Phil Clarke: Looking at rugby league from the referee's viewpoint

Sky Sports rugby league expert Phil Clarke underlines why the courage and integrity of the sport's match officials should never be doubted...

I'm sorry, I got it wrong.

No, not that I advocated a red card rather than yellow when Ben Murdoch-Masila made contact with the head of Matty English last week, but the manner in which I questioned referee Ben Thaler's decision.

I borrowed an old quote from Mick Morgan and said the referee had "bottled it". That the decision was wrong gave me no right to challenge his courage. This was a mistake and I apologise to Ben.

First, let's cover the decision. There is no doubt it should have been a red card. The direct contact does not seem to be in question now as the RFL Match Review Committee issued a two-match penalty notice and Warrington Wolves accepted this without challenge.

It was reckless tackle and we need to try to eradicate those from the game if possible, but red cards are not always a bad thing and referees should be encouraged to use them if they feel it is necessary.

I think they add to the game in a way. They give us the immediate challenge of 12 players taking on 13. Can they do it, find an extra effort and overcome the odds?

It adds an extra element of interest straight away. Even people who do not know the rules understand what it means when a red card is shown, and a player takes that lonely walk from the field.

They provide instant fan reaction and debate and are always a talking point, something that the game needs more of.

If the player has to attend a disciplinary hearing, then we have the drama as we build up to that, debate around the punishment and interest over a possible appeal.

Supporters from rival clubs love to compare and contrast the punishment their favourite player received with those of other clubs.

Some players have even made a name for themselves from the number of red cards they have received. In fact, they might not be as famous if they did not have more red cards than medals!

But let's go back to my apology. The role of a sports pundit on TV is to offer an opinion and I did this when we saw four replays of the tackle which required English to be stretchered off.

I can only imagine the video referee made the mistake here, as it was clearly direct contact of the shoulder to the head. In defence of the referee, he only had one chance to see it live, and had to rely heavily on the advice of the video referee.

We do not know what that advice included but the video referee had a resting heart rate and longer than 10 minutes to inform the referee exactly what could be seen from the different camera angles. Between them, they concluded a yellow card was appropriate. But we all make mistakes and the key is to try to learn from them.

That the officials made an error gave me and everyone else watching full licence to question the decision - but I, nor anyone else, ever has the right to have challenged their integrity, still less, their courage.

It was wrong of me to imply he was not brave enough to make the decision when I never question the bravery of a player. In fact, the bravest people in the sport are the match officials who work at community level.

Going into the clubhouse after a match when you may have incorrectly awarded a last-minute try to the visiting team to win the game is braver than trying to tackle Adrian Morley at full speed.

I had a light-bulb moment last year - well, it was more of a light-bulb meeting. I was invited along to speak to the St Helens Rugby League Referees Society and ended up doing more listening than talking.

I was amazed I had been through life never stopping to think for one minute how things look if you are the referee or touch judge. It struck me they love the game more than any fan, player, coach or chairman that I have ever met.

They sacrifice more, receive less and go almost unappreciated by everyone. I was totally embarrassed I had never been able to see the game from their point of view - I had never even stopped to think about it.

What is even more impressive is their reaction to my on-screen comments. I received the calmly delivered and measured feedback from them that I can judge objectively any decision on factual evidence, and I may even be proven right, but I have no fair means to judge, subjectively, any officials' motives or character traits.

Don't guess, don't make decisions on what is imagined, only on what is seen and known. It was a fair call. They accepted my mistake as they would the referee's mistake. Review what happened, learn from it and try again. Encouragement to do better, not insults, nor retribution.

By using that philosophy, to offer development rather than unhelpful blame or cruel name calling, is a lesson to all involved in sport, and it greatly improves the odds on the official coming back stronger - or at all - to referee the next match. Don't forget, there is no game without a referee.

Everyone involved in the game at any level needs to do all we can to encourage more people to become match officials. I will try in the future to manage my emotions and stick to the facts, knowing the referee loves the game as much as me.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to try officiating, then please contact the RFL match officials department. I am reliably told the experience of being in the middle of the action is 100 times better than watching from the sidelines.

The thrill and satisfaction of being involved in the game is incomparable. They have best seats in the house, because they have worked hard to earn the rights to them.

Good luck, give it a go if you can - and I, for one, will salute your courage and bottle.