Robert Finch steps down from Referee's Boss position

Like most things in life, there's always an upside and a downside. A pro and a con. Robert Finch today announced that he would be stepping down as Referee's Boss as the end of the Four Nations tournament. The crew here at Red Hill Rants have generally been critical of the bloke given he manages to appear completely inept at times. In his defence, he has probably the worst job in the NRL - you pretty much always come out being the bad guy and you have to make many difficult decisions.

The upside to losing Finch is that it opens the door for someone to step up and show all and sundry how it is done. I don't doubt Finch's integrity as I'm sure he was always doing what he felt was right but the fact is that feeling was sometimes off the mark. A fresh face is what the referee's need after this season which can be dubbed the Year of the Howler.

The downside is that while it opens the door for someone, that someone may very well be Bill Harrigan. Greg McCullum (current Match Review Commissioner) is the front runner however Bill and fellow gronk Steve Clark are also in the picture. Greg would be a logical choice welcomed by the Rugby League community - generally speaking the judiciary get it right and you have to think he can be thanked for that in part. Harrigan is known for thinking he is bigger than the game itself and was nicknamed Hollywood for his attitude in relation to his position. Do we really want a guy who has been dropped countless times for errors in charge of the whistleblowers?

Best of luck to Finch on his future endeavours and let's hope that common sense prevails with the appointment of Greg McCullum as Referee's Boss.