Oddly enough he used to be a pretty good ref. Heaven knows what has happened to him - maybe pee'd off that Child got an SL spot and he didnt? After our last game he spent some time in Championship 1 for getting the rules wrong and handing Fev the drop goal chance. And today, another close game that could have gone either way thanks to some odd decisions. (I didn't seem much wrong with our disallowed try and another certain try chalked off for a forward pass that seemed ok).

Problem is, are there lots of great young refs coming up through the ranks at the moment?

Still, despite that, a good, exciting game of RL between two well matched teams - I think the difference is that you are slightly better coached than we are. We do lack organisation and co-ordination at times, but to give Cullen the benefit of the doubt that could be because we can't seem to put the same team on the pitch two weeks running because of injuries. And we lack a quality scrum half to take the team around the pitch. Still, plenty of positives for us to take from today.

Widnes played well today and were on the wrong end off some tough decisions, Fev probably just deserved to edge a tough game however. As for the incident regards the drop goal at yours, well i watched that game on DVD and the ref in my opinion got that one right. You packed down without a loose and he pulled the scrum up and told the scrum half, so they packed down again, and yet again there was no loose and no one even making there way to the scrum. School boy stuff, how many times does a team need telling to get a loose in the scrum.

At the Stobart Widnes were rightly penalised for offside on one occasion (after a kick offside players failed to give 10 metres to the Fev reciever) but the twerp said the penalty should be taken from where the kick was taken!

Which is the decision I was referring to which cost us 40 meteres (and Mr Leahey a stint in Champ 1), not the packing at the scrum which was just down to the players and another example of lack of organisation.

Sheffield away - Hardman going over had the ball ripped out - Leahy awards a penalty try. That rule had been revoked 2 years ago and Fev should just have been awarded a penalty. He just isn't clear on the rules and the official line on that decision was again, that he got it wrong!
The man is inept.

I've used examples for when fev have benefitted from his decisions to avoid tit for tat type posts and this is about his ability to officiate rugby league.
There have been many occasions I could cite wheere our opposition has benefitted from his ineptitude.

Get rid!

There were some tough decisions for both sides today I thought, and ones that I cant explain. You cant have watched the Widnes DVD as it clearly shows initially Widnes did pack down without a LF and the ref (was it Leahy again) pointed this out, and recalled the scrum. Gerrard was on his way to join the scrum, when the ref called for the scrum to be formed, Gerrard hadnt quite made it there but was only a couple of yards away, a couple more seconds and he would have been there. The ref should have waited as Gerrard was clearly on his way to pack down. Maybe the DVD you have seen doesnt have a wide enough shot??.

Further to the Fev game on 27.06.10, the Widnes DVD shows the call to give Gannon offside was a very tough one indeed, virtually impossible to call, and it also shows a Fev player knocking on initially in the mix up in the corner, when Fev were awarded a try. Still its in the newspapers now innit.


THE HOOF