Nothing I have seen in the past week has swayed me one iota.

Once upon a time it was impossible to get a decision in favour of the attacking team in the opposition penalty box.

Now the pendulum has swung too far, and every ball that touches an arm, every slight bit of physical contact in that zone, except of course the blatantly obvious, wrestling, mugging, and shirt pulling, at every set piece, seems to require adjudication.

As Fox Sports' Andy Harper noted in commentary during the Newcastle Jets' 1-0 loss to the Central Coast on Saturday evening, in reference to a handball in the earlier match between Sydney and Western United and the rule interpretation from the boffins at IFAF, the match officials are somewhat hamstrung by directives from above.

There is an easy way around that.

If you think the rules are a nonsense, rule it accidental, wave play on, and be consistent about it.

That is of course if you think that rules like playing at the ball deliberately before it hits your arm is not a penalty, but a random or instinctive deflection hitting your arm warrants a spot kick, are a great idea.

Genius that. Let's reward poor technique and punish the accidental.

Of course you point out that said match officials may lose appointments for not towing the line on decrees from above, but can I reassure you that I've never met one who considered his own contribution, or those of his brethren, as more important than the spectacle and contest itself! Bahahaha.

VAR has of course shone a serious spotlight on referees and they seem to be more conscious than ever of not missing a thing, making a decision then justifying it.

You are not helping the game or yourselves chaps.

On Saturday the referee did a pretty good job of letting a game with a bit of passion and niggle flow, waving play on as players from both sides tested the boundaries of fair play.

Then he went completely against the tone and standard he had set by awarding a penalty for the most minimal of contact between an attacker changing direction late and not in control of the ball, and a defender sprinting on a different line and trying to avoid contact.

Did the prospect of VAR judgement encourage adjudication one way or another? Because the call was in direct contrast to how the match was handled in the previous 50 or so minutes.

That is the frustration for fans and lovers of the game.

Newcastle coach Craig Deans noted that there would be a lot of penalties in coming weeks if that was to be a barometer and consistency was maintained, and ain't that the truth.

So too were his parting comments that those on board this season had tried their best in difficult circumstances.

But also "it is quite obvious that we have to improve the quality".

The good news for the Jets, and perhaps worrying signs for the A-League in general, is they don't have too far to go.

Melbourne City have a goal differential of plus 28 and the next best is plus eight.

Most of the top eight teams would go from a positive to a negative differential on the back of one bad loss - after 22 rounds.

The Jets were rarely troubled by the second-placed Mariners on Saturday evening at McDonald Jones Stadium, nor were they particularly incisive themselves, although certainly the Central Coast's Mark Birighitti was the busier of the two custodians.

Eighteen goals in 22 games tells its own story and is an obvious place to start in the chase for new recruits.

Genuine depth is another must for the decision makers at the club.