NRL expected to go back to one referee

According to NRL.com, ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys is “totally supportive” of a proposal to return to one referee once the 2020 NRL season restarts.

The move will be put forward by the NRL’s Project Apollo committee to the ARL Commission next week.

The decision to change the refereeing system will require Commission Approval, but V’landys said his support is based on a survey given to fans late last year.

“I’m totally supportive. Number 1 is because when we did a fans’ survey last year, one of the biggest issues was they wanted was one referee,” V’landys told NRL.com.

“But also in this new time and age of cost reductions in the organisation, it just saves a lot of money.”

Should the proposal go ahead for the rest of the 2020 season, it would come under review again at the end of the year.