It’s becoming clear that NRL teams have tested how far they could push things and they’ve now settled in. Slowing up play by giving away strategic back-to-back penalties is well and truly back in vogue.
The last five weeks have seen the five highest penalty counts across the eight games.
In the first five weeks of the season, there were 473 penalties awarded – an average of 95 a week or 12 per game, well down on 2018’s average of around 17 each game.
Rounds 6 to 10 had 562 penalties awarded (112.5 a week, 14 a game). That’s still a fair way behind last year’s early-season rules ‘crackdown’, but it is definitely creeping upwards.
Once teams learned what they could and couldn’t get away with, they’ve started doing what they do best – pushing the rules as far as they’ll go and daring the ref to do anything about it.
Round 10’s games saw 125 penalties conceded, the highest of the season so far. As well, just over one in every three penalties (38 per cent) was given away inside the opposition 20-metre zone.
It’s a battle on the field right now – the penalty numbers bump as the referees try to get back on top of the teams who are again comfortable pushing the laws to their limits every week. The NRL doesn’t want a lot of penalties awarded because it burns the clock and is starting to end up in too many penalty goals to boot.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley admitted as much in his Round 10 weekly review, saying about the penalties inside the 20 “that is a worry, we’re aware of it and are telling clubs publicly that this is an unacceptable approach to this area of the game.”
Graham Annesley (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Teams freely giving away multiple penalties to reset their defence close to the try line is hardly an earth-shattering development. Copping two points is hardly a massive deterrent.
So what’s the solution? Here’s a couple of pretty simple suggestions to get back on track.
Keep the play moving
If a team is giving away penalties inside the 20 (or anywhere else), keep the play running. Reset the tackle count. Don’t stop play to let the defensive line get set and have a breather for 90 seconds.
If a team gives away another penalty during this next set, bin the responsible party. No discussion. Everyone knows what’s what.
What about kicking for touch, you ask? That’s become one of the most useless plays in the NRL. Teams used to encourage their kickers to reach for as many extra metres as they could, now anyone just knocks it out ten or so metres down the field and gets set to run a front rower into a reset defence.
Wouldn’t it be better if they could keep rolling against a defence in disarray?
If the aggrieved team wants to kick for two, it’d be on them to stop the play and tell the ref that’s what’s happening.
As things stand, the ball is only in ‘live’ play for around 55 of a game’s 80 minutes. Introducing a decent advantage by resetting the tackle count might help to bump that up a bit and give us more rugby league for our buck.
Don’t be so scared to boot a player
Use the sin bin! Don’t give warnings. Just toss someone. Doesn’t matter if it’s inside the 20 or anywhere on the field. Professional fouls should be dealt with swiftly and summarily.
Last year 112 players copped the ten-minute breather, and apparently that was an astonishing amount. After ten NRL rounds in 2019 just nine players have been punted. That’s supposed to be something to be happy about, but it isn’t.
On Saturday night South Sydney’s Sam Burgess was ‘warned’ after giving away five penalties, including three in two minutes, as Canberra hammered away at the Rabbitohs line. If that’s not enough to get sat down, what is?
Sam Burgess (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
There’s been a school of thought that referees are to give a general warning to sides after a chain of penalties, but Annesley says that’s not the case and I’ll take his word for it.
I’ve never understood the NRL’s reticence to dish out ten minutes. Teams know they can get away with murder because the ref won’t want to upset a game’s ‘competitive balance’. Players tend to learn pretty quickly, though – a booting here or there and they’ll sharpen up considerably. Coaches, on the other hand, might take a bit of work.
By way of comparison, this season’s Super Rugby has played 12 weeks and already 63 players have been yellow carded and copped ten on the pine. It’s an accepted part of the game that foul or cynical play gets you punted. In rugby league it leads to media-led hysteria about referees messing with the game’s mythical ‘flow’.
If you’re pretty much guaranteed you won’t get binned and you’re stopping your opponent from scoring tries (in 2018 only 15.5 per cent of penalties resulted in a try from the ensuing set), why wouldn’t you just keep infringing, especially when the referee seems terrified to send a player from the field?
It’s such a bad problem for the game but such an easy fix to get more time with the ball in play, better discipline and a more entertaining outing to the football for all of us.
What’s stopping it from happening?
