There needs to be a complete change of the approach to refereeing the game at the top level in this country. The transition time to the new approach (when the number of penalties would go up initially) wouldn't take long. It would be a permanent change for the good.
Watchers of RL on TV must be so sick of the incessant, 80 minute bawling and shouting of referees. Just turning the mic off wouldn't help the players. Don't know how they can stand it.
If referees concentrated on quietly refereeing the game, they might get more things right first time and reduce the need for video ref intervention.
This non-stop coaching has to stop. All the ref has to do is call held when a tackle is complete. No need to shout move, away or anything else. Once held is called, those in the tackle have to release and roll away immediately. They know that. If they don't do it, penalise them. Same when the ball comes out of the scrum. No need for the ref to bawl 'out!'. That's the players' job eg the scrum half to let his forwards know. If the scrum breaks or the defence encroaches within the 10 before the ball is out, just penalise them. Another example - bawling and shouting at anybody who is in front of the kicker. Just stop it. It's players' responsibility to stay on side or know to keep out of the action if they're not.
Players would soon learn and get the message and everybody could get on with playing the game in some sort of peace.
All this was brought in with the aim of speeding up the game to improve the spectacle on TV. But it was meant to be achieved in silence from the point of view of the TV viewer not accompanied by 80 minutes of the referee bawling and shouting out of the TV screen. Sky & BBC don't broadcast the ref for any soccer matches, so why for RL? Possibly because soccer refs are pretty quiet most of the match anyway? For RL matches on TV I'd only switch the ref's mic on when there is a stoppage in play for a penalised player to be admonished. That can be an interesting aside to hear. I'm not sure either that all this first name stuff makes much difference on the pitch or indeed reflects well on the sport - casual viewers probably get the impression that the game is trying to move away from - i e the idea that everybody involved knows everybody else because it's a small sport.
On a slightly different tack (but acknowledging global interpretations probably need to be agreed with the NRL in reality) I'd start penalising any tackled player who propels the ball backwards with a hand at the play the ball. Make them play it back with the foot as per the laws.

I agree, I'd add players stepping off the mark in the act of playing the ball to your list and also then play acting that seems to be creeping in such as Walmsleys dive for the penalty on the stroke of half time last night, not sure how to eliminate that though, maybe retrospective bans?

Absolute garbage. If the players played to the rule, the coaches coached to the rules and the fans understood the rules then there wouldn't be a problem.
Obviously something must be wrong but what is it. I can give an educated guess but somehow blinkers and myopia seem to be the winner especially when your team loses.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE, HOLD, HOLD, HOLD BEN, HOLD, HOLD, HOLD, GO.

Did you think to ask the players whether they preferred being helped by the ref to avoid conceding penalties or are you just unhappy about being able to hear it on the TV?

I don't mind about the ref telling a player who's offside not to get involved or to get back onside. That just seems reasonable and logical to me.

I agree with the OP on some other issues though.

I don't think it's necessary to constantly tell the players to move from every tackle. He call the tackle though it's usually obvious when a player is tackled as he's on the floor.
Agree also on the ref telling the players the ball is out of the scrum. If they break too early then penalise them and so change the behaviour. Might create more space from scrums. Whilst on scrums, would it help if the scrums were taken on the 10m rather than the 20m line in from touch? Again giving more space?

Definitely 100% agree on not needing to hear the ref on tv all the time. It's entirely unnecessary. As mentioned, just turn it on when there's an incident or the ref is talking to players during a stoppage. I'm sure somebody on the TV crew could monitor the refs mic and then replay anything interesting that has been missed "live".
I think hearing the refs all the time detracts from the game when watching on TV and adds to the somewhat chaotic and non-stop flurry of voices we hear on TV RL games now. It's quite rare to have even 2 or 3 seconds without someone talking now. Which I don't think is good. We don't always need that. It's not on the radio.

as someone who reffed football at a pretty high level I can tell you that you need dialogue. if you can talk to players, get a rapport it's far easier to ref.
for me it's the sky mic that's the issue. you don't hear it then it's not bloody annoying.
as for the rest if the ref's clamped down on moving off the mark, by that I mean moving a lot, not half a yard to get a quick ptb, then it would stop.
I think, in the main, refs do a good job. don't forget it's at 100 mph and at ground level not from a camera high up.
however only they can clamp down on moving, dissent etc. in that regard the balls in their court

The trouble with calling "move" is that it's made "held" redundant. Players keep tackling and lying on until they're told to move, which is often a few seconds after held.

As a former player I loved having a ref that talked to you during the game .
You will often hear the ref giving players warnings on the go too a lot of the time it can cut out the game being a penalty fest . I for one enjoy hearing the ref on Sky but In this modern day and age Im sure there could be a red button version without the Ref mike .

Refs always talked a lot, it was just that we couldn't hear them before Sky wired them up.

Nothing wrong with the refs talking to the players, but i do agree the play the ball needs sorting out.
Just call held, no dominant takles

stop players moving off the mark when playing the ball (wigan started this years ago but every superleague team is at it now)
Stand up before playing the ball.
There needs to be a second official managing the play the ball to keep it clean and scrums and drop outs are just an excuse for the team under pressure to slow the game. The officals are happy for this to happen.

The moving off the mark is the biggest blight on the game at the moment and is hardly ever penalized at all . Hicks officiating last night was a joke . 2 seasons ago he hardly ever got a televised game so it just shows how far backwards the reffing has gone now he is doing semi final footy . I would love to sit through games with the referee's controller and get his views on some of the garbage decisions being made . And lastly lets get rid of the ridiculous refs call on if it is a try or not and go with the video ref , therefore getting the most probable outcome rather than the onfield ref is probably wrong but i can't prove it so will have to go with him .

