The 2016 NRL season is in the can, so it’s time to look forward to the thud of willow against leather and long lazy days on the beach right? Not for me, I’m still in rugby league mode, so I’m looking forward to next season already!
2016 had both social media and myself whinging and moaning far too often, so I’ve come up with some easy fixes to make the greatest game of all even more enjoyable.
Explain rule changes and interpretations better
I could pontificate about the vagaries of the obstruction rule, and ways to get greater efficiency out of the bunker, but no one seems to be able to settle exactly on what constitutes an obstruction anyway. So how about we just better explain the rule tweaks to the fans so that we’re all on the same page?
No sport in the world bags out referees like in the NRL, and it’s a tough job, but all that negativity is not good for the game. If fans understood changes better (rather than one article hidden in the newspaper in the offseason when the NRL makes these decisions) perhaps it would result in a better understanding of how things are being officiated and a whole lot less negativity.
I’m talking everything from newspaper articles, NRL social media accounts, rugby league focused TV programs, and commentators during games. The number of times I’ve heard ill-informed commentators get rules wrong, and then espouse their views on the audience are astounding, and it creates mass confusion.
How about an ex-referee in the commentary box on occasion? Particularly early in the season. Then perhaps we would all truly understand what is required for ‘grounding’ for a try or how the obstruction rule is being officiated.
Kick off games on time
This should be a simple thing to fix, but the boffins at the NRL can’t seem to do it. This issue frustrates the hell out of fans; if a game is scheduled to kick off at 7pm, umm, you know, like, why can’t it kick off at 7pm?
Like the officiating, it just creates frustration and negativity, taking away from the good aspects of the game. Is it better for fans to be posting about Shaun Johnson brilliance or Ben Barba magic, or for fans to be complaining that the match is starting 17 minutes late again?
Positive press from fans is important, and this is a no brainer. How about we go a step further and add a countdown clock for games, so fans know exactly when a game starts? It would also add an element of drama and excitement to kick-off.
Ditch team list Tuesday
Fans get irritated with the constant and likely unnecessary team changes that happen before every game. Ask any fantasy football nut and they will tell you the endless changes to announced teams will do your head in.
Part of the issue is that official teams are named on a Tuesday, almost a full week ahead of the following Monday night games, and less than 24 hours after last round’s Monday night teams have played.
Teams in some scenarios have barely had a chance for a recovery session and haven’t had a training session, so it becomes tough for coaches to honestly know what team will line up for the following week. On top of that, we have players being named who have yet to front the NRL judiciary that week and we have chaos with team lists.
The AFL has the mix right with teams being named on Thursdays, with the number of team changes in AFL games significantly lower than in the NRL.
With the NRL having Thursday night football and ditching Monday night next year, we should move to naming teams on Wednesday. This would give teams at least three days after your last game and at worst four days before the final game of the round.
This issue affects punters, fantasy players, tipsters and general fans wanting to know if their favourite players are playing or not. No doubt coaches would prefer it too. Make the change NRL, it’s a simple one.
NRL sprint/goal kicking challenge
Sometimes it’s just better to copy other sports. Why go to all the work of inventing something yourself when someone has already done all the hard work for you?
We have the grand final sprint in the AFL, home-run derby in MLB, three-point and dunk contests in the NBA, all things that show off the talents of the athletes and create another avenue to promote the sport and generate interest in the code.
It’s high time the NRL introduced a sprint event, much like the AFL grand final sprint. So much water cooler talk surrounds the fastest players in the game, so wouldn’t it be great to have an annual race?
Can you imagine watching James Roberts competing against the likes of Jarryd Hayne, Josh Ado-Carr, Semi Radradra and Brett Morris? Throw out a $20,000 sponsorship for the event; the winner donates it to a charity, and we now have some meaning to the event and a reason to cheer someone on.
It could be done on grand final day, or half-time of a State Of Origin game. Wouldn’t NRL fans prefer watching that than Shannon Noll, Jessica Mauboy or whatever other reality show singer is trotted out? Don’t bother answering; we know the answer.
In the same vein, how about we rinse and repeat the style of the event, but for goal kickers. I’d love to watch an event that had Johnathan Thurston curling in goal kicks from the corner post or Pat Richards attempting shots from 60m out. Get Roy and HG to commentate it from ground level, and trust me you’ve got more people interested in that than getting some has-been rocker from the 80s to sing an off-pitch tune.
Overhaul the Dally M Medal
Have I mentioned copying the AFL already? Hmmm… I fear I might have.
Well, stuff it, I’m doing it again. The Brownlow Medal in the AFL is done brilliantly, and there is real meaning to it. The whole of the AFL world tunes in and it’s a showpiece event.
The Dally M is a dud. It’s a simple formula: make the voting secret right from the start, read out every vote of each game, not just willy-nilly picking votes from here and there.
There must also be an independent voting panel that does not feature ex-players voting on teams and on players they have previously played with. Keep votes secure with a third party, open up betting on the event like the AFL and now, all of a sudden, we have an event that league fans can sink their teeth into!
I’m a rugby league diehard who has the Brownlow as unmissable viewing and wouldn’t even bother flicking on the Dally M. The Dally M can still have the team of the year, but let’s throw in a try of the year and hit of the year award. It’s a simple fix for the betterment and growth of the code.
Failing to implement these changes allows negativity to fester and breed, and that should not be something that rugby league allows to happen.
Create positive press, create more reasons for fans to follow the sport, create reasons for social media posts to be positive, not negative.
I’m not asking for a re-imagining of how decoy plays are officiated, a reintroduction of shoulder charges or a complete overhaul of the judiciary process. No. I’m recommending, nay, asking, for simple things. Simple, simple, simple.
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