Putting The NRL Judiciary System On Report For Being A Grade 5 Shambles
In the last few weeks a number of high-profile rulings have shown the NRL’s judiciary system to be a vipers nest of confusing and bad laws. Footy fan Jarret Filmer has gone half-mad trying to figure it all out.
League is a simple game with simple charms: big blokes smash into bigger blokes while small blokes try to run around them.
While league’s well-to-do cousin rugby union has thrived for decades on a set of nigh-on-incomprehensible rules, the appeal of rugby league has always rested largely in its gladiatorial simplicity.
Unfortunately, as rugby league grows into a more corporate beast the sport has been tidying up its rougher edges, and codifying things that had previous been left to personal interpretation. The current state of the judiciary is a prime example of where this meddling has got the NRL.
The judiciary is the kind of disciplinary system that was conceived in a focus group and approved after a Powerpoint presentation over a long lunch of kale crisps and kombucha tea. The primary feature of the judiciary is an arcane grading system laden with a variety of quasi-legalistic terms that describes 17 different offenses with five possible grades each, making for a total of 85 different offenses a player might be charged with. Even Greg Bird has only been charged with 32.
Then there are three different types of high tackle – intentional, reckless and careless – each with five different grades for a total of 15 unique high tackles. Even the most ardent proponent of a swinging arm to the noggin will be hard up explaining the subtle variation of such a gamut of high shots.
The blatant absurdity of the judiciary has been on full display during recent rounds. The Dragons’ Tyson Frizell was suspended for a game for placing a hand on a referee to avoid bumping into him. In the same game the Bulldogs’ Josh Reynolds attempted to trip St George’s Joel Thompson – an offense for which he has been previously suspended twice – only to escape without suspension because of an early guilty plea. This is the league equivalent of giving a litterer three months in jail while letting a serial fraudster walk with a warning.
Then there is the case of Gold Coast’s Ryan James, who didn’t receive even a solitary week on the sideline after breaking the jaw of Tigers star James Tedesco with a swinging arm in a ‘careless’ tackle that was only careless in the same way that the Titanic hitting the iceberg could be considered careless. James escaped suspension because the judiciary determined that his tackle lacked intent and Tedesco had slipped into the tackle which resulted in injury. A more cynical person might suggest that James avoided a suspension because the NRL was loathe to shear Gold Coast of a crucial cog in the run up to the finals given their desperation to ensure the Jarryd Hayne-fuelled Titans are a success.
Oddly the judiciary took into account James’ intention but refused to acknowledge the severity of the injuries inflicted on Tedesco when dishing out the penalty. Surely if a system is designed to assess the intention of the tackler then they should also factor in any injury caused to the tackled player. In essence the judiciary decided that Tedesco was more to blame for his injury than James because he allowed his jaw to come into contact with a swinging arm.
Compare this with the punishment handed out to Frizzell and it is impossible to come to any other conclusion that the judiciary system is hopelessly broken. A serial offender (and the most penalised player in the NRL) ends a star player’s season and likely takes his team’s finals hopes with it, but he receives no suspension while another player attempting to politely prevent a collision with a referee is sat out for a week.
If the judiciary system is designed to mete out justice in a fair and equitable manner, then it’s an utter failure. The only way the NRL could make the judiciary system more unjust is to have it run by the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s department. While Brendan Dassey definitely possesses mental faculties on par with the average front rower and wouldn’t look out of place in a Cronulla jersey the NRL could do without the sort of rank corruption that results in a Netflix documentary series.
All of this would be little more than a source of absurd fun and fodder for apoplectic talkback rants if it wasn’t for the potentially dire consequences of such a Mickey Mouse system. While the NFL and other collision sports are grappling with the long term effects of repeated concussions the NRL has much more dramatic example of what happens when foul play goes wrong. After the illegal tackle that saw Newcastle Knight Alex McKinnon left quadriplegic the NRL can’t be seen to shirk its duty of care for its players.
Players need to be held responsible for their actions, but they also need clear parameters around what constitutes illegal play. Players should be certain what constitutes foul play and what they need to do to stay within the bounds of the rules. Allowing players like James and Reynolds to skate on technicalities and use vague explanations to mitigate their actions will muddy the waters and result in more catastrophic injuries.
League is an inherently violent game but it doesn’t have to be inherently dangerous. The primary purpose of the judiciary should be to ensure the safety of players and level punishments designed to reinforce the boundaries of fair play. The complexity and incomprehensibility of the judiciary system seems to exist solely to allow the NRL to put their finger on the scales. A better system would see experienced league people using common sense and precedent to arrive at a fair outcome.
Players will always push the boundaries. If dirty play can be excused with clever legal maneuvering it will let grubby players act with impunity. League is a simple game, but it also needs to be safe. At the moment the judiciary is doing its best to ensure that it remains neither.
Here is a PDF of the NRL’s 128-page ‘Code of Procedure’
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments