We have a new game, hopefully for the better

“How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” William Shakespeare.

We will not know the full extent of the 2018 implementation of the NRL rules until post Round 26 when we have more meaningful data, but make no mistake, if the current trend continues the game of rugby league as we know it will have morphed into an entirely new product – hopefully for the better.

The NRL, at the behest of CEO Todd Greenberg has ordered referees to eliminate the grey area in key disciplines of the game like “playing the ball correctly”, “holding down in the play the ball”, “retreating ten metres” and heaven forbid, “back chatting the ref”.

The rule book calls for the half to feed the ball into the middle of the scrum, but the refs still turn a blind eye on 100 per cent of second row feeds, which automatically gifts the ball to the feeder team and lessons the value of a hooker, simply because they do not get the opportunity to hook and win the ball against the feed.

The vast majority of fans understand the rules of rugby league and would have no problems with them being policed during games, but this shock wave in 2018 has taken everyone by surprise and the game as a spectacle has deteriorated with many high profile clubs haemorrhaging under the change.

Aussie sports fans love fast moving contests which is why they prefer to watch AFL and NRL over union and football, and why Big Bash and ODIs have taken market share from five day Test matches which may not yield a result.

Social media has gone into overdrive with grievances about NRL version 2018 and it will be interesting to see if those criticisms transfer into lower TV ratings on Foxtel and Channel Nine.

While all NRL coaches and players will be working overtime to address the ‘new game’, the NRL no doubt will also have some misgivings with questions like: “have we gone too far”?

(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

No one should blame the refs for doing their job, and despite the Channel Nine commentators, the NRL are making a concerted attempt to right a wrong and ensure our game does not become union with a ten metres rule.

The NRL have drawn a very big line in the sand and cannot retreat now, but they also cannot just sit back in the Chairman’s Lounge and sip champers as the ‘greatest game of all’ becomes the greatest fall from grace of all.

There is no doubt that the players will eventually get it and realise that the threats for change were just not idle promises. Champion coaches like Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy have built a legendary career on being able to move with the times and massage their mentoring as interpretations change.

They will do it again and their colleagues will follow, but the NRL also must be proactive and make some minor alterations to ensure our game is not only entertaining but based on a running game that showcases a high level of talent.

Let’s examine the problems and what can be done:
• Back chatting to the ref is an easy one. Now that the players can comprehend that the refs are serious (16 players sent the Sin Bin so far in 2018) I don’t think we will ever see Cam Smith sin binned again;
• Playing the ball correctly surely is something players learn in kindergarten. The penny will drop soon;
• Ruck penalties are a blight on the game as they are often 50/50 calls which upsets 50 per cent of the fans. They need to be more black and white. Perhaps the ref can say a single word like “break “or “tackled” and if the player does not move instantly to get off he is penalised. Fans will be able to clearly hear the ref and see what happens.
• Perhaps the biggest change has been the strict umpiring of the ten metres rule, which is also fast tracking the use of the sin bin. Players have been leaving their line as soon as the tackled player plays the ball for years without any problems, and now the refs are clamping down on the actual rule that asks for the defenders to not leave their line until the ball has left the ruck.

It is only a split second difference but enough to change the outcome of a game.

The ten metre rule is what keeps the players apart and promotes skilful running footy and a chief distinction why the NRL rates higher on Australian TVs than union who implement a five metre rule.

The NRL should consider making the ‘old rule’ law.

The quality of rugby league this century has never been better so to allow the defender to break as soon as the ball hits the ground in the play the ball would make sense. To make a judgement of when the ball is clear from the ruck creates an unwanted grey area that has a five second window and promotes boring penalties slowing the game up.

The average play the ball speed was 3.6 seconds last season and has not changed in 2018, but with a window of around five seconds defending players are confused resulting in unwanted penalties.

Rugby league is a simple game and the rule should be simple; close the window and make it when the ball hits the ground in the play the ball. Problem fixed.

State of Origin is the game’s jewel in the crown and while it is played from the same rule book, in reality, the rules are implemented differently.

Game 1 in Origin last year was one of the best matches I have ever seen played under furious pace.

Both the Maroons and the Blues only conceded three penalties each, seven less than the average match played in the 2018 version of NRL – or importantly an extra 15 minutes of play.

NRL Head of Football Brian Canavan said the way the whistle blowers have refereed so far is for the benefit of the game.

“We’re convinced this is for the betterment of the game,” Canavan said.

Canavan added that this is an adjustment period and complimented the referees for implementing what has been asked of them by the NRL Competitions committee.

NRL Recruitment Managers are monitoring the new game closely as it will have major implications on who is signed and retained.

Teams are now taking the easy penalty goal instead of electing to run with another six tackles, a negative for the game.

Incremental penalties make an 80 per cent goal kicker gold.

The stop and start nature created by extra penalties have gifted the big middle forwards close to an extra 20 minutes of down time which makes them more valuable as they can now play more minutes.

A limited data sample of only four weeks is not enough, but already a clear link between incremental penalties and errors is occurring with frustrated teams, who normally are well disciplined in this area, are turning over possession.

The average team averaged 6.5 penalties last year (9.3 in 2018) with the Dragons the best behaved with only 5.42 per game. It is no surprise that although they did not make the finals last year, they have remained one of the lowest penalised teams and are leading the competition in 2018 on the back of an extraordinary 54.75 per cent of possession. It is very difficult to lose games with those figures.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Logic should dictate that with less game time (approx.. 15 mins) that we would see fewer errors, but the opposite is true from the high profile teams emanating from the frustration from the players with a lack of continuity, another killer for fans watching and hoping to witness slick ball movement.

Errors last season on average per match were 10.3, and with less game time this year they have only increased by 10.6, an increase of 0.30.

Surprisingly the teams favoured to play top four footy this year, coached by the highest rated coaches, are the ones struggling in the initial month.

The Storm have always been noted as the best disciplined team but have increased their errors from 9.74 to 13.75. Other high profile teams struggling with errors are the Broncos (10.15 to 12), Roosters (11.65 to 14), Cowboys (9.57 to 12.5) and the Eels (10.15 to 10.50).

Brian Canavan has asked fans “to be patient and the spectacle will dramatically improve in the very near future.”

Despite Shakespeare’s advice, several coaches have run out of patience.