages, yet QLD scored a few minutes after the disallowed try making it 2-6 rather than 6-0 or 8-0.

It will be interesting to see how the NRL react to the recent spate of criticism.