Security Guards are Now Mandatory at Penrith Junior Rugby Matches

On the eve of an unprecedented move by the Penrith District Rugby League to appoint security guards to control crowd violence at junior games across Sydney's west tomorrow, Penrith referees president, Phil Haines, is not convinced the move will be enough.

"From my perspective, it's a drop in the water of what really could happen," he told VICE, referring to measures that will see security guards appointed to oversee select matches each round.

Just last Friday the National Rugby League competition was rocked by scenes of crowd violence on what was supposed to be the hallmark fixture of the NRL season thus far. Tensions boiled over spectacularly between fans, players and officials following a controversial decision to award the South Sydney Rabbitohs a penalty in front of the posts in the dying stages after a late tackle from Bulldogs enforcer, James Graham.

Police and security could only watch on as bottles and coins were hurled from the stands, injuring touch judge Darren Alchin, and forcing players and officials to run for safety. It followed similarly dramatic scenes on the field as Bulldogs captain, James Graham, remonstrated with the referee and David Klemmer was sent from the field for an expletive-laden outburst.

NSW five eighth, Josh Reynolds, meanwhile, will escape suspension despite being seen hurling a kicking tee at South Syndey halfback Adam Reynolds as he was being helped from the field with what is suspected to be a season-ending injury. But that's only the beginning of the trouble, says Haines.

"What is seen in the NRL happens at grass roots level," He says. "People watch that on Friday night and that then has the potential to be replicated across 350 junior games," he says.

A brawl at a junior match in western New South Wales.

Considered among the toughest games on the planet, rugby league features 26 players crammed into a 50x100 meter football field engaging in a frenetic 80 minutes of pure, pad-free physicality. The potential for violence is omnipresent as one misjudged tackle can leave a player concussed, bloodied, or wheelchair bound for the rest of their life.

Foul play is often policed as much by the referees as it is by enforcers playing for each team. This means brawls are not only common, but also a celebrated part of league folk lore—and the more outside the bounds of play the brakes occur, the more legendary they are. Examples of this include Kevin Tamati and Greg Dowling on the sidelines of Lang park in 1985, Mark Geyer and Wally Lewis after the half-time siren in State of Origin, and modern-day league great, Sonny Bill Williams and Joe Falamaka during a Canterbury vs Souths Jersey Flegg match.

Fighting was recently cracked down on in the NRL by Welsh CEO David Smith, despite it accounting for a minor percentage of injuries and foul play within the league. The bigger issue is when it spills over into the stands. With junior games played at quiet suburban grounds away from cameras, police or security, head referee Haines says things can spiral quickly out of control.

"There's a lot that has occurred," he said. "We have at least one or two bad incidents each year, one or two a year where officials are targeted. There's death threats on social media towards officials. That's probably the highest increase"

Last year league fans around the country were shocked by images of a junior player stomping the head of an opponent in a Penrith under 19s game. Not me. In the 17 years I spent playing Rugby League I witnessed racial abuse at under eights games, trainers running onto the field to kick an opposing player in the head, and plausible rumours of metal plates being concealed under forearm strapping. I watched a player rip a metal fence post out of the ground and wave it at opposing fans, saw games cancelled due to wildfire brawls, and got minted numerous times including once by a 'bra boy who knocked me cold, just because.

Referee abuse has been particularly problematic for Rugby League of late. Rival code, Rugby Union, is famously no-bullshit when it comes to officials. The smallest infractions are met with severe penalties and lengthy stints on the sidelines, leading to a vastly more sanitised culture.

"There are so many sports that do it better," says Haines. "It just seems like it's an ingrained cultural thing that's been around for a number of years that for some reason or another people think it's okay," he says.

The security guards are a positive step but as Haines puts it, "It's like when you see a policemen you don't speed. When they aren't visible, who rectifies the situation?"

Follow Jed on Twitter: @Jed_J_Smith