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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 3661759, member: 1899"] Digging through some old Big Leagues, came across this gem from 1998. REFS BEING UNFAIRLY BASHED Former top referee Graham Annesley has responded strongly to the welter of criticism directed at the "coaching" of whistle-blowers by video referees seated in the grand-stand. Annesley pioneered the "video ref" concept in Super League. He was also a key advocate for the wiring up of match referees to the video ref who could then offer advice from the grandstand during the game. The latter development has led to critics maintaining some video refs are over-doing the "chatter" and intimidating the man in the middle with an overload of information. "After years of calls for refereeing to be brought into the 20th century, and for the whistle-blowers to given more assistance, we now have the professional knockers screaming 'leave them alone'," said Annesley who is on the NRL's Match Review Committee and works full-time for the organisation. "These ill-informed critics might well follow this advice themselves and all those who are qualified and experienced in the field, and are out there each week helping to coach and motivate the referees, to get on with the job. "The fact is that the two-way communication system linking the referee with his touch judges and coach in the grandstand together with the introduction of the video referee, are the greatest innovations to help referees in the history of the game." [/QUOTE]

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