Brad Arthur against cost-cutting one-referee proposal

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur is against the idea of just one on-field referee overseeing the game when the league restarts on May 28th.

The NRL's Project Apollo tabled the cost-saving proposal and the ARLC is tipped to approve the measure sometime this week, along with the elimination of ruck penalties in favour of restarting the tackle count to cut down on stoppages.

Arthur is the latest coach to voice his disapproval of the proposal, joining Manly's Des Hasler, North Queensland's Paul Green and West Tigers' Michael Macguire.

Arthur insisted it will lead to more "confusion" amid other recent changes, such as the introduction of the captain's challenge.

“I can understand and appreciate the thinking behind it around the expense of having two referees and where it might help the NRL,” Arthur said on 2GB.

“But I just think two rounds in, it’s pretty hard to change the rules now.

“It might just add confusion, we’re still getting used to the captain’s challenge.

“Going back to one referee, does that mean there might be more 50/50 calls that they might get wrong and there’s more Captain’s Challenges and then it slows the game down?

“I just think it might be hard this time round, maybe if we need it for next year we’ve got a bit of time in the pre-season to get our heads around it and prepare for it.”

Meanwhile, ARLC chair Peter V'landys has condemned the coaches' concerns as "alarmist", jumping to the defense of the proposed change.

“That’s an alarmist style of rhetoric, again,” he told AAP.

“There’s two games been played, it’s not as though we’re halfway through the competition.

“That’s a bit over the top really.

“You can exaggerate everything trying to make your point but is it necessary?

“You can make a point about one ref but don’t exaggerate it like it’s got the integrity of the game on it.

“What happens when the players go from NRL to international? They’ve only got one referee. Does that affect the integrity of the game? No.”