Quote ="HKRSid"Refs tend to not like sending players off because they get slated for ruining games.
How about, the offending player has to be substituted and cannot return?
That way the offended team gets some benefit from his actions.'"
Ok I'm going to combine two problems in the game as to why this wouldn't work. On Sunday Bradford had two players in the first half taken from the field injured. Injured enough to not return for the rest of the game. Now say later that game a third man was knocked out but refused to come off the pitch because if he did he wouldn't be allowed to return. He is then subsequently substituted and the coach wouldn't normally let him back on BUT a ref then sends someone off and the coach has no other player to put on in his place other than the player with a head injury.
The game's importance would more often than not come before player safety and for this reason alone should not be considered.
There are question marks about the 'on report' system at the moment, now it is used far more than it should however if an official has not seen the incident or can not get a clear statement from another official at the time then it would be unfair to send off the wrong player or for an incident not worthy of a sending off. On-report can work effectively but a video review system at the time would work best.
People say this is too costly, well HKR have one in the room where the coach sits during games, he can rewind to check what has happened and gives him a clearer indication as to where the players are going wrong...etc so why can't something similar be used with an official on the side lines?
For the time being it doesn't have to be used for try scoring situations, it just has to help find the real perpetrators and see what course of action should be taken. Neil for example used the Kris Welham headbutt. I am in no doubt that he was in the wrong for doing what he did and as many have said it was a red card incident but the opposition player was holding on to his arm and wouldn't let him get a quicker play the ball away. This should have been a penalty for holding down but nothing given. A video footage of this incident could have seen Welham walk but a penalty still given for the first infringement.
Hopefully this statement will ring in the ears at Red Hall and they will change what needs to be changed ASAP.
