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The Roar

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It is time for the NRL to tinker with the rules

Adam Blair. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox)
Roar Guru
16th April, 2013
43

Let me preface this article by saying that rugby league remains an outstanding spectacle. The standard of games continues to be at a high level and that has been reflected in a crowd average on the weekend of almost 22,000.

That notwithstanding, there’s always room for improvement and, with six rounds behind us, it’s now clear that certain areas of the game need to be addressed.

Who would have thought that the ability of the attacking team to consistently reach the opponent’s 40 from a kickoff would be a negative?

Under the old five-metre rule, teams would see far less of the opposition’s half, resulting in less attacking football and more grind.

Yet with the advent of the torpedo bomb amidst a few other spiralling, ducking and diving variations, the last-tackle option for teams at the 40 or 30 has been reduced to basically one tactic: put it up and hope the fullback or winger drops it.

It makes perfect sense: why aim for the in-goal from that distance with little hope of trapping the ball carrier for a dropout?

Better to play Lotto. At worst the opposition will probably be tackled in the same spot anyway.

The only answer is to force teams to be more creative before they ever get out of their own half, something we’re seeing more rarely than ever in 2013.

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We can do it with one rule adjustment and one new innovation.

The adjustment is simple: we need to begin favouring the defensive team when the team in possession is bringing the ball out from its own line, by reducing the 10-metre corridor to seven or eight

Before you hurl your computer against your wall covered in league posters from the 80s when GF scores were 4-2 and 6-4, allow me to explain.

One thing we’ve lost to a large extent in the modern game is the battle for teams to clear their own 20 when they’re under duress.

The 10-metre rule has been fantastic for rugby league but it has now made it too easy to use one-out forward runs to get to the halfway line or even further before putting up a mind-numbing bomb.

Closing down the corridor will mean teams will have to use second-phase play and more creativity on the edges to advance the ball before the kick.

It will also raise the excitement level as fans watch the defensive team charge up and pummel the ball carriers, attempting to bury them inside their own 30.

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Referees will simply move up a couple of metres and the players will move with them. If anyone thinks there’ll be controversy over offside interpretations, the answer is: of course there will be.

That hasn’t changed for over a hundred years.

As soon as the ball moves into the defensive team’s half, the corridor expands back to 10 metres to reward attacking teams and encourage expansive play.

If a team with the ball has been creative and/or powerful enough to reach its opponent’s territory at the end of its set and still wants to bomb, they will have earned that right.

The next factor to consider is how to further encourage the team bringing the ball out from its line to get creative with the football?

Given the power and accuracy of today’s kickers, teams may still opt for one-out runs for the first five tackles.

The answer is a new rule that I believe should have been in effect for a long time: restarting the tackle count for teams that reach halfway after third tackle from kickoffs and second tackle after all other kicks and 20m restarts.

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I’m not suggesting that this would spark creativity every time teams found themselves on their own line, but it certainly would provide a strong incentive.

If successful, the attacking team would be guaranteed a few tackles inside the opponent’s 20, having started at their own tryline.

With both rules in effect, you’d have excitement, heightened energy and more creativity in get-out situations, with the defensive team crashing in on the ball carriers and the attacking team looking for opportunities to restart its tackle count or simply gain precious territory for its kick.

Referees would adapt to the greater complexity involved in the count and the new option would become second nature after a short period of time.

It is time for administrators to be brave and make the game even better. Anything that encourages creativity, heightens drama and introduces variation must be considered.

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