NRL adds another level to officiating quagmire with captain's challenge | Nick Tedeschi

03 March 2020 04:30
Only in rugby league would a major change like a captain’s challenge be rushed through on the eve of the seasonRugby league has an innate ability to make life more difficult. No code knows how to align the gun with its own foot more accurately and shoot. Yet that is what the NRL has done with its decision to introduce the captain’s challenge. Despite being trialled in only two pre-season games, the league decided to add yet another layer to the officiating quagmire just 10 days before the 2020 season is set to kick off. If there is one thing the game does not need, it is more opportunity for confusion and controversy around officiating. The game’s narrative is hijacked weekly by one officiating controversy or another. Some of it is through what some would call human error and what harsher critics would label unacceptable incompetence. Most of the controversy though is systemic, a legacy of HQ’s constant need to tinker and constant refusal to undertake the necessary project of thoroughly tidying up the rules of the game. Related: James Tedesco: 'I don’t really like to brag or big-note myself' | John Davidson Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian