Peter V’landys rejects ‘complete rubbish’ referee allegations
NRL referees have escalated their dispute over the proposed single-referee system, but the ARLC Chairman is rejecting the allegations.
Professional Rugby League Match Officials Inc. chairman Silvio Del Vecchio said referees have been left out of negotiations, a breach of the their enterprise agreement with the NRL.
He also alleged Project Apollo “unanimously” decided against the proposal in a meeting on Monday, and that decision was then “ignored” by the ARLC.
Responding to the comments, ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys told Mark Levy the allegations are “complete rubbish”.
“Not only did they get consultation before, they also got consultation afterwards, because Graham Annesley spent a considerable amount of time with the referees today explaining the decision.
“The mistake a lot of people make is they think that ‘consultation’ means ‘you have to do what we say’.”
Mr V’landys said the return to one referee is best for the game’s flow and for fans.
“I don’t think the leadership of this organisation is representative of the referees.
“You’ve got to consider the future of the game … and you put your self-interest aside.
“We shouldn’t be getting problems from within. We should all be in the same trench, working together.”
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Image: NRL.com