Exactly. I've watched thousands of games & can only think of a couple where the ref has spoiled the game for me. The refs today are generally as good & professional as ever, they are just more scrutinised & vilified than ever, as seems to be the fashion.

It's not so much the refereeing (though there is a "look at me" attitude from some of them) it's the panel. The outcomes too often give the impression of them looking for things to call out and reasons to ban players. I'm not against a points system, but the panel must become much more transparent in the way it works and focus on big ticket issues rather than the minutiae of each game.

A good friend of mine tells me his Dad overheard Whitfield saying in a pub how much he hated Leeds... the man was an outrageously bad referee.

Nearly as bad as Robert Hicks. He kept his hatred to himself though.

hicks was pish poor for everybody...

Under these new rules we actually seem to be in the best position to start the year https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/th ... om-hull-fc

Under these new rules we actually seem to be in the best position to start the year https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/th ... om-hull-fc

Hicks had an agenda with Leeds, I’ve no doubt about that. Amongst many, many bad calls he made against Leeds two in particular stand out. I’m sure most people remember the day Micky Mcclorum tried decapitating Brad Dwyer for Catalans. He then picked up the groggy, bloodied Dwyer and dropped him down again. As the medics tried to stem the bleeding from Dwyers flattened nose and gashed lip, Chris Kendall sought advice from video ref Hicks. He deemed no offence had been committed for the initial head shot or subsequent lifting of an injured player. The judiciary, like everyone else on the planet, said different. Mcclorum was charged with the head shot and most serious grade F charge for lifting an injured player. He was subsequently banned for 6 games which ended his campaign and the start of the following season. It should also have ended Hicks career as a Superleague official. The 2nd well known bit of Hicksery was when he managed to yellow card Danny Mags as he was carried off after the “crocodile roll” tackle from Marc Sneyd who tried unscrewing Danny’s leg. The disciplinary obviously ignored Hicks, banned Sneyd and no charge against McGuire. Stopping short of apologising , Hicks blamed Danny Mags “previous petulance” for his bad read on the situation. You couldn’t make it up.

We should give McNamara and Peter Hood the 2 points back after Tansey-gate

Nerd alert...

You can work out from the RFL disciplinary record that our points b/f were accumulated and so drop out after 12 months as follows:

Lisone - All 5 points 22nd February (the ridiculous 3 match ban he got at Hull KR before things settled down a bit)
Ackers - 1 point 25th July
Bentley - 1 point 2nd March
Connor - 1 point 16th March
Cam Smith - 1 point 28th March and 1 point 3rd August

FWIW micky mac originally copped a game for the high shot, doubled to two following a frivolous appeal. On the other hand his grade f charge was reduced to a grade d and he got four for that. The game was also notable for the ever lovable joel tomkins giving myler the sort of body search normally carried out by customs officers wearing surgical gloves. He got 8.

Not sure last year's officiating was worse, if I'm honest.

Forgot about that one. Maybe Tomkins had aspirations to be a doctor and was just checking for any enlargement in that area.