The Warriors have been on the receiving end of some questionable refereeing calls of late, something the All Blacks under Richie McCaw never seemed to struggle with. Photos / Getty, Photosport
The Warriors have been on the receiving end of some questionable refereeing calls of late, something the All Blacks under Richie McCaw never seemed to struggle with. Photos / Getty, Photosport
COMMENT
The Warriors appear to have been wronged again — and maybe it is down to what was once coined the "Michael Jordan effect".
Some rugby aficionados in the northern hemisphere might talk about "Richie McCaw syndrome", while football fans with long memories will remember the perceived advantages Sir AlexFerguson used to benefit from at Manchester United.
The big teams, and the best players, seem to get the calls go their way more often than the rest. Call it the rub of the green. Call it luck, or benefit of the doubt. Call it what you will, but it happens, and it probably always will.
The advent of technology has helped — especially in sports like cricket and tennis — but the human element in officiating will always be a factor.
The confirmation on Tuesday from the NRL that their referees erred in awarding a crucial late penalty to the Melbourne Storm, which rescued the Victorian club from the brink of a shock loss to the Auckland team, was no surprise.
We all saw it.
From fans to commentators to ex-players, no one could understand the decision.
Those with the whistle make mistakes, and everyone can live with that.
But this was more an error; during the episode, the referees actually called a "surrender" tackle.
Without getting too technical, that essentially means the ball-carrier loses all rights to a quick play-the-ball.
Barely three seconds had elapsed from the time Jesse Bromwich was tackled to the moment he dropped the ball as he attempted to play it while barely back on his feet.
Despite that, the two officials on the field found no fault.
So what happened?
No one is saying the match officials are intentionally biased. You can't question their professionalism or integrity.
There's no conspiracy theory here, just a little touch of human psychology.
Opponents - and many officials - seemed to freeze when Michael Jordan was on a roll. Photo / Getty
Look at Jordan. He was arguably the best basketballer of all time and seemed to transfix umpires into a stupor.
Across his career he was never called for "travelling", and hardly chalked up any fouls, while any hint of aggressive play against him was instantly punished.
It felt like the officials saw the iconic No23 and they were looking at Medusa: they just froze.
One analysis calculated the "effect" gave the Chicago Bulls at least a five-point swing in every game.
McCaw could be studied in a similar light.
He was the best openside flanker in history, and adapted to the rules —and any changes — quicker than anyone.
But he also appeared to have the knack of avoiding sanction from the referees such was his ability, respect, aura and presence.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw at the Rugby World Cup Semi Final 2015. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Opponents of Manchester United during the 1990s and 2000s used to constantly complain about "Fergie time".
It seemed whenever the Red Devils were in trouble — especially at Old Trafford - the referees would add an excessive amount of extra time.
When Hawkeye technology was first brought into tennis, Roger Federer was a persistent critic of the idea.
He didn't like it, didn't trust it and didn't feel it was necessary, but maybe the Swiss also knew that it negated the perceived advantage that had accrued to world number 1s over time, especially with Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg in the 1970s.
So what is happening here? It's both complex and simple, but essentially NRL referees seem to subconsciously give Melbourne Storm and their legendary captain more leeway just because of who they are.
For a team such as the Warriors, there is no easy answer.
Over the past few seasons, there are multiple examples of them being dudded by calls, and the NRL referees department admitting mistakes after the fact.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport.co.nz.
It's much harder to recall the equivalent with the Storm, or the Roosters, or the Rabbitohs.
It's not the reason for the Warriors' struggles over the past few seasons — not at all — but just another small obstacle in their path to sustained success.
The only solution seems to be to get better, win more and earn the right to more respect.