Nick
Roar Guru
I still like Tim Gore's idea of a 3 point penalty kick for any penalty conceded inside the 20. Also - spruiking my idea, of 15 demerit points per penalty, and every 100 points accrued is an automatic week suspension. A second penalty in a match is 30, and all subsequent penalties in the match are 40. It would have meant Sam Burgess would have been suspended a week + carry over change over his blatantly poor sportsmanship against the Raiders.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Interesting. Any penalty in the '20' is an immediate shot for goal in front followed by a line drop out, regardless of the goal successful or not? Hmmm may open a bucket of worms...
Nick
Roar Guru
Andrew Johns I'm fairly sure was conceived purely on 'the flow' judging by how much he talks about it.
db
Guest
He does get penalised regularly for his 'ruck work'. And so he should. The chest in, no arms on the ball carrier, slow down seems to be his favourite at the moment. You can almost hear him counting before getting up.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
He seems to be immune to punishment most of the time. I can't imagine what the refs are thinking when he lies all over a player for ages and looks around at the ref to confirm that it's ok.
soapit
Roar Guru
It’s a bit out there but there is a way to instantly solve the problem. If you get awarded a penalty and they take the tap, the set following is a special one where of a penalty is blown it’s worth 3 points of you kick for goal. If you tap again and another penalty get blown in that set a kick for goal is worth 4 points. Cap it at 4. If a set is completed (or if they kick for touch or for goal) it goes back to 2. Immediate fix. I do agree that just restarting the table count for some of the 50/50 calls (most ruck penalties say) would be a good idea. I definitely retain the ability for them to penalise of there were too many in a row tho.
Ben
Guest
I have been talking with mates about this one for years. Would love for that one to be introduced.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
I love the idea of a quick zero tackle call. What about changing the restart after a successful penalty goal to a line drop out rather than a free walk back to halfway?
stevesyd
Roar Rookie
Where there is a 100% obvious bad call the bunker should intervene immediately to overturn the on field ruling. If that was practiced this year, the roosters would be on 12 pts (Dragons and Raiders perfect examples both hard done by)
stevesyd
Roar Rookie
Jared Waitara Hargreaves would not like this proposal at at all.
Ben
Guest
It is all about risk vs reward. At the moment they are risking another 6 tackles. Make penalties harsher. Give attacking a teams a risk free set of 6. If they drop the ball they get a scrum feed and restart their 6 with normal play. If another penalty during the free set, automatic bin.
Spencer Kassimir
Roar Pro
Great idea! Why didn't we try this 150 years ago when the football games were being codified? Except, we did. Failed. If you think there are holdups to get the call right now, the 'debates' of yesteryear would make today's look like microseconds. Be serious. Ugh... may have to write an article about why this is a bad idea.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I wouldn't be against the clock stopping for all penalties in the final, say 2 minutes of a half as well. The deliberate penalty that the player knows will waist 10-20 seconds (2-3 play the balls) is obvious and embarrassing to the game
Simon G
Guest
I wrote something similar on another article but it also applies here. Quite simply, if someone gives away a ruck or offside penalty inside the 20m, they get sent to a set area behind the deadball line until they either get the ball back or the attacking team scores a try. The player will have a set amount of time to get into the area and an official will be there to ensure that the player doesn't act like a fullback and organise the defensive line. If they fail to do this they will then be sent to the sin bin. Teams might run the risk of giving away 1 penalty and trusting their defence enough to defend with 12 players, but I can't see many teams giving away 2 or 3 penalties and therefore having to defend with 11 or 10 men.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
I think there was a good point raised in restarting the tackle count. Let the play continue even allowing for the infringements. If the attacking team dont score, then on the 5th tackle reset the tackle count. And keep doing it every set that there us a blatant infringement until the infringements stop. Sooner or later the cheating team will be so exhausted they won't have the energy to slow the play down.
Insider
Roar Rookie
Barry, remember when the tacklers had to all peel of at same time? Good while it lasted Counting to 10 is also to difficult 1 elephant 2 elephant or is it 1 supercalafegalisticexpialwhatever 2 super,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Dunno mate everyone tries to make it simple yet
mushi
Roar Guru
What's the stats on that?
Insider
Roar Rookie
Mash, your a potato
mushi
Roar Guru
To be fair I was on the fence, then i saw you supported it and I knew it must be wrong
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
If the experts with the whistles played a straight bat each and every time (yes I'm looking at you Henry) the penalty count will naturally reduce. As long as team know particular refs play favourites they'll run the gauntlet every time.