The Serve

Referees get press conferences now?

A strange Tuesday, indeed. Both the AFL and NRL announced their officials for their respective grand finals, with each organisation feeling the need to hold a press conference.

Gone are the days when you would only discover the name of the officials when you turned up at the oval and open up Football Record or Big League.

Also gone it seems are the days when sport prefers its decision makers to go unnoticed, like the ball boys, or quality pre game entertainment.

At Telstra Stadium, Tony Archer looked nervous and uncomfortable. Never done a grand final, nor an origin. His first crack at the big time. Asked to take stroll out onto the arena for the photographers, Archer seemed to take it all in, almost physically hit with the realisation that 80,000 people will be watching him.

Now, he has five days to think about it.

He doesn’t need this.

Archer has been the standout referee in the second half of the season. While his contemporaries have gone the one step forward, two steps back routine, Archer has quietly built a nice rapport with players and made sensible and educated decisions. It was only after he handled the opening match of the finals series in Auckland that his stellar rise had become apparent.

Perfect for a man not akin to the bright lights.

Down at AFL house, Scott McClaren was the headline act. This is a man not averse to being in the spotlight, and seemingly not averse to the idea of being the centre of attention.

Therein lies another issue.

Umpires and referees are the same as players. They aim to play in the big games. Players talk about grand final week being a different animal than any other. The media attention, the demands, the fans, the questions, the vitality of the match. It has its affect. Rarely do players perform at their peak on such a stage.

Officials are fortunate in that except for the game, all of the above should not be applicable. The notion of handling a match which will decide the legacy, reputation and perhaps contracts of many young men is a big enough worry, without needing unnecessary attention heaped on.

Another question. What can the poor referees and umpires actually say at a pre-game press conference?

Archer came up with this pearl of wisdom.

“I won’t hesitate to give penalties if players break the rules.”

Glad we held a press conference to confirm that.