Bill Harrigan sacked from role as NRL referees coach
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Paul Kent
The Daily Telegraph
October 27, 2012 12:00AM
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GOODBYE Bill, nothing personal.
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Having written about the failings of referee's boss Bill Harrigan for most of this year, about the loss of confidence by the referees under him, the changes to interpretation he introduced without telling the players and coaches, the mistakes the referees were making - Harrigan finally got the bullet yesterday.
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He had to go.
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The fundamental problem with the Bill Harrigan Approach to Modern Refereeing is best illustrated in an exchange this season when a complaint was made, not for the first time, that defending teams were deliberately and continually standing offside.
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"What do you want us to do, blow 100 penalties?" Harrigan asked.
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To which the proper answer should be, if they are standing offside 100 times, yes.
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And if they are standing offside only 99 times, then blow only 99 penalties.
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Bill never quite got that footballers are smart that way. They'll eventually get it.
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Instead, under the Bill Harrigan Approach to Modern Refereeing the intention was always to "manage" the game, not "referee" the game, which was intended to result in far less penalties and a better flowing game.
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Yes, it sounds terrific.
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It has its roots in Harrigan's own elevation to a first grade referee when he drastically cut down on the amount of penalties given in a game, compared to other referees in other games, because he "managed" players instead of penalising them.
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In other words, instead of pinging an outside back for standing offside, Harrigan called him offside and told him to stay out of the play, the player backed off, play went on, and with no breakdown in play we saw a faster and more free-flowing game.
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What Harrigan failed to understand is the game is so much smarter these days.
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Coaches knew as much and so started daring the referees to penalise them.
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They knew if they stood offside 30 times the referees wouldn't penalise them 30 times - who wants the criticism for blowing so many penalties? - and so the game slowed down.
>
The wrestle began to dominate.
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The playmakers were nullified.
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Look at when Canterbury beat Manly in the opening week of the finals.
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The Bulldogs stood offside most of the night.
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Geoff Toovey nearly wore through two desks in the coaches box slamming down the headphones every time the Bulldogs got away with being offside.
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Toovey blued later, saying, "I thought we were playing back in the 5m rule."
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Yet not a peep came from Harrigan.
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So the next week Toovey got smart, and when the Sea Eagles went out against North Queensland they played, what else, five metre football. They could have shaken hands with Johnathan Thurston on most plays.
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Neil Henry later gave Harrigan eagle cam vision that showed the Sea Eagles standing offside 24 times that night. Manly got penalised five times.
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Why do we care? Because in the Cowboys is the best playmaker in the world.
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When Thurston gets the ball and looks up - and the first thing he sees is several defenders standing offside, he knows he can't go to those plays he has called but instead has to play an inside ball, or some other play. It cuts down his options and limits the football that can be played.
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They are taking the football out of our football and nobody is doing a damn thing about it.
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Harrigan should have addressed it.
>
He didn't. Henry didn't blue about it because he is not that style of coach.
>
But why couldn't Harrigan recognise it?
>
He was either unable - or unwilling - to address the greatest issue in the modern game.
>
Defending teams are increasingly employing illegal tactics without fear of penalty, taking the football out of the game, because the referees' priorities are wrong.
>
The rules are there to penalise offside defensive lines, or markers that float, or the all-too-common nine-second play-the-balls because the teams are taught to wrestle and slow it all down.
>
Harrigan came under extreme pressure early this season when Bob Fulton , Wayne Bennett and Chris Anderson all labelled the game boring and highlighted how the wrestle was killing the contest.
>
A quiet word arrived in Harrigan's ear and for the next two weeks stalling plays were targeted and the game opened up tremendously.
>
It looked like a win.
>
But then, spurred by no urgency to continue, the referees dropped off again, the game went back to the same old ways, and by the end of the season the two teams that emerged on top of the ladder and went through to fight out the grand final were the two teams that wrestled best.
