WE are in the middle of hot summer months but the thoughts and minds of NRL players, coaches, club CEOs and supporters will soon be on the kick-off to the NRL season, eight weeks away.
Friday, March 13, is the start of the 2009 NRL season.
South-west Sydney has three NRL teams Wests Tigers, Parramatta and the Bulldogs. All missed the top eight last year.
And the long wait over summer for the players, coaches and supporters is only a few weeks away. Trial games begin on Sunday, February 8, 5.15pm, with Wests Tigers and Souths playing at Redfern Oval.
Parramatta's first trial is against Penrith at Penrith Park on Saturday, February 21, 8pm. One can't wait for it to begin. The Bulldogs will tackle the Dragons on Saturday, February 21, at WIN Stadium, 7pm, at Wollongong.
The players have endured one of the hottest summers for several years while training for the challenges.
The most significant change this year is the implementation of two referees starting in the trials to give the teams an idea of what to expect when the season starts next month.
Rugby League has been evolving since its inception in 1908. The thought of two referees officiating in the games at the highest level was a moon ride a few seasons ago.
The experiment was trialled a few seasons ago and at the 2008 NRL coaches' conference was supported unanimously to be introduced by this year.
The lightning speed and physicality of the game, multiple tacklers on the ball carrier, wrestling in the play-the-ball, rushing defensive lines and overall tempo and athleticism of the players has brought about the move from one referee to two. Former topflight NRL referee Bill Harrigan is the assistant referees' coach to Robert Finch.
Together they oversee the NRL referees' squads, their training and development. Harrigan also doubles as a video referee at matches.
Finch and Harrigan work with the full-time squad at ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park referee headquarters. Could the two referees be the most drastic change to the game since the change from unlimited tackles to four tackles in 1967 then to six-tackle footy, which came into vogue in 1971?
And don't forget when the game was played with no replacements under the unlimited tackle rule, when two replacements were permitted then the interchange rule where players are rotated a maximum of 10 times a match using four bench players.
And the distance between the attacking and defensive teams has altered dramatically over the years from three metres to five metres and now 10 metres. Time will tell if two refs are better than one.
Like all laws and rules changes it does take time for the participants, administrators, officials and the fans who arguably are the hardest markers of them all to make up their minds.
Harrigan is confident after the initial teething processes the two referees will work and players, coaches and fans will embrace it.
``We have 20 full-time referees in the squads this year,'' Harrigan said.
``We're in the process of getting to all the NRL clubs at training and running through the changes and how the new system will work.
``The two referees on the field will start in the trial games and is here for 2009.''
Harrigan said the two referees will involve a head referee taking the defensive team back the 10 metres and officiating on the play.
A touch judge will be on the sideline at the play-the-ball area to monitor forward passes.
The other touch judge will stand back, with the head referee ensuring the defensive teams are on side.
``The second referee or what we term the assist referee will be situated in a pocket a few metres away from the play the ball with the attacking team to see what is going on in the scrimmage (play-the-ball area),'' Harrigan said.
``He will then notify the head referee if the ball has been lost or stripped in the tackle.''
Harrigan said the advantage of the two referees model is if there is an intercept taken and the play heads down field, the second referee will take control of the game when the player who took the intercept is tackled.
``The other referee will then occupy the role of assist referee in the `pocket' behind the attacking team,'' Harrigan said.
He said full-time referees will be rotated and paired with different partners throughout the season so all whistle blowers get to handle games with each other.
Harrigan said the video referee will still be high up in the stands to adjudicate on tries.
``What we are aiming for is more consistency from the referees with their decision making.''
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