ARL to meet over two referees

The Australian Rugby League board will meet next Tuesday to discuss whether to use
one or two referees for this year's State of Origin series.
The ARL and New Zealand Rugby League have already agreed to revert to one referee, a
neutral Englishmen, for the May 8 Test match in Brisbane.
One referee will also be in charge for the end of year Four Nations series between
the Kangaroos, Kiwis, Great Britain and France in Europe.
But the ARL board have yet to decide whether to adopt the NRL model for the Origin
series and will discuss recommendations from NRL referees' coach Robert Finch next
Tuesday.
"Two referees have been in the NRL for five weeks," said ARL chairman Geoff Carr.
"The Four Nations at the end of the year will be refereed by one referee because
(some) players come from countries that don't have two referees.
"No one ever said we weren't going to have two referees in other rep footy.
"It is not a real blow to two referees (system) because there is still a high
likelihood we will use them in other games.
"But international footy, after only five weeks in the NRL it is a bit premature to
make those decisions particularly as any other game in the international arena will
be refereed by one referee.
"It is common sense that when you have an international game with international
players who have never had two referees that in the short term we should stick to
one referee."
Finch said he would present statistics supporting the use of two referees for the
Origin series but conceded the decision would ultimately be made by the ARL.
"All the players have worked with two referees. All the referees have only had two
referees this year," said Finch.
"Quite clearly the statistics I will present will show it is clearly a system that
takes a hell of a lot of fatigue away from the referees which allows them to make
better decisions and more of them.
"In the end they make a decision on what they want to do."