In 50 years of watching sport of all kinds Childs is the worst ref i've ever seen,he should be sacked asap.

The policing of square markers is a real sense of frustration. I'd imagine every single play a marker could be penalised for not being square. Often it's as a result of the attacker moving off the mark.

However, in games refs seem to have a ten min splurge on the offence which is often forgotten for the remainder.

Being completely biased, in the recent defeat to Bulls Ganson had a ten minute splurge on Leeds defenders not being square. the momentum swing that followed helped change the game. Each of his decisions, in isolation, were correct. The frustration is that he didn't police the whole game the same way and he appeared to only police one set of defenders.

Yes. The Badford game was on my mind but I dared not include it for the obvious reason.

Are you feeling OK?

Yes. I know the accusation of sour grapes can be levelled etc but I could care less. The referees can subtly have a real difference on the outcome of a game even when they make technically correct decisions. I felt the Bulls game was one. Not that I cared because, frankly, we didn't deserve to win anyway.


It's Monday morning. I am tired. Had a few beers yesterday. Stools are a little loose. Otherwise fine thanks.

You?

we were poor. BLaming refs is what all the wakey and cas fans I know do. You make your own luck. We were poor.

ps. we were poor

We were poor.

Who is blaming refs?

Can't we discuss refs performances on here?

Under general circumstances I would agree with you. But here I think you are way out.

The try for Blanch would not have been given by ANY other ref. Even someone as stupid as Child should have gone to the video. Had he done that the try would have been chalked off.

At the point in the game where Leeds had momentum we would have been within 2 points (assuming the other points Catalans scored would have still happend), rather than 8 points behind. That score had a massive bearing in how that game was going, and the style of play required.

We would be perfectly reasonable to question Child's performance.

Correct he never missed a tackle either

if you spend a game in your own half then all the decisions that don't go your way are "big". The no try was a joke yes. It was evened up though iirc. Sadly the tackle count, fumbles and time on D wasn't. If that try was the reason you think we lost the game then idk what to say other than we were poor, we got what was coming scrum try or no scrum try.

It's a numbers game and thats something the wakey/cas fans never recognised when citing ref bias toward "the big teams". In the days when we knew how to attack (read we had 1 recognised and top permoring centre) opposition fans used to say we got away with alot but like I say you make your own luck. It happens in all sports.

Up until now I had considered Alibert the worst ref in SL ....pity Child a close second. He's now made it to the top of that league. Appalling decisions throughout . .. We were still crap though: totally devoid of any idea in organised attack other than kick on the fourth.

And can somebody please tell me the point of touch judges / linesmen / linespersons / whatever ?

The amount of obvious forward passes for and against this season missed by these comatosed dummies is enough to make me gasp almost as much as I do when reacting to the stupidity of Cameron / Sarkozy grandstanding over Libya.

Think you can do [url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/referee/coursesbetter[/url?

This is one of my pet hates at the moment. Players are regularly stepping one or two paces forward off the mark to play the ball which often results in an unfair penalty for "interference" or at the very least it has obstructed the first marker and put the attacking side over the gain line and at speed.

It happened a lot last night and also on the Sky match of Friday. Certain sides seem to be coached to do it with the worst offenders being St Helens, Warrington and Wigan.

The same three sides also have players that having made a tackle and well after the "release" insist on giving a final little push on the attacker as he goes onto one foot to play the ball. (Fielden made an artform of it) This sometimes leads to a fumble and loss of possession unfairly which the refs don't pick up on.

The lower standard of officials is certainly effecting results as momentum (or lack of) in SL is so important.

In the early days of SL, Sky used to have a camera high up on a crane which gave a much clearer view of forward passes. On a recent Cup game the BBC still had the crane camera which gave definitive views on forward passes and reminded me of what we now are missing on Sky

No I'm TOO comatose ( at least on a weekend )

Mr Child has been consistently bad at all the Catalan games i've witnessed at Perpignan - he's not been biased,just rubbish for whichever team has been playing.He is a poor ref but no other ref would have made any difference to the outcome - you lot were outplayed by a better drilled/coached outfit on the day.Well played Catalans,what a difference a coach makes........

