Rugby league’s foundations are based around toughness and competition. This considered, it’s hardly a surprise that the ancestors who set the groundwork, along with the fans around to witness earlier renditions, long for better days.
With ever-changing rules seeing a complete transformation of the game in the last 15 years, improved product has come at the expense of the game’s more traditional elements.
First and foremost
Rugby league isn’t ‘soft’.
Seriously, this is a collision sport. Take a close look at what happens each play – athletes who train year-round charge full pelt into one another, momentum only broken when they come into contact with one another. Don’t kid yourself.
A case could be made that the outright toughness in the game has been reduced. Fair point, league isn’t played with the bewildering toughness of the earlier generations, but to make a case that the game as a whole hasn’t improved considerably is ignorant.
In terms of ability, skills and complexity, there is no comparison, but…
The times they are a-changin’
In a vacuum, aggression is terrific. To channel the inner drive into a physical response that assists your team is a great concept. Back in the day, this was commonplace.
In contemporary rugby league, it ain’t that easy.
Consider the evolution of the front rower. Notorious hard men, once simply battering rams and metre-eaters, they now often play first receiver and ignite back-line movements. It now isn’t far-fetched to see a big man with the silky skills of a half. Only a small example of how different the game is.
To adapt to these changes, there has been a reworking in structures, thus altering the role required from different positions. The classic brute is being displaced by more versatile options because they are simply more valuable.
There’s a reason for it.
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Aggression is a myth
Little secret: the impact of aggressive play is overstated.
We embrace the characters of the game, those who wear their hearts on the sleeve and die with each play. They usually rank somewhere near the top of ‘most entertaining’ discussions, and players clearly lift when their teammates take the energy to another level.
But where Josh Reynolds has won games for the Bulldogs through a never-say-die play, backing up a runner or chasing an errant kick, a frustrated player looking to make up for a mistake often pushes up inside the ten, conceding a penalty that piggybacks the opposition into good field position.
The duality of the trait needs to be respected.
Overzealousness often leads to errors in judgement. Players who push out of the line hoping to invigorate the defence with a big shot are playing with fire. Good teams are so clinical that any hole in the defence will put your team at a disadvantage. Teams work entire gameplans around opening holes in the line, so aggressive defensive plays carry particular momentous consequences.
That’s just in a tactical sense – accidentally land a high shot or work the player over on the ground and not only do you face a penalty, there’s the risk of suspension.
When asked about aggression, James Graham articulated it perfectly: “Kick pressure and kick-chase.”
Spot on. Things haven’t really changed all that much, it’s just a redirection of the same old virtues. Black is the new black.
Controlled aggression, picking spots where the risk is minimised and the outcome is constructive, holds more value then aimlessly trying really hard.
Teams are here to win, not entertain you – the hope is the process is fun to witness.
Safety is a concern
While we don’t regularly acknowledge it, and it may be hard to believe watching them persistently charging into one another, these are human beings. People with families and lives away from the field. Most importantly, people who need to carry on functioning after the dust has settled.
We further our knowledge every year of the long-term effects of injuries and concussions, and while there’s still more to uncover, we’re at the point where naivety is no longer acceptable.
Yes, players are aware of the risk that comes with a football career. The responsibility of the league’s rule-makers is to ensure everything is done to minimise risk.
That’s how we arrived here. Shoulder charges are fun, but when they go wrong they are downright dangerous. The trade-off isn’t worth the uncertainty. Risking players’ health and safety would be downright negligent.
Think of the children!
Actually, think of the parents.
Injury risk is much higher in league compared to rival codes and the fear of having a child knocked out is enough to turn people off playing the game.
This is heavy thinking for the common fan, but it sheds some light on why the NRL has knuckled down on safety.
Juniors have further stipulations to mitigate risk, but naturally everything filters down from the top. Young players will mimic the professional game and parents will only be familiar with the rules set in the top grade. There is a social responsibility as well as forethought about the growth of the game.
H-h-hold me back
This gets a category of its own. I was lucky enough to witness Paul Gallen versus Nate Myles in person. I’ll admit, it was thrilling. This is the stuff of legends – two of the game’s notorious hard men facing off, with Myles eating a left and right from Gallen, without as much as a stumble.
