RefRyanAus
Active Member
Hi everyone,
Today I did a seniors age group school game. No AR’s but both teams think it’s sheep stations. It is wet, damn wet actually, and there are timed and sometimes miss-timed slide tackles going every which way. To be honest, almost every tackle could have been a foul. I thought the playing surface was unsafe but the authorities insisted the game go ahead. Both coaches are offering advice from the sidelines from before kick off. There are no technical areas.
I think I did the first half OK apart from a handball I apparently missed in the penalty area (fair play - I just didn’t see it). The second half was a bit intense and I probably lost a bit of control in the last 10 minutes. 1 yellow for dogso in the penalty area but I probably should have given a few more for reckless tackles and dissent. There is a lot of connection with ball but long slides that upend players. I ask myself is it the leading leg or the trailing leg and does it even matter? I think I managed to confuse myself on some of these tackles.
All up it wasn’t my best day and it has certainly knocked my confidence. This is annoying because it isn’t even a Federation sanctioned game. I am glad there was no assessor.
Just venting really but thought I might put down a couple of learnings too.
1. I shouldn’t have allowed the game to be played at all. It was an unsafe surface and I needed to be firmer in making that point. Because it was unsafe for the players it was also unsafe for the referee.
2. I should have called out undermining dissent earlier - made a rod for myself on that one. Funny - the most damaging dissent today came from someone I refereed with last Sunday... and that threw me. No grudge... I just didn’t expect it. He is a funny bugger and he had me on the back foot from the get go.
3. I needed to set a lower tolerance for fouls given the conditions. I had the setting about right in the first half when the intensity was lower but didn’t predict or immediately appreciate the change in intensity in the last quarter. This was a bad error on my part and led to some poor non- decisions and advantage calls that just heightened the mood.
4. I realise now how much I appreciate being part of a referee team. I missed the advice of my AR’s and the chance to slow the game down by consulting them at the key moment of intensity.
5. I also better appreciate the protections we get through Federation. I felt pretty alone today if I am honest - no AR’s, no mentor, no technical area, no ground official. I am not sure I want to do unsanctioned games again.
Anyway... onwards and upwards. Let’s hope I got this season’s shocker of the way and don’t **** up on Saturday!
Today I did a seniors age group school game. No AR’s but both teams think it’s sheep stations. It is wet, damn wet actually, and there are timed and sometimes miss-timed slide tackles going every which way. To be honest, almost every tackle could have been a foul. I thought the playing surface was unsafe but the authorities insisted the game go ahead. Both coaches are offering advice from the sidelines from before kick off. There are no technical areas.
I think I did the first half OK apart from a handball I apparently missed in the penalty area (fair play - I just didn’t see it). The second half was a bit intense and I probably lost a bit of control in the last 10 minutes. 1 yellow for dogso in the penalty area but I probably should have given a few more for reckless tackles and dissent. There is a lot of connection with ball but long slides that upend players. I ask myself is it the leading leg or the trailing leg and does it even matter? I think I managed to confuse myself on some of these tackles.
All up it wasn’t my best day and it has certainly knocked my confidence. This is annoying because it isn’t even a Federation sanctioned game. I am glad there was no assessor.
Just venting really but thought I might put down a couple of learnings too.
1. I shouldn’t have allowed the game to be played at all. It was an unsafe surface and I needed to be firmer in making that point. Because it was unsafe for the players it was also unsafe for the referee.
2. I should have called out undermining dissent earlier - made a rod for myself on that one. Funny - the most damaging dissent today came from someone I refereed with last Sunday... and that threw me. No grudge... I just didn’t expect it. He is a funny bugger and he had me on the back foot from the get go.
3. I needed to set a lower tolerance for fouls given the conditions. I had the setting about right in the first half when the intensity was lower but didn’t predict or immediately appreciate the change in intensity in the last quarter. This was a bad error on my part and led to some poor non- decisions and advantage calls that just heightened the mood.
4. I realise now how much I appreciate being part of a referee team. I missed the advice of my AR’s and the chance to slow the game down by consulting them at the key moment of intensity.
5. I also better appreciate the protections we get through Federation. I felt pretty alone today if I am honest - no AR’s, no mentor, no technical area, no ground official. I am not sure I want to do unsanctioned games again.
Anyway... onwards and upwards. Let’s hope I got this season’s shocker of the way and don’t **** up on Saturday!