There are a few things I don't agree with but not in any particular order.
1. Bad decisions even themselves out over a season. Well, tossing a coin and getting heads or tails evens itself out but refs decisions don't.
2. People saying the ref doesn't affect the result because he doesn't knock on.
3. Forward passes can't be seen on screen so they can't be given to the video ref. We have been complaining about forward passes in rugby union and we only see them on TV. And now we see them in rugby league. I'm not talking about flat passes that go slightly forward but I think we should go to the video ref who could see the obvious ones and ignore the debateable ones.
4. 'Benefit of the doubt' coming up on the screen. Most I've seen should say 'very doubtful but I've no idea'.
5. Refs saying they can see a forward pass by the position of the players hands as he passes the ball. It depends on the angle he is running. Players do not always pass when they are running parallel to the touchline.

Apart from the above I love rugby league and can't wait for the next game.

I disagree.

I don't agree with the reasons you gave but I get your point.

From bitter personal experience (no more so than last season) point one is totally sport on. It's not just the decisions themselves but the timing of them. Think about it. They can never realistically even up, especially if you get less penalties than any other team.

1. maybe not over a season but there will be ups and downs over years.
2. of course he affects the result hence its so bloody hard to be a superleague ref if he didn't affect the result they'd led any plank take up the whistle. oh wait.......

3.of course you can see it on tv! all you need is 2 fixed points of reference. i.e the touch line and the 20m scrum line. then draw a line between them and extend across the pitch. in the nfl they have pretty coloured lines running across the pitch for down markers so its not to hard.

its more of a case of do we really need to go to the video ref for everything! i think that some refs think they can use the video ref to check offside/crossing etc before tries to cover their own lazyness.

4.see point 1 flip a coin it will even itself out



5. if you play or ref alot you can very easily build a picture of geometry in your mind. you will no when a pass is forward because it will look wrong! hard to explain but it does just look wrong. the wonders of the human mind

If a player receives a forward pass he would actually be standing in an offside position and as they check for onside/offside surely they could do this for forward passes

but would he actually be offside? surely as long as he is level or behind the passing player at the time of the pass he is onside?

Refs always, and pretty much only, check the passer's hands to judge a pass. The rules state it doesn't matter where the ball goes after it leaves the hands only what direction it was thrown by the passer.
Hence strong winds or dodgy bounces can't make a pass illegal.
Lines on the pitch or a video screen straight line "marker" make nearly every pass thrown by a running man appear forward so if used players would have to slow right down before releasing the ball!

Do you agree with this? Referees are essential to our great game. They give honest decisions and take far too much criticism. Refs deserve much more respect and overall do a damnn good job.

Err... you might want to read to rules on what a backward pass is! (In Rugby) the direction of a pass has nothing to do with the it's path over the ground. It's relative to the players, not the ground.

couldn't agree more.