Hull KR CEO calls for big refereeing change in Super League

The Chief Executive Officer of Hull KR, Paul Lakin, has called for a major change in how Super League games are refereed.

Lakin has put forward his argument on Sky Sports’ The Bench Podcast with Jenna and Jon with the top dog at the Robins arguing that referees should be able to send tries to the video referee without being forced into a decision themselves.

The 2024 Super League campaign has been the first in which every game is televised and as a result that has meant that every single game has a video referee, something that was touted as a major change coming into the season.

Previously, only the two televised games would have a video referee meaning that some of the less-televised teams would rarely be able to benefit from their usage.

There is now a much fairer playing field when it comes to the video referee, however, the process is still flawed in the eyes of many, including the CEO of Hull KR.

“I’d like to see less of the referees going up to the video refs,” Lakin explained on The Bench Podcast.

Explaining further, he added: “You either make a decision or send it up to the video ref with no decision. Just send them up to the video ref with no decision.”

Hull KR CEO calls for video referee change in Super League

The video referee has been a controversial addition this season with fans and pundits often bemoaning how long the process can take.

When asked if he would like to speed up the decision, Hull KR CEO Paul Lakin explained what he would want ideally, noting what he believes is a flaw in the system.

“What I’d like is the right decision, like we all would, but I think that sometimes a ref gives a decision because he has to make a decision, and he doesn’t know himself.

“That is then influencing the video ref. The reason he’s sending it to the video ref is because he’s not sure.

“So if he’s not sure, just send it up clean. ‘I am not sure, what do you see?’

“Sometimes you almost hear the tone of the video wanting to find a reason to overturn but they don’t see enough to be able to overturn it, so don’t put them in that position.

“Send it up clean and say ‘Make your call, tell me what the answer is’.”

Only recently, Castleford Tigers head coach Craig Lingard called for a change in how the video referee operates after his side conceded a controversial try against Warrington Wolves.

As for Lakin, he also called for an introduction of the captain’s challenge, something that would fall to Elliot Minchella at Hull KR, with Super League reportedly considering that for the 2025 season.