Wigan need a new hooter, Super League needs new refs.

I am not sure whether I should take what the RFL’s Match Official’s controller, Stuart Cummings, said this week with a pinch of salt and laugh it off, or whether I should agree with him that the JJB Stadium needs a new hooter?

Every time I have watched a televised game there, the referees manage to get it right and blow the whistle as soon as the tackle is completed after the siren has gone.

But to blame the debacle that occured at the Wigan v Hull KR game on Friday night, as a result of a quiet siren IS quite funny. OK, Wigan have no room to complain as players are told to play to the whistle, but the tackle had been completed on the siren, and therefore the whistle should have gone.

Christopher Irvine, journalist for The Times newspaper said: “I’m not sure about the decibel levels with these things but I find the Wigan hooter the noisest in the business. I jump out of my seat 20 yards away.”

No referee has had a problem before hearing it, so why now? Poor, poor excuses by our great leader who continuously backs up his referees, but yet we see so many errors on the field of play by the merry whistleblowers.

Usually ‘mistakes’ are just down to fans getting the rules wrong, but there are some awful decisions, and I have seen some truly shocking ones this season.

Maybe it is about time Stuart Cummings invested in better referees, who communicate more with their linesmen and fourth officials. Either that or video technology at every ground, so referees can see for themselves what has gone on. There needs to be some more communication somewhere.

Come on Stuart, enough of the excuses!

AS I missed last week’s blog due to exams at University, I thought I would tag on a bit more this week. Firstly, I would like to take time to congratulate Celtic Crusaders on winning their first ever Super League game. They have played some good stuff so far this season and so I can empathise with the club in the fact that they feel they deserve more than the 2 point showing they have so far this season.

Hopefully this will help them kick on in the future.