Exclusive: Leigh Centurions owner Derek Beaumont wants structure change and speaks out on referees and disciplinary

[josie andrews]

With rugby league at one of the most important stages of its lifetime, plans have been mooted about the possible changes to league structures.

Promotion and relegation has been a key sticking point with some advocates of continuing with the current format and others wanting a franchise system to bring more stability to Super League.

And, for Leigh Centurions owner Derek Beaumont, he wants to see a new structure altogether.

I’m hoping we go into two groups of tens and I think that would be good for the game,” Beaumont told Serious About Rugby League.

The Leigh man also wants to see the referees’ jobs eased.

The job that referees have to do is far too difficult – look at all the decisions they have to make in a split second.

“The ball gets kicked off, the referee has to think ‘is everyone behind the ball?’ ‘Did the ball get caught cleanly?’ ‘Was the tackle high?’ ‘Is the ruck clean?’ ‘Has he got up right?’ ‘Has he played it correctly?’ ‘Is the team offside?’ ‘Is it a forward pass?’

“All of that has gone on in the first ten seconds of the game.”

The Disciplinary Match Review Panel has come in for criticism in recent times, and Beaumont wants the RFL to stop going overboard on charges handed to players after games have gone.

We are micro-analysing the games too much after the event – we are sterilising the game.

Players are frightened to death of everything and then somebody rings you up on Monday morning saying this player in on a charge for things that are dealt with in the game.

“If the game has gone the game has gone – you are actually benefiting the team that plays that team next and not the team that could have gained the advantage during the game.

“The inconsistency is difficult; it’s a difficult job, but it can be made easier by doing less of it.

If it isn’t dealt with by the referee on the field it’s gone and it’s not been dealt with.”

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/exclusiv ... ary-52679/

[josie andrews]

Some sense spoken there.

Lee Briers when asked what rule he would like to see changed, & he mentioned the ‘six again’.

He said if it’s in your own 50 metres it should be a kick, if it’s in your opponents half that’s when the ‘six again’ is more relevant.

I think that’s how he interpreted it

[fozzieskem]

One thing I’d like to see if the sin bin taken out the game,if an offence is bad enough for that then send him off,big Derek is right all too often players get dilly long bans when they’ve not been sent off,makes no sense to me,players would soon learn what was acceptable or not.

[Charriots Offiah]

One thing I’d like to see if the sin bin taken out the game,if an offence is bad enough for that then send him off,big Derek is right all too often players get dilly long bans when they’ve not been sent off,makes no sense to me,players would soon learn what was acceptable or not.

How do you deal with technical offences such as professional fouls?

[medlocke]

Bring the corner flags back into play, Make corner tries more exciting with players having to have the skill to score them rather than just crashing through the flag ala Mackinson, I used to love seeing corner tries scored by a fingertip within a midgies dick from the flag, It used to send shivers down us spine

[moto748]

Bring the corner flags back into play, Make corner tries more exciting with players having to have the skill to score them rather than just crashing through the flag ala Mackinson, I used to love seeing corner tries scored by a fingertip within a midgies dick from the flag, It used to send shivers down us spine

You bring this up regularly, but in fact the number of tries scored in the corner where the corner-flag is hit by the player before grounding the ball (which would not have a try in the past) is pretty small. And I don't think there is anything wrong with those either.

[medlocke]

Bring the corner flags back into play, Make corner tries more exciting with players having to have the skill to score them rather than just crashing through the flag ala Mackinson, I used to love seeing corner tries scored by a fingertip within a midgies dick from the flag, It used to send shivers down us spine

You bring this up regularly, but in fact the number of tries scored in the corner where the corner-flag is hit by the player before grounding the ball (which would not have a try in the past) is pretty small. And I don't think there is anything wrong with those either.

It is more exciting with the danger of the flags, I just don't find those type of tries exciting anymore

[fozzieskem]

One thing I’d like to see if the sin bin taken out the game,if an offence is bad enough for that then send him off,big Derek is right all too often players get dilly long bans when they’ve not been sent off,makes no sense to me,players would soon learn what was acceptable or not.

How do you deal with technical offences such as professional fouls?

Send em off simple as,I feel the sin bin creates more issues than it cures,Degsynis right for a large number of cases if they go to tribunal it helps the teams that follow not the team that the offence was done to,it’s not ideal but players would soon learn and it would lessen pressure on a ref.

But it won’t happen so all food for thought.

[Mike]

One thing I’d like to see if the sin bin taken out the game,if an offence is bad enough for that then send him off,big Derek is right all too often players get dilly long bans when they’ve not been sent off,makes no sense to me,players would soon learn what was acceptable or not.

How do you deal with technical offences such as professional fouls?

Send em off simple as,I feel the sin bin creates more issues than it cures,Degsynis right for a large number of cases if they go to tribunal it helps the teams that follow not the team that the offence was done to,it’s not ideal but players would soon learn and it would lessen pressure on a ref.

But it won’t happen so all food for thought.

I'm not sure this lessens the pressure on a ref. As Derek says above they have to make split second decisions multiple times a second sometimes. You're now saying they have to either send off a player or not, with no on report, or sin bin options. A sending off can change a game hugely, its a big decision to have to get right with no support. I can see this working only if we have TV replays at all the grounds with a ref having the ability to review them to help make their call. It also doesn't help the "teams that play afterwards get the benefit" argument unless we're saying there shouldn't be any bans for foul play, just in game sendings off. Not sure we've ever had that situation?

[PAB721]

I’ve been wondering why, when a player gets a ban, at least one of the games (or the only one if it’s a one game ban) can’t be reserved until such time as his team plays the team he got the ban against, again. At least the team he ‘sinned’ against would get some benefit from a ban-not just a group of random other teams depending on the fixture list.

I’m sure there are a number of practical considerations, but as a concept, does it have any merit?