I agree with you on the matter that the team shouldn't be bothered about who the ref is. It backs up the point that we both made that referee mistakes even themselves up over the season, or indeed over the match as it did in the Bradford cup tie.

What really winds me up is the muppets who come on every week crying "oh it's such and such a ref this week, he's a cheat/biased to the other team/can't referee to save his life/Stuart Cummins hasn't a clue about anything" and can't get their minds around the fact that the choice of referee doesn't make the blindest bit of difference. If these idiots think it so easy to ref a match why don't they try it?

To be fair Cummings doesn't have much of a clue.

Did you not watch the WCC? Silverwood slowing the game down, this game is perfect for fats open Rugby, from us anyway, so why pick Silverwood? Ganson would of suited this game alot better.

I did watch it - have you not watched any of the matches Silverwood has reff'd since? Saints v Leeds was a cracker. Wire v Wigan at the HJ was one of the 2 best games of the season, one regarded by many as of NRL intensity. Ref's don't change matches, players do. If it's so easy to ref, let me know when you make your SL debut in the middle.

All I am saying is he is not the right man to Ref such this high intensive game. Yes I did watch our game at the HJ as I watch every game of ours and did you not notice the lying on in the tackle by Wigan effectively slowing the game down?

Ganson would of been the best choice as he is regarded as the best Ref in S.L with Silverspud reffing the Humberside derby on Thursday night.

It's all about opinions.

I am presuming that in your opinion Daniel Anderson, Justin Morgan, Ian Millward and Daniel Potter are all muppets and idiots when it comes to matters relating to rugby?

Thye have all expressed very strong views about the performance of particular referees affecting the results of their teams.

I would suggest that the style of a referee has a massive affect on the style and outcome of a game, to suggest otherwise to me is plain daft. Maybe it is that the playiong style of certain teams are not suited to the refereeing style of certain referees, such as Wigan with Bentham, Saints with Smith and us with Silverwood.

Or maybe it's that Silverwood has always had it in for Warrington ever since his topless car-bonnett surfing in Perpignan? A quick look at results with and without Silverwood as referee are pretty persausive that something is not right between him and Warrington.

Precisely, well said Paul.

It was like that with Klein to be honest and I know why.

Being a top team is all about taking the rough with the smooth and sticking to a successful game plan.

I am confident that Warrington are a team with such quality that even where referees do focus on different aspects of a game (which is arguable that they do), we will be able to produce the goods.

I think people do have an argument that for a game of this calibre, the most qualified/ experienced referee should have been selected as they are for Grand Finals etc, as it is going to be a nationwide showcase for our game. However even this argument is countered by the consideration that as independent mediators, it is unfair to cherry pick certain officials for particular LEAGUE games.


Out of interest does anyone know if in theory all officials are meant to officiate the same or a similar number of games (barring unpredictable events such as injury), or are there some referees who get more league games than others?

Good post.

All that I'm aware of is that referees are picked on how they perform the week before, the ref that performs the best will get the biggest game.

Thanks Wire_74.

Oh right I wasn't aware of that, it seems an interesting way to pick referees but I suppose there is logic in there somewhere.

I think Cummings has publicly gone out and said this, but I'm not sure, I have definitley read it somewhere.

You would think that referees are distributed as evenly as possible across all teams within reason to ensure that certain teams can't accuse referees of being biased against them or having a "style" which clashes with their own game plan.

There are obviously implications to this plan, namely that it undermines the idea that all referees should ultimately be the same anyway.

Again just out of interest, does Alibert referee more Catalan games than other referees or does the fact that he is French count for nothing?

i never hear people talk about ref's in the wendyball game like this,do people really think that proffesional ref,s can really be biased against a team or are people just basing it on results of games we lost with certain referees,thats what i think for what its worth,as someone as said its down more to how the player,s perform on the day.

Gutted to hear Silverwood has this gig..I have NEVER repeat NEVER seen this guy handle a high profile game well....

I think we all do

Not at all althout not too sure who Daniel Potter is, guess you mean Mick Potter. These coaches and others make comments about refereeing performances after a game where a refereeing mistake may have appeared to influenced a game. Mistakes happen and if any one of those can hold their hands up to say they have never selected an unfit player or made a signing that's backfired I'd be amazed. Anderson & Millward were/are also adept at the pre-match psychology where they attempt to pressurise a referee by highlighting the opposition's perceived weaknesses, part of the game.

To continue to suggest that a referee is biased against particular clubs is small-minded and verging on libelous to question their professional integrity.

So when do you take your refereeing exams?