NSW coach Brad Fittler has issued the Professional Rugby League Match Officials a stern reality check over its unwillingness to budge on a new one referee system just days out from the NRL's season restart.
The PRLMO is up in arms over the league's plan to reduce on-field referees from two to one for the remainder of the season, claiming it was given little or no consideration before the decision was made.
The league has been at loggerheads with its officials over the past week after repeated attempts at mediation broke down over the issue of the new single referee system.
With only six days remaining until the league's May 28 start date, interim NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirmed the competition would kick off regardless of whether there is one or two referees officiating games - but the threat of strike action from the PRLMO has cast some concerns over the restart.
In its latest statement to the media, the PRLMO backed away from its earlier threat of strike action.
Fittler was baffled that the game's officiators were threatening the livelihood of the league over such a "ridiculous" issue, citing the NRL as the only major competition to play with two referees.
"The fact is, the referees want to hold the game up because they feel that they need two referees," Fittler told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.
"Considering the whole process of referees, they start as a one (single) referee and right up until they get to NRL, they only then get to two referees.
"Mind you, 10 years ago there was only one referee and in international games there's only one referee, and in Super League in England there is only one referee. It's just ridiculous. Totally ridiculous.
"It'd be interesting to ask the referees themselves how many of them are going to sacrifice their opportunity to be a referee as of next week for the sake of having two referees (on the park). I just think all of them would say 'No way'.
"It'd be interesting if you got them one on one, got them aside and had time with each referee to see what their opinion would be."
The PRLMO's case hinges on its original agreement with the NRL, which was based on a two-referee, two-touch-judge model.
It has since dug its heels in during negotiations, refusing to take a backward step over plans to use just one referee for the 2020 season.
PRLMO chair Silvio Del Vecchio has publicly declared referees will not hold up the start of the season with strike action, although it remains an option.
"At this stage there's no talk of any strike action from the refs, we're just settling a few issues that they have brought to the surface," Abdo said.
"We're confident if we haven't settled this before arbitration, then following arbitration we will be in a situation where our full-time refs will be taking the field on Thursday."
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-referees-dispute-brad-fittler-slams-officials/cf4bf1d9-01fa-48b5-9e2f-124a3bd897c6
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