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Message: [QUOTE="Foordy, post: 3325214, member: 1769"] Annesley whinging about the game having an "unhealthy obsession" with match officials" [B]he says:[/B] “There is too much of an unhealthy focus around what referees do,” he said. “This game should be about the players and the best team winning the competition, whoever that might be. We generally have an unhealthy obsession in rugby league about match officials. “We announced the referee today as we always do because everyone needs to know who the match officials are. “But after that we should be focusing on the 34 players who are going to take the field and the two coaches who are going to guide their teams through that 80 minutes. “That’s where games are won and lost, not by who has got the whistle and the enforcement of the rules. “Teams have got 80 minutes to try to win a game of football. While every decision a referee makes has an impact on the game, the players have got the ability in their own hands to turn the outcome of the game.” [B]Annesley put the onus on players and trainers to do the right thing.[/B] “Referees are not doctors,” he said. “We saw the incident a year or two ago with Nene Macdonald who had a serious leg fracture and the referees didn’t stop the game. “It was a massive controversy over why the referees didn’t stop the game. If trainers request the game to be stopped, they are going to stop it. “It’s not the referee’s job to determine whether it’s a legitimate stoppage or not. “It’s not something the referees can take a risk with in trying to second guess whether the players are seriously injured or not.” [/QUOTE]

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