Referees boss addresses foul count from Round 3 clash

NBL Head of Referees Scott Butler says Thursday night's clash between Tasmania and Melbourne offered a valuable reference point for how officials can continue to let play flow in tightly contested games.

In all, 55 fouls were called and 72 free throws attempted in the game, with 27 of those coming in the first quarter alone.

Luke Travers, Cole Anthony and Josh Oduro all fouled out for Melbourne, while Josh Bannan, David Johnson and Ben Gold suffered the same fate for Tasmania.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Butler said the matchup was always going to test the officials.

"Traditionally, those two teams are very difficult to officiate," he said.

"It's almost stylistically mixing oil and water, which creates its own level of challenge on the floor.

"It's clear that what the officials needed to do was find ways to work through the creases of the game to reduce the foul count.

"Were there a lot of fouls in the game? Yes, there were. Are there some fouls that the referees needed to pass on and help the game? Yes, they could have."

Butler said it was the first game of NBL27 to reach 50 fouls. There were six such games across NBL26 and seven in NBL25.

He will work closely with the referees to ensure the game is allowed to flow.

"The work that I'll be doing with the officials is to make sure we find ways to help the game and promote the game, and make sure that anything we call is with 100 per cent certainty," Butler said.

Butler confirmed referees scout upcoming games, drawing on reviews from previous rounds before they meet on game day.

"Everything in the end comes down to execution, to make sure they execute in the right way on the day," he said.

Melbourne coach Jacob Chance weighed in on the discussion post Thursday night's game.

"I've got to work through some things with the League and the referees and just adjust a bit better," Chance said post-game.

"It was just a learning period for everyone. I think the League and everyone doesn't want to see all these guys foul out, but there's certainly controllable ones from us."

JackJumpers coach Scott Roth was supportive of the officials.

"I've said this many times about them. They have a thankless job," Roth said.

"I get after them, obviously, when I need to get after them, but they're in a no-win situation and it's very difficult to referee games."