I've got to agree. I think Childs is appalling, but he didn't make Leeds lose. We are shocking in defence this year, and dis-jointed in attack. Childs should still be questioned by his superiors though.
I know I may be out on a limb, but I reckon Ben Thaler is one of the best refs around. I know he makes the odd mistake, but they all do. He is at least consistent.

can't imagine how Mr Childs has kept his post TBH ! he's consistently bad IMO...

they all will always mak mistakes and about with Mr Thaler though for me Mr.Alibert has been the most consistent so far this season

what's worrying me this season is the lack of support and inability of the TDs to make the correct decisions when some decisions are so bl*****g obvious from the stands...

How polite are the French, to self-edit bleeding.

I tried to argue this case yesterday with my brother but he was right when he said you have to earn penalties. When your markers are all over the place like ours were all the time you are going to get penalities against you. We couldnt get any quick plays, so unless Catalans are careless you aint getting many marker or offside penalties.

Highlighted the penalty count stat because i dont think an 12-11 penalty count in your favour wins you game or a 6-9 penalty count means you lose by 36. The 'coincidence' is wakefield and crusaders are 2 of the 3 worst teams in the league and warrington and catalans are 2 of the best, hence the final score.

bloody right mate !

thought it was clever play by Hendo,he spotted the bad organisation in the Leeds side and played it to his teams' advantage - he's been playing really well in the past couple of months and doesn't get the praise he deserves IMO.
Disappointed with the Rhinos performance - the body language doesn't look right.I saw them arrive at the ground and all the players and staff looked terrified as though the pressure was really on them to get the points.Very reminiscent of the Catalans last season with Mr Walters in charge......

The Webmaster is spot on..............Even in the games where Child officiated when we won he was shocking, had it not been for the poor opposition the result may have been different. We're all waiting for Mr Cummins statement on the Blanche try and how he got it wrong....it was definitely a game breaker, that said we were poor.

Incidentally.............

Hicks...........................played 2 Won 2
Silverwood....................played 4 Won 3 Drawn 1
Alibert..........................played 4 Won 2 Lost 2
Child............................played 4 Won 2 Lost 2
Thaler..........................played 3 Won 1 Lost 2
Ganson.........................played 3 Won 1 Lost 2
Bentham.......................played 1 Lost 1

Lets hope its Hicks of Friday

I am in no way blaming the ref for the poor performance and defeat but a few things baffled me......

* being sat behind the posts i could see this better than i normally do at headingley......I dont think the Dragons players were stood square at the PTB for the entire 2nd half
* WHY??? after all 3 officials allowed play to go on did they decide to go back to the half way to sin bin Delaney for the late challenge just because a Dragons player kicked off starting a 24 man 'brawl'? i didnt think the man in the stand was allowed to be in full contact with the ref...
* Menzies 'spilt ball onto his head' is given as a knock on in every game ive seen it happen in in years.....Childs signalled nothing!!! not play on, not went backwards....NOTHING!


And that new stand is a death trap!!!!

what a whinger ! you lot were beaten fair & square end of.

Leeds were rubbish,badly coached off field and badly disciplined on it.Hendo gave you the run around and as for the so called defence allowing the OAP to run in a try was pathetic !

the brawl was spotted by the lino on the Guasch Tribune side who told Mr Child hence the correct decision for a ten minute sin-bin - nothing to do with a 'man in the crowd',grow up FFS !

the new stand is brilliant with some great views (not so good behind the floodlight pylon in the corner though).If you don't like heights then sit elsewhere.....

Was that in your best French accent Peter??

I cant remember reading any comment anywhere near the notion that we lost the game due to the ref

If the best 4 refs in the NRL had reffed that game we would still have got walloped, maybe by more points

But that doesn't change the fact that the ref was sheiiiite