There are so many things that are wrong with the game at the moment, especially on the field, the game doesn't even resemble a RL game half the time, it's just too messy and the authorities must take the blame as they have let things go to an extent where it's almost an acceptable part of the game now, like diving and falling over in football is. a grip needs to be gotten for it to stop and become a good clean game or rugby league again.

Yes agree with you and can we go back to the scrums how they used to be now its chuck it in to the back row and get on with it the scrum was far better in the old days down the middle and let the hookers try to get it out

At the moment our scrums are a way of getting the ball back into play and removing 6 players from the defensive line. Go back to how they where and they would become more like RU scrums with all the mess that brings, add the fact that without the 2 flankers to hold the scrum together ours would be more liable to end up with the second row push through the front row increasing the chances of injury. This would also means forwards would need to spend a chunk of training working on scrummaging to the detriment of other areas such as ball handling.

Even the scrums of yesteryear weren't great and it's hard to remember when a ball was put into the centre of the scrum (although I can still remember penalties being given for "feeding", it's been a long time though).

The messy area of the game is around the ruck though and it would certainly help the game to clean up this area.
Players coming in late, players moving off the mark, deliberately holding the attacking player down and the tackler being held by the tackled player.
These are all areas where the game needs to be cleaner plus, managing the 10 metres.
Some teams seem to get away with murder most of the time and it's frustrating to watch.

Also, some of the play acting needs stamping out, or we will end up like football plus, haranguing the ref, which happens in almost every game now and is the easiest for the officials to sort out.

Either march the team back 10 metres or sin bin the offending player, it would cease instantly.

Reasonable and logical, the only problem is that refs selectively do it. You get the big names or big name teams, the captains and the ones who never shut the up who the ref seems to give help to then the 'smaller' clubs or lesser known players are just left to be penalised as the ref has selectively chosen not to coach those players into not conceding a penalty.

Another bad one with the refs is that they'll let blatent offences go and go and go and go then penalise one random one for the same thing that's been going on and say "that's the fourth time you've done that and I've had enough of it!" - well if you'd penalised it the first time Mr Referee everyone wouldn't be blatantly ignoring the rules and making the game a ing mess!

It's the rucks though that are the worst. They're a disgraceful mess!

Should refs tell players theyre offside or to clear the ruck. Surely they shouldnt coach teams who know the rules and try to bend them. If they get caught out its theyre own fault. For me the ref should shout held and give the tacklers a pre determined amount of seconds to clear the ruck. Think its players staying on their feet but making no progress whilst trying to offload the ball that creates the mess and results in messy tackling trying to put em down. As does the act of the defender grabbing the ball carriers ankle as they get up.
the flat pass is my pet hate as it has allowed a lot of unpunished forward passes .
Dont mind hearing the ref explain decisions in the game but would like to see em explain dodgy decisions after the game but that will never happen.
Aussie fans etc also complain about reffing so its not endemic to sl( or most sports for that matter)

When you constantly read about ALL the problems on the field and the things that happen their is always one CONSTANT!!!!!
It's the players, no one else is creating and causing the problems. It's not the match officials, it's not the fans, it's not the coaches , on the field it's the PLAYERS.
Why people can't understand this is beyond me but then I suppose it's like the reaction to speeding. Try and get away with it, get caught and blame the speed cameras or police for catching you but the driver is never at at fault. That of course is total b@ll**

you're partially correct, it is the players and coaches who are causing the problems.
however only the refs can stop them. penalise all over the top dissent, which they now mostly ignore, and it will stop. penalise players who move miles off the mark and it will stop.
same as refs in football. they let holding go on in the box for years, now they are clamping down on it players are having to change the way they defend

To use your analogy it's like driving at 40 in a 40 zone for most of the time but then getting caught by a speed camera that's been changed to 30.
Thats why the refereeing is important.

Of course the players share some blame, as do coaches, I don't know why you're so keen to absolve them of responsibility. But it's about how to best change the behaviour of the players and coaches.

It would seem reasonable to suggest that the refereeing and disciplinary are the best tools to change that behaviour in many circumstances.

Typically contrarian and utterly nonsensical; akin to saying that yes, there are many social ills related to alcohol and the behaviour of people who drink too much and blight our city centres with antisocial behaviour, but the answer is not in policing or prevention - just for those people to drink and fight less.

FWIW, I agree with many of the OP's points - referees have become busy fools, over-focusing on the constant coaching of players and not penalising enough the behaviour they're appearing to try to prevent by persuasion; the ruck is probably the best example of an area of the game that has been totally lost by officials - to the point where some games are virtually unwatchable due to the slowing, spoiling, wrestling and cheating that *is* being coached into players - that's just a fact.

The constant yelling is irritating - but I take the point that dialogue with the players is important - the simple answer would be to turn the mic off until a stoppage happens, when they're likely to be saying something of interest; then ask the growing gang of commentators to STFU for a scant few seconds so that what the ref is saying can actually be heard by the long-suffering viewer. As it stands, they argue amongst themselves and ask Stuart Cummings to pronounce on what the ref *should* do, whilst he's actually doing it.

The game is probably the least enjoyable as a spectacle that it has been for many years - and that for me is very much down to the RFL to resolve; penalise the snot out of every player of every team in every game for the opening rounds of the season - and watch how quickly Wane and co sack their wrestle coaches and start concentrating on defence instead of 'winning' the ruck and milking penalties.

The wrestle and similar are allowed to creep in when too much attention is paid to the views of coaches rather than fans on rules. Its something coaches can work on and train for. The fact that it badly affects the spectacle isn't what counts to coaches. That's why they shouldn't have too much say on rule changes.

You're right! Why haven't the RFL thought of getting rid of refs and just asking the players nicely to cut out all the infringements. Think of the time and money they'd save!

Only problem is only a few people would still know the rules


How would the games be?