After a disappointing display on Monday night, there have been calls to axe golden point extra time.
The idea of a draw, golden try and removing players from each team until a result is reached have all been tossed up, but we need to keep the current system.
The draw is worse than a result.
I know everyone is thinking: what if it was your team?
But the Parramatta Eels have lost more golden point games than they have won, and they are my side, so that proves it’s not a biased statement.
Granted both teams can share a point but it still leaves an empty feeling among the spectators.
Stripping players during extra time has always been discussed but it will never be done. Not because there is a valid reason but it’s just one of those things that’s a good idea on paper.
My opinion: keep the current system in place.
Monday night’s game was heavily criticised for the poor quality of the extra-time.
However, if we analyse the factors as to why Monday’s golden point game lacked excitement and entertainment, it will be obvious why the format should be kept.
First of all, which teams were playing?
The Sharks and the Roosters
Two of the worst attacking sides in the NRL.
The Sharks base their game around their defence and although their attack is improving, it is not as natural as the Warriors or Bulldogs.
The Roosters have a confidence problem, they have the worst completion rate in the NRL and struggle to enter the opposition twenty.
Although this is a big factor it is not the major factor.
The major factor was Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce.
The fixture was the Monday night after Origin where the two NSW halves were heavily scrutinised for their performances.
The confidence levels of both halves would have been shot, which is why they did not execute the field goals in the pressure stages of extra time.
So based on the attacking quality of the sides and their lack of confidence, it’s not the format that should pay but the standard of the two sides playing.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs, who are one of the NRL’s best attacking teams, have reaped the rewards of the golden point format.
The Rabbitohs have defeated both the Tigers and Dragons in golden point this year.
Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds both slotted match-winning field goals in those games to re-assert themselves as club heroes.
There are downsides to the format.
Golden point is referreed differently to the normal time standard.
But do you blame the men in pink?
If the referees were to penalise a side, it would put the attacking side thirty metres up the field or put them in range for a penalty goal.
These circumstances provide the sides with a great attacking opportunity, which can put a side in a match-winning position.
What about the old cliche that the players should decide the outcome of the game.
And then there’s the field-goal-athon debate. Golden point is a field-goal-athon and rightly so. Time is the biggest factor golden point. Players need to make rash decisions in five minutes with limited sets available.
Unless there is a mistake by the opposition inside their half, the game will be played between the two thirty metre lines.
Teams do not have the luxury of applying pressure as they do in normal time.
Naturally players would like to snap a field goal, it is quicker to set up than a try.
This has sparked the idea of a golden try but it would take longer to come by and as a result more draws would occur.
Of all the golden point games this season, Monday night’s game was the first draw.
Golden-point does have its faults but we cannot afford to crucify it after one disappointing display.
It is the best format for the code and although it may be disliked for the odd dour affair, it has the potential to create the most memorable moments.
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