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The NRL wants players to reconsider how they approach referees on the field after Kasey Badger was widely criticised for her performance on the weekend.
Badger sent two Tigers players to the sin-bin late in their 22-14 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday, with prop David Klemmer dismissed for dissent towards her.
Badger received criticism on social media, with many suggesting the reaction was exacerbated by the fact she is a woman — one of two, along with Belinda Sharpe, among the 19-strong NRL refereeing core.
In his briefing on Monday, NRL head of football operations Graham Annesley acknowledged the Bulldogs-Titans game attracted "a fair amount of discussion" but said respect for referees needed to improve across the board.
"This is not a gender issue, and my discussion today is not about gender," Annesley said.
"Because even when referees do make mistakes, they don't make mistakes because of their gender, they make mistakes because they're human."
Badger took charge as lead referee for the first time in round 27 last year in a contest between the Titans and Bulldogs, and has refereed one other game this season, three weeks ago in a golden-point clash between Canberra and Gold Coast.
In round six, Gold Coast coach Des Hasler pilloried Badger's performance in his post-match press conference, while Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said he "felt sorry for Kasey" after a number of Titans players repeatedly argued calls on the field, with Badger telling captain Kieran Foran to "go away" at one point as she tried to talk to the bunker.
On Saturday, she had a number of discussions with players on the field and Annesley said players should be wary about getting in the face of match officials.
"There are certain boundaries that can't be crossed," he said.
"Captains have the right to approach the referees to ask the reasons for a certain decision. That doesn't give them the right to have a full-blown debate about whether a decision's right or wrong. And it doesn't give them the right to approach referees and apply pressure to them to try and influence a decision.
"We have to remember it doesn't only happen to female referees. There are plenty of players who have towered over male referees and attempted to exert some influence.
"This was her third NRL game, she's a rookie referee. And players will try and test rookie referees, they'll see how far they can push them.
"But we have to know where that line in the sand is and not overstep that mark. It can incite the fans and we can have incidents that flow from that."
Referees have had projectiles hurled at them as they left the field in the past, while Annesley said the conduct of players, coaches and club officials could encourage fans to get on social media and single out referees, as happened to Badger.
"When it goes over the line, when we see some of the keyboard warriors that want to attack people maliciously and harmfully online, we need to say 'no, that's just not acceptable'.
"It encourages other people to do the same thing."
Whether it is criticism online, players on TV standing over officials, or parents abusing young refs at junior matches, Annesley and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said there is a risk that people will stop signing up to be referees.
"Referees deserve respect and support, from grassroots to elite," Abdo said.
"And they will always have that from me and the game."
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