In Round 7 of the 2020 National Rugby League season, Parramatta Eels captain and fullback Clint Gutherson kicked his first ever first-grade field goal to snatch victory from the Canberra Raiders 25-24.
This highlighted the enormous game-winning skill that, while only worth one point, can make or break a team’s chance of winning.
As a fan, the field goal is extremely exciting when scores are locked and the clock is ticking down. At this time we look to our field-goal exponents with hope.
In 2019, there were six field goals kicked to win NRL contests. St George Illawarra’s Corey Norman, Brisbane’s Jamayne Isaako, Canberra’s Aidan Sezer, Penrith’s Nathan Cleary, Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans, and the Roosters’ Latrell Michel all kicked field goals, winning the game for their respective clubs.
Cherry-Evans has kicked 21 field goals for the Sea Eagles since his debut in 2011. His presence of mind to execute under the pressure of a rushing defence has carried his team to victory on many an occasion.
Each generation has produced specialist field-goal kickers. In the ’80s and ’90s exponents included Benny Elias, Terry Lamb, Michael O’Connor, Wally Lewis and Ricky Stuart (just to mention a few).
From 2000 on, we have seen professional players practice and practice the field goal until they were satisfied they could ply their trade under pressure from the opposition and the clock.
More recently, some exponents include Andrew Johns, Jason Taylor, Darren Lockyer, Jamie Soward, Braith Anasta, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, and Benji Marshall.
Andrew Johns (Tony Feder/Getty Images)
In a league of his own, Thurston famously kicked the North Queensland Cowboys to victory in the 2015 grand final against the Brisbane Broncos.
The match was forced into golden point when the sides were locked at 16-all after 80 minutes. Thurston set himself and snatched victory. Deservedly, he received the Clive Churchill medal.
In the modern era, there have been six State of Origin matches decided by a field goal. Shaun Timmins kicked New South Wales to victory in game one of the 2004 series.
In Game 1 of 2006, after a disastrous plague of injuries to the Blues, Brett Finch was selected to play halfback only 24 hours before kick off, receiving boos from the supporters.
The ring-in saved the day for NSW, booting a field goal in the 78th minute.
Despite having field-goal specialist Braith Anasta in the team, Finchy won the game with a perfect stike from 35 meters out, creating folklore.
Of course, it should be mentioned that Lockyer also kicked Queensland to victory in 2010. A brilliant athlete, Lockyer not only skippered his state and country, he had a deft left-foot boot that often got his team over the line.
I can’t leave out Cooper Cronk in Game 3 of 2012, who perfectly executed for the Maroons from 46 meters out to take the series 2-1.
With the amount of close games in the National Rugby League, the field goal is a necessary tactic and a valuable skill. This clutch play can be the difference.
If your team does not have a field goal specialist, you might just lose by one point.
Crow
Roar Pro
I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all. Yes we often see the field goal late in the match. A confident team could use the psychological advantage earlier in the game thus giving rise to wins. ????
Crow
Roar Pro
Reynolds is great. A real professional and can kick them. Like you say, three in one game. I just can’t go past DCE.
William W
Roar Rookie
I suppose we can say that Adam Reynolds of the Rabbitohs is the very best at kicking Field Goals in the modern era. Anyone who can kick 3 Field Goals in a single Semi-Final under extreme pressure is definitely the best in the business. He has kicked plenty to win games since 2012.
Crow
Roar Pro
Yes the differential is very important in rating the field. For and against.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Brad Mackay got it in the 1993 grand final because he was judged the best player despite being on the losing team. The Dragons lost their big young prop Jason Stevens with a terrible hand injury in the first few minutes and never looked like winning. They had beaten the Broncos in the last round and were a good chance of doing it again.