This bloke says it best
>
Paul Kent
The Daily Telegraph
October 27, 2012 12:00AM
\
\
\
\
GOODBYE Bill, nothing personal.
>
Having written about the failings of referee's boss Bill Harrigan for most of this year, about the loss of confidence by the referees under him, the changes to interpretation he introduced without telling the players and coaches, the mistakes the referees were making - Harrigan finally got the bullet yesterday.
>
He had to go.
>
The fundamental problem with the Bill Harrigan Approach to Modern Refereeing is best illustrated in an exchange this season when a complaint was made, not for the first time, that defending teams were deliberately and continually standing offside.
>
"What do you want us to do, blow 100 penalties?" Harrigan asked.
>
To which the proper answer should be, if they are standing offside 100 times, yes.
>
And if they are standing offside only 99 times, then blow only 99 penalties.
>
Bill never quite got that footballers are smart that way. They'll eventually get it.
>
Instead, under the Bill Harrigan Approach to Modern Refereeing the intention was always to "manage" the game, not "referee" the game, which was intended to result in far less penalties and a better flowing game.
>
Yes, it sounds terrific.
>
It has its roots in Harrigan's own elevation to a first grade referee when he drastically cut down on the amount of penalties given in a game, compared to other referees in other games, because he "managed" players instead of penalising them.
>
In other words, instead of pinging an outside back for standing offside, Harrigan called him offside and told him to stay out of the play, the player backed off, play went on, and with no breakdown in play we saw a faster and more free-flowing game.
>
What Harrigan failed to understand is the game is so much smarter these days.
>
Coaches knew as much and so started daring the referees to penalise them.
>
They knew if they stood offside 30 times the referees wouldn't penalise them 30 times - who wants the criticism for blowing so many penalties? - and so the game slowed down.
>
The wrestle began to dominate.
>
The playmakers were nullified.
>
Look at when Canterbury beat Manly in the opening week of the finals.
>
The Bulldogs stood offside most of the night.
>
Geoff Toovey nearly wore through two desks in the coaches box slamming down the headphones every time the Bulldogs got away with being offside.
>
Toovey blued later, saying, "I thought we were playing back in the 5m rule."
>
Yet not a peep came from Harrigan.
>
So the next week Toovey got smart, and when the Sea Eagles went out against North Queensland they played, what else, five metre football. They could have shaken hands with Johnathan Thurston on most plays.
>
Neil Henry later gave Harrigan eagle cam vision that showed the Sea Eagles standing offside 24 times that night. Manly got penalised five times.
>
Why do we care? Because in the Cowboys is the best playmaker in the world.
>
When Thurston gets the ball and looks up - and the first thing he sees is several defenders standing offside, he knows he can't go to those plays he has called but instead has to play an inside ball, or some other play. It cuts down his options and limits the football that can be played.
>
They are taking the football out of our football and nobody is doing a damn thing about it.
>
Harrigan should have addressed it.
>
He didn't. Henry didn't blue about it because he is not that style of coach.
>
But why couldn't Harrigan recognise it?
>
He was either unable - or unwilling - to address the greatest issue in the modern game.
>
Defending teams are increasingly employing illegal tactics without fear of penalty, taking the football out of the game, because the referees' priorities are wrong.
>
The rules are there to penalise offside defensive lines, or markers that float, or the all-too-common nine-second play-the-balls because the teams are taught to wrestle and slow it all down.
>
Harrigan came under extreme pressure early this season when Bob Fulton , Wayne Bennett and Chris Anderson all labelled the game boring and highlighted how the wrestle was killing the contest.
>
A quiet word arrived in Harrigan's ear and for the next two weeks stalling plays were targeted and the game opened up tremendously.
>
It looked like a win.
>
But then, spurred by no urgency to continue, the referees dropped off again, the game went back to the same old ways, and by the end of the season the two teams that emerged on top of the ladder and went through to fight out the grand final were the two teams that wrestled best.
This bloke says it best
