Tony Archer insists he still has faith in video referees as he prepares for his sixth NRL grand final.
Archer will officiate Sunday’s decider between Canterbury and Melbourne alongside debutant Ben Cummins to end arguably the most drama-filled season for referees in history.
Referees co-coach Bill Harrigan bristled at the line of questioning at Tuesday’s media conference, refusing to discuss past howlers.
But despite tries to Manly’s Michael Oldfield and Melbourne’s Billy Slater, which Harrigan accepted had been incorrectly awarded by the video referees who were subsequently dropped, Archer said he wouldn’t hesitate in sending a crucial decision upstairs on Sunday.
In both instances the video referees awarded “benefit of the doubt” tries.
But the game’s most senior referee said he had no preference to whether contentious decisions were sent back as benefit of the doubt tries or refs call, where Archer himself would have final say.
“If I have any doubt over a decision I’ll send it upstairs,” he said on Tuesday.
“If I don’t have doubt I’ll make it myself.
“My expectation of (the video ref) is that he will do the best that he can do.”
In a surprise move former grand final referee Shayne Hayne has been shifted into the video referee box for the first time this year, where he will be the junior partner to Chris Ward.
When asked if he had confidence in the video referees, Archer was clear: “Yes I do”.
Harrigan masterfully deflected questions about the errors of recent weeks, the potential for fresh blunders that could decide the biggest game of the year or whether there would be a review into the overall performance of referees at the end of the season.
“Today’s not about me,” Harrigan told reporters on Tuesday.
“Coming into this game my focus is just on this game, what’s happened in the past and that is left behind now.
“I’m focusing on this week, making sure that the referees are prepared as well as they can be and the video referees are prepared as well as they can be.
“I’m not looking back, I’m looking forward to this week and preparing these guys as best as we can.
“I can guarantee that they’re working hard to make sure they go out there and try not to make mistakes.”