Paul
Roar Guru
totally agree about draws being a fair result and equally agree about tries going back to 3 points
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I would like to see tries return to three points but they were changed to four points with the NSWRL bowing to those saying the game is all about scoring tries not kicking goals. This allowed defending teams to make ruck infringements and the attacking team would not take the kick so the offending defenders would not be penalised. The four point tries are the reason we see so may ruck penalties that are now demoted to a restart tackle count because it's considered a minor event. I wish we had've stuck to the 3-2-1 system.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I wouldn't mind returning to 2 point FGs but it won't happen. Removing it as a tie breaking option, changing Golden Point to Golden Try, might work but I dislike GP because a draw is a fair result and it is not fair to all the other teams. We should only see it in elimination matches after regular extra time. We should make the Field Goal an integral part of the game like it is in US Football and only allow a Field Goal on the last tackle. We copied limited tackle (Four Tackles) from them but reduced the points for a Field Goal.
Paul
Roar Guru
Tim, I'm not suggesting removing the field goal from the normal 80 minute games, I'm suggesting making it either an integral part of the game by returning the value for this type of play to 2 points, or removing it as a tie breaking option if it remains at one point and extra time is required. The game is all about scoring tries, not kicking field goals, thanks to the demotion of this kick to 1 point, yet we allow games to be decided by a piece of play that only gets trotted out once in a blue moon? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I was only 10 at the time but I do recall Elton was a big man and he could hold the ball in one hand. He played for St.George from 1962 to 1968 winning grand finals in the first five years.
Nico
Roar Rookie
Would've been amazing with Rasmussen, i'd say the balls were probably a bit heavier back then too
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I'd like to see teams kick a FG early in the game, when there is no pressure, to create an odd scoreline and remove the need for a FG later. I'll put it to Paul MacGregor as a way of making the opponents keel over with laughter.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Given the importance of the field goal I'm surprised that teams don't practise their field goals when they are well ahead. I suppose the importance of difference being used to rank teams on equal points is the reason for a team to take advantage of a tired opposition and score more tries.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Simms was getting more kicks than anybody else because Souths got more scrums and scrum penalties from referee Col Pearce. It was annoying watching a game of continuous scrums and the inevitable FGs so they changed the FG to 1 point and made the bomb the easiest way to score tries. Field goals would’ve been devalued with or without Simms.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It was so cruel because Balmain were a very good team in the mid to late 80's but didn't win one.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
There were plenty of good field goal kickers that made them a good option but the main reason was that after every 4 tackles there would be a scrum. The rule changes to improve the spectacle made it worse by increasing the number of scrums and the unfathomable scrum penalties that ended many of the scrums. I have my theories about that but there is no doubt that more scrum penalties made kickers like Simms the real match winners. Bax does sound like such a match winner and I would’ve loved to see those own half field goals. I remember Elton Rassmussen kicking a penalty goal from 55 metres out and close to the sideline at Brookvale Oval.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I don't understand the desire to remove the field goal from the game. There are only three scoring events. Tries, conversions and field goals should be worth 3, 2 and 1 points but tries were changed to 4 points to discourage kicks for goal. The worst thing about that was making the game predictable with the set of six culminating in the cheap reward for failure by allowing the bomb which is a lucky dip with any number of players gathering like flies to get the easy four point try. A couple of simple rule changes could fix that ugly part of the game that rewards mediocrity.
Crow
Roar Pro
Thanks MPC. I did review his stats and should have mentioned him. He was the best field-goal exponent of last century. 86 field-goals in just over 200 games.
Paul
Roar Guru
I get all that and agree there's some skill involved, but even so, it makes no sense to me to have a part of the game, that has been trivialised to the value of the action (1 point), deciding an event where 2 teams have bashed each other solidly for 80 minutes. If sides can't be separated after the normal length of a game, fair cop. If there's a need to try and separate sides for TV purposes, make a field goal worth 2 points, play 2 x 5 minute halves and see what happens
MPC
Guest
I would of thought you would have mentioned Eric Simms. The greatest drop goal exponent ever, who kicked 5 