Stiffer penalties for abuse

Press, 28 August 1979, Page 32

Stiffer penalties for abuse

JOHN COFFEY

By

Players who use abusive language to referees during the Canterbury rugby league championship play-offs will risk temporary suspensions in the “sin-bin” or in extreme cases, permanent dismissal from the field.

The president of the Canterbury Rugby League Referees’ Association (Mr Wally McKenzie) and its representative to the provincial board of control (Mr Don Wilson) said yesterday that verbal offr ces were far too prevalent in the premier grade. “One sometimes feels that players, and also coaches, do not give referees a fair go,” Mr McKenzie said. “The referees give up their time on a voluntary basis. “Surely the person a player should least want to upset is the referee, who is officiating in a game in which that player is participating,” he said. Mr Wilson, who is also a nationally ranked referee, said that the criticism was a general one made from observations of premier football, and was not aimed at any particular players or clubs. “I feel that it is a minority faction within the code which spoils it for the others with back-chatting and abuse of referees,” Mr Wilson said. “Our officials are not actually threatened; in the main the offences are confined to swearing and sarcastic remarks, “It is all very stupid, something that one might expect of amateur footballers, and is certainly not becoming of players in Canterbury's top grade,” Mr Wilson said.

From the comments made, it was apparent that quite a number of premier players were limited in their knowledge of the rules. “Players and captains should ask the referees in a respectful manner if they wish to clarify a decision. But that is not being done. Players tend to take matters into their own hands by trying to tell referees what to do,” Mr Wilson said. A concerted effort was made at the start of the season to arrive at mutual understanding among players and referees. Members of the board of control and the referees’ body met club coaches to discuss attitudes on the field, but Mr Wilson said that little improvement had been forthcoming. “If the present position continues it will knock young referees out of the game, and that will be bad for the code. It is sometimes evident that team discipline is lacking, with too much talking causing a decline in concentration and an inevitable deterioration in a match,” he said.

The disputing of decisions was noted by Mr Joe Armitage, a member of the New Zealand Rugby League’s rules and interpretations board from Auckland, when he made a brief visit to Christchurch some weeks ago. Mr Wilson said that referees, until now, had generally reacted to such infringements by taking penalties a further 10 metres upfield. However, he warned that players might be placed in the “sin-bin” or, for a second offence, sent off during the championship matches over the next few weeks.