Just watched some of the replays on BBC. I can't say how infuriated I was that Isa didn't get binned for a grapple tackle on Lauaki that was clear as day, picked up by the touch judge, and caused a fracas, yet Radford got one in the first 5 minutes that confused everybody. That's the sort of inconsistent decision that infuriates fans and players and has a hugely significant impact on the game. It's such a massive swing of inconsistency that hugely benefits one club.
Talking to players constantly with warnings given but no actual punishments all game stopped momentum every time and did nothing to stop the problems, in fact added to them. The players in the end knew the ref wasn't going to do anything about anything other than talk, so they start taking things into their own hands. It's frustrating. In the end, it got a bit too much for Long, who apparently lost his head (nearly literally at one point), but that's what happens when officials are so poor.
Childs wasn't biased. He was just absolutely shocking.
In regards to Agar's fine, probably deserved it. Some of the things he said was so unprofessional and counter-productive. Speaking your mind might be admirable to some, but it doesn't get the job done. It rendered the official complaint useless as Agar had gotten so personal that he was the one that was going to cop for it. He might as well have just called him a c*nt to the cameras! If he'd have just said something along the lines of "We're going to put in an official complaint about the official to the RFL as myself and the players feel his performance was totally inconsistent and unacceptable and that is all I will say on the matter", then he may not have gotten into bother. He totally disrespected James Childs by ripping into him, and that is not what we need in our game.
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