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Tigers Benji Marshall (centre) gets a pass away during the NRL Rugby League, Round 16, Penrith Panthers V Wests Tigers game in Sydney, Saturday, June 24, 2006. AAP Image/Action Photographics/Jonathan Ng
As I sat in Canberra Stadium last Friday night watching the Brumbies’ thrilling one point win over the Bulls, it dawned on me that there was hardly any dropped ball. Well, a miniscule amount considering how expansive the Brumbies played for much of the game.
It was a typical Autumn night in Canberra, with dew on the ground. The kind of conditions that have seen rugby league experts complaining.
For the past couple of weeks Phil Gould, Matt Johns and Andrew Voss have made the point that the rugby league ball is too hard to handle as soon as there’s a bit of moisture around.
They’ve since called for the NRL to develop a night ball.
Matty even went so far as to do an ‘experiment’ on The Footy Show, which proved nothing, apart from Billy Slater being able to catch an old leather ball with mud on it.
I understand that the rugby union ball is slightly bigger than league’s, but it’s made of the same synthetic material.
However, you don’t seem to hear too many union players, coaches or commentators complaining about the ball in night conditions.
And what about in the Old Dart?
They play in shocking conditions all the time. In fact, I’m surprised England didn’t use it as an excuse in the League World Cup – that they weren’t used to playing in dry weather.
Could it be that league experts are using the Steeden ball as an excuse for poor play?
We all know it’s more difficult to play at night, in almost any sport. But it’s not impossible.
In Origin matches there’s hardly any handling errors. If the ball was so bad (in dewy conditions), surely even the most elite players would make regular mistakes.
Matt Geyer hit the nail on the head in his assessment on the Sunday Roast. He posed the question of how many teams actually train at night. Judging by TV news reports, the players are always training during the day.
It’s little wonder, then, that after training with a dry ball in broad daylight, players struggle when the pressure is on under lights.
The ball is only an issue because the experts say it is. They are trying to come up with reasons why so many players are making mistakes in night matches, and it’s easier to blame the ball rather than the players.
As Tommy Raudonikis would say “rugby league is a simple game. You just have to hold on to the ball.”
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