Hicks ruined the game as a spectacle. Whistle happy in the first half then a period of letting everything go in the second. It could have been such a good game if he hadn't blown the pea out of it for the first twenty minutes.

Re match officials comments.

Yeah, this 'stamping your authority' rubbish at the start of games. It's the ref's judgement how much he lets the game flow, but what he does need to do is be consistent through 80 minutes.

You can allow teams to stand within the 10 if you get quick play the balls but if you allow within the 10 and allow messing around at the ruck as Hicks did then the game is ruined as a spectacle

Hmmm
Still waiting for match officials to knock on, stand offside,high tackle, strip the ball in a 2 or more player tackle, punch another player, pull another player back running through, tackle a player in the air, obstruct a potential tackler etc, etc..
I see players doing this regularly on the field but never ever match officials.
It seems the majority still posting on here agree with law breaking and minimal if any law enforcement. Perhaps it's the same in their lives outside of the game.

Not exactly a true statement though, is it? Fact is, there have been plenty of complaints that Hicks allowed too much interference once his initial fervour for awarding penalties had petered out.

Maybe, instead of making the usual blasé noises about refs not dropping passes etc., you might like to explain why it's unreasonable to expect a ref to perform well.

For the same reason it is unreasonable to expect the players to be consistent. If a players scores 3 tries in 1game, then 0 then 1 then doesn't score for the next 10 then that's inconsistent. If a player misses 6 tackles one game then misses 0 the next then misses 2 then that is inconsistent.
People are looking for consistency where with so many variables it is impossible to achieve yet all that is spouted is having a go at match officials only.
I would love to see the rules of the game applied the same for each game, but being a realist it isn't going to happen. Just like players have different skills and talents so do match officials. Teams play the opposition and rhe match officials. I remember one who had a downer on the play the ball. He blew the pea out of the whistle. Fans used to say oh it's this match official ,he gives us nowt and penalises us every time. No he didn't, the players just thought they could do as they always had done but forgot they couldn't with this one. It's not rocket science.
Players will always try to get an advantage, their are 26 of them on the field and 3 of the match officials squad,so even simple math says 1 person to control at least 8 at the same time, which actually isn't the case.
If the players want to play by the rules then there would be no need for match officials, they won't so they are needed, but they are human and will make mistakes, sometimes costly to teams, it happens, that's life.
Simple saying," the person who hasn't made a mistake hasn't made anything", yet people don't want to know. If people want true consistency, or as near as possible, look at grid iron and the number of match officials they have and they still get it wrong.
Sorry but people are looking for something that it is impossible to find. It's something that would be an achievement if it happened but I have more chance of being Pope.

I agree with your sentiment, but, there is a difference between consistency and being error free, they aren't the same things. If an official makes a judgement call and is fair and consistent then that's all anyone can ask for. Error free doesn't exist particularly in a world where there is a degree of interpretation involved....one mans great line speed is another mans offside.

You said yourself in professional sport teams/players will look for an edge and push boundaries. What we can ask for is consistency for both teams and throughout the game, stamping your authority or letting it go at the start of a game but pinging everything after 10 minutes or letting the game become a free for all makes for frustrating viewing

Does anybody know who is referee for Saturdays matches?

They haven't anounced them yet.

Announced last week that two NRL refs would be used this week.

Eng/Sco - Gerard Sutton
Aus/NZ - Ben Cummings

Whoever they think put in the two best performances in the opening two rounds will referee the Week 3 matches.

Who are "they"?
Doubt if the match officials experts on here will have a say though

Doubt it, no way am I as "knowledgeable" as the match officials baggers and moaners who post on here.
I accept the match officials do the best they can in the circumstances and will and do make mistakes. Others seem to think they should be infallible.
Didn't someone nail a bloke to a tree for supposedly being infallible