Incredible. It was also a line in the sand moment for the NRL.
Well, State of Origin remains the game’s biggest event, and the day after the game (and week leading into the next game) all the talk and footage surrounding the match centred on the fight. It’s not a good look.
Talk started about a square-up and what Queensland might have in store for Gal come Game 2.
Forced to find a boundary, the NRL brought in the automatic sin-bin rule (which is total BS because this was always the rule, it was simply never enforced, but anyway) to much outrage.
How will feuds ever be levelled! What will players do when they are roughed up?
Go back to playing football
Aside from it being completely against the spirit of the game, it presents a giant safety issue, and creates the aforementioned ripple effect on the game’s other investments.
Problem is, what we have now might just be worse.
The ‘fights’ that break out in the post-Gal-punch era are nothing more than time wasting dance-offs.
Seriously, it’s not fighting and it’s not enjoyable to watch. There is simply no longer a place in the game for these tensile melees to break out every time a player feels like it.
How can it be fixed?
It’s simple: outlaw all intentional contact between opposing players.
Walking over and slapping a grounded opponent is as negligent as punching one in the face. ‘Jersey jabbing’ should illicit the same penalty as throwing a clean punch.
Many have suggested outlawing taunting, in the same vein as the NFL. That is a step in the right direction, and the fortunate aspect is being able to build upon their already existing rule. The NFL taunting rule includes excessive celebrations which, while a necessary rule for them, doesn’t really hold any value for us.
No stipulation needs to be placed on celebrating with your teammates, but saluting an error with four or five players going over to rub the opposing player over the head (a common practice) that results in a few minutes delay while a scuffle breaks out, yeah, we can do without that.
What’s the end game? Cutting all the extra-curicular stuff and fleshing out the game. This simply can’t happen until more stringent rules are put in place.
Luckily the powers that be are proactive, not reactive… oh, wait…
McNaulty
Guest
Yeah, I think Rugby League needs to realise the days of aggression and strength being above all in importance are well over. Or they should be. The game needs to be more skill based. Skilful play needs to be the determinative factor in the game. State of Origin is the perfect example because one of the main things people use to love it for was the fist fighting and big shoulder charges etc. Now that those things are gone we are just left with a fairly drab affair most games. They desperately need to sit down with the SoO coaches and demand they play a more appealing game of football with the skills on show. I think the game needs to go back to the 5 metre rule so that it is harder to make metres via one-up-ball but also reduce the number of players on the field to 11 per side so that there is more space for teams who are prepared to throw passes out wide. The game needs more passing and less hit ups in my opinion.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Really interesting article. Re: "won't somebody think of the children", I was discussing this recently with a mate. I'm not sure there is a greater risk of kids getting injured at the very junior levels of rugby league when kids and their parents are choosing a sport. I'm sure there's studies out there but I'm not sure the risk is significant at under 6s to say under 10s. At under 6s and 7s level particularly league is more akin to wrestling in the backyard. There are no big NRL style collisions and size differences aren't as pronounced at that age. There's this public perception that little kids will be playing against monsters, that they'll be charging into each other like Burgess and Graham and that they'll be carried from the field with busted limbs and concussions. I don't think the NRL has done anything to counter this widely held but compleyy incorrect view of junior footy. Yes it gets tougher as kids get older but they're more equipped to deal with it if they've been playing from a young age. Junior rugby league is in a perilous condition. Around my area and surrounding suburbs I reckon there's ten times the number of soccer clubs to league and each age group at each club has four to five times the number of players. I reckon I'm being conservative too. My kids local league side is going to have to combine the under 6s and 7s and eventhen so far only have eight kids. His ex-soccer club looks like having six teams in his age group. If the NRL thinks they can ignore the promotion of junior rugby league yet still continue to churn out star players they are kidding.
Norad
Guest
In AFL this week Jordan Lewis king hit Blues onballer Patrick Cripps which left him a broken jaw. What did he get? 3 matches suspension. So much for the caveman code. FOX FOOTY host Gerard Whateley added fuel to the fire, claiming Gallen would have copped a 12-week ban, reduced to nine, if he did what he did in an AFL match “But in the world of the cavemen, you get one week,” Whateley said on AFL 360. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/afl-360-host-gerard-whateley-labels-nrl-world-of-the-cavemen-but-which-is-tougher-league-or-afl/news-story/53787f2c7c7d94a67196101940069fb9 The NRL banned Origin punching after Whatley and his AFL media gang ripped into cave man league. Its the AFL way. If league has something good, then rip it down via the media. Origin was their target. Now its ruined. But NRL changing its game won’t make Whatley & co ever be NRL fans. That’s what makes the NRL actions so dumb. The NRL ruined league for league fans to please people who will never be league fans, no matter how soft they make the game.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Me and a friend of mine had a conversation about the proposed SBW v Gal match up and more or less came to the conclusion that Gal would just about knock out any unranked/part time heavyweight fighter. Except for Nate Myles. That's not to say that Nate Myles would beat him. Just that Gal wouldn't knock him out. This is more or less how we could see it going down. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OaFnANb8y30
Adam
Guest
People who jump online and cry about the game going soft wouldn't last 5 minutes in the NRL. Put them in a game and have them try and tackle a rampaging Paul Vaugn or take a hit-up and then tell me how soft the game is. I admit that players of yesteryear were I guess tougher in that they worked full-time and still trained and played, but as far as the level of toughness in the sport, it's much tougher today. They've gotten rid of the cheap shots that dogged the game for the first 70-80 years and it's all the better for it
Christian
Guest
Thank you for knowing what's best for everyone! Imagine if we didn't have do gooders to tell adults what to do! You and the other's should start a crusade to ban all contact sports. Yes you are special, I am sure you tell yourself that.
Mike from tari
Guest
Firstly define a good shoulder charge & a bad shoulder charge, whichever way you define it you will be wrong, my son's mate James Ackerman was killed by a shoulder charge that was in the chest, the whiplash caused the injury similar to Phillip Hughes. Secondly Thaiday grabbed that thumb& pulled it downwards for a fair while as he knew that in this day & age there would be no retribution so if Bromwich decided to ease the pain by dropping his forearm into Thaiday throat, London to a brick on that Bromwich would have been penalised.
Lovey
Guest
What is wrong with wanting to do good? The sport should not be, can not be, inflicting damage on an opponent. Sounds like you are a One Nation throwback.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Although Nate has admitted he did come up saying go on and hit me. OR something similar
matth
Guest
So where is the line Christian? Do you want to allow punching to the head? Spear tackles? The old stiff arm? I believe the game is much better to watch now than pre 1980's when the game started cleaning itself up. The collisions now between bigger, faster, fitter athletes are audible at the game and a leap ahead of previous eras. The toughness of days past was to have your teeth smashed in by a headbut in the scrum and keep playing. Now its about getting cut in half by a flying 100kg plus athlete and getting up and playing the ball. I assume you also disagree with speeding limits.
Christian
Guest
Here we go! Self righteous, know it all do gooders! 1 The game has gone softer! If you ban punching to the head in boxing it's still a tough sport. Stop using this as an example. 2 Times are changing! If you live in Sydney (nanny state) your told to be in bed by 11pm. Thanks again do gooders. 3 Agression is exciting when controlled by the rules of whatever the game. 4 Safety excuse could be applied to anything. I assume the best way is to never leave your house. 5 Think of the children blah blah let's ban cartoons and what was that bear, that wasn't wearing pants. The shock of it. 6 Has nothing to do with each other. 7 Stop listening to the minority do gooders.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
Controlled aggression good. Uncontrolled aggression bad. Zero aggression bad (Aaron Woods).
Cugel
Roar Rookie
"It’s simple: outlaw all intentional contact between opposing players. " Doesn't go far enough, I suggest "No player shall enter the playing field at any time, or even get off the team bus"
Longarm
Guest
The problem with the gallens "fight" with Myles is that myles wasn't fighting. He pushed gallen to let him know his swinging arm to the face in the tackle was BS. Players do this every game. And then gallens cheap and cowardly response was too filthy to sweep under the carpet away from the PC brigade
Sammy
Guest
Interesting article. There is no place for reckless aggression - which is what we won't see another John Hopoate, ever. I guess players like Gordon Tallis, Mark Geyer, Peter Kelly would need a few more skills today to meet the selection criteria.