I’ve seen and heard some disgraceful attacks on the NRL referees in my 17 years covering the game, but the pile on directed at Kasey Badger on Saturday afternoon was reprehensible.
It started with the shocking behaviour and lack of respect shown by the players on the field and continued with the keyboard cowards on social media.
I was embarrassed to be a rugby league fan over the weekend knowing there are so-called supporters who think vile and abusive comments are acceptable.
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Yes, it wasn’t one of Kasey’s better games, she lost control of the match and looked flustered at times, but she’s human and we all make mistakes.
Badger has worked tirelessly for a crack at the NRL and she deserves to be there. It’s not a tokenistic appointment because she’s a woman, Kasey has toiled away and proven herself worthy of selection in the top grade like everyone else.
To criticise and berate the whistleblower because she’s a woman is shameful and those who stooped to that level should collectively hang their heads in shame. The same goes for David Klemmer who attempted to stand over her on the field.
I would have thought that sort of behaviour warrants a significant penalty to draw a line in the sand, but the Wests Tigers forward will be forced to pay a paltry $3,000 fine.
What sort of a message does that send to the young women, in fact anyone who is thinking about becoming a referee. You’ll be stood over by a front-rower twice your size and the best the NRL can do is fine him $3,000 — it’s absolutely pathetic.
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In comparison, Canterbury’s General Manager of Football Phil Gould was fined $20,000 for labelling the game and some of its new rules as “stupid” on Nine’s 100% Footy last week. My question to those at the NRL would be; what’s more damaging to the game?
Martin Taupau’s wife Michelle summed it up best on X with a photo of Klemmer with an intense look on his face, berating referee Badger with the caption “a picture paints a thousand words. Be better. There’s a process – follow it. Disrespectful. Emotional dysregulation. Power imbalance. I could keep going…”
“Sending love to Kasey after this and all the foul comments i’ve read”.
https://twitter.com/MichelleTaupau/status/1787062476468785482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
If Roosters enforcer Spencer Leniu cops an eight-week suspension for racially vilifying Ezra Mam in the season opener in Las Vegas and Phil Gould is fined $20,000 for slamming the game as “stupid”; how does Klemmer escape with only a $3,000 fine?
The NRL keeps promoting itself as an ‘inclusive game’, it continues to push the success of the women in rugby league and supports organisations like ‘White Ribbon’ which was set up to stop violence against women. Well, what sort of message does a pathetic $3,000 fine send to the rest of the competition?
The vitriol on social media was even worse. We all know it’s become a cesspit of trolls and keyboard cowards who think they can post whatever they like without any consequences.
Thankfully the owner of the Wests Tigers, the Holman Barnes Group took action against one of the supporters who co-hosts the fan podcast ‘Westslife’. Rob Bechara posted during the loss to Canterbury “of course a sin bin! That’s what happens when you have a non-stop biassed (sic) referee all-game.”
“I am so done. This b—- calls “Reed, Reed” all game to say don’t get involved but won’t call him offside. All day long the Bulldogs offside.
“He went even further by posting “haha! She’s got no idea. Back to the kitchen you dumb f—.”
The sexist, misogynistic and disgraceful posts have been called out by other users on social media and the Holman Barnes Group was quick to confirm it had withdrawn its support for the ‘Westslife’ podcast.
Some people within the game seem to forget, without referees there is no rugby league.
The match officials play an important and thankless role in the greatest game of all. They aren’t perfect, but they strive to perform to the high standards expected from them each weekend.
They aren’t robots, they are human!
Supporters of the game can disagree with specific decisions, but there needs to be a level of respect for the role they do and the difficulties associated with it.
We should be encouraging people to become match officials, but the Junior Rugby League Referees Associations admit they are struggling to attract new whistleblowers to the game.
Paul Archer is the president of Canterbury Referees and he’s pointing to the “real problem recruiting referees mainly because of abuse”.
“Over the past few years we have gained a number of young refs including a couple girls who have only lasted one season and gave it away due to abuse,” he said.
We constantly hear about the threat of concussion to rugby league, well it’s time to start making the same noise when it comes to the abuse of match officials.
Queensland coach Billy Slater fired up about it on his podcast by declaring “if you think you can do a better job, go and do it, go and put your hand up to be a referee, don’t go on social-media and be a coward and abuse someone!”
Ironically the NSW Rugby League celebrated respect round over the weekend.
Here’s hoping we start showing the match officials the respect they deserve. The decisions they make are fair game, but the individuals themselves are not.
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Wide World of Sports Radio is heard from 6pm AEDT on 2GB 873am with Mark Levy and co-hosts Brad Fittler (Monday), Paul Gallen (Tuesday) and Ken Sutcliffe (Friday).