‘I don’t think that’s fair’: NRL boss Todd Greenberg hits back at referee critics
Apparently the NRL is in crisis.
Criticism of the referees has never been louder, amid calls from fans to scrap the bunker and game technology altogether.
Commentary around the game this season has been heavily focused on all the wrong decisions being made on field and the knock-on effect this trend might have when it comes to the future of rugby league.
Yet NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg seems less phased by the hype. It is an outlook he puts down to perspective.
"I have a pragmatic approach to all of this but there are days that are harder than others," Greenberg told Grandstand's Ladies Who League podcast.
"This last week to be fair, has been nowhere near as bad as some other weeks I've had in rugby league.
"I reflect on this time last year where we were in the middle of what people were thinking was going to be a crisis for the game. Trying to get our players to agree to a collective bargaining agreement.
"People thought players were going to strike. People thought the world was coming to an end and really what we did behind closed doors was we had good negotiation, we came up with an agreement and we moved on to the next challenge."
After a round where Cronulla Sharks coach Shane Flanagan listed every decision that went against his side in their 12-10 loss to the Broncos, it appears referee bashing is almost being encouraged by those in coaching positions.
Greenberg, however, suggested the referees' view of events might change public opinion.
"Quite often coaches will look to deflect attention away from team's performances or their own performances and the best way to deflect is to talk about other issues," he said.
"If you put referees into press conferences — and I'm not for one minute suggesting we would do that — but if you were to do that and they did the opposite, what it would sound like is talking about every player that dropped the ball, every player that missed a tackle, every player particularly in that game that missed a kick from in front.
"Errors are made across the field because there are human beings on the field. Players are going to drop the ball, players will miss tackles and there were some referee mistakes in that game.
"What has frustrated a lot of fans this year particularly, and me as well, is that we have this continued focus on referees' errors only out of a game and I don't think that's fair."
NRL bunker 'here to stay'
Greenberg accepts that a large part of the discussion comes down to technology and mistakes that still occur, despite the amount of money being spent to develop the bunker and numerous angles available with so many cameras at each game.
"People talk about getting rid of the bunker and technology, what they forget is you're going to be sitting in your loungeroom with 16 cameras and you're going to have slow-motion replay on every decision irrelevant of whether we are using that technology or not," he said.
"It is here to stay in every sport. I was fortunate enough to be in Moscow for the final of the Word Cup and I can tell you the whole conversation while I was there was about technology in their sport and the decision-making of the referees.
"I almost had to close my eyes and change the narrative and we were back in Australia with the same [discussion]. It's happening in rugby union, it's happening in the AFL, it's happening in cricket. Every sport is having challenges in this space, we're no different."
When it comes to the pathways and support being lent to referees, Greenberg feels the real issue the public should be worried about is the lack of officials willing to pursue a career at the highest level.
Greenberg concedes the NRL are facing a real challenge building the next batch of male or female referees and a large part of that is the scrutiny that comes with the position.
"I don't have a line outside my office of people standing there saying I want to be a match official, and who would blame them. It's a tough job," he said.
"There's a strong responsibility on people like me and others on making sure the next generation of referees and match officials come up through the ranks.
"It's going to be harder and harder to attract the very best people to come through and do these difficult roles if we don't support them and protect them, which is what I'm determined to do."
Listen to the Todd Greenberg interview on the Ladies Who League podcast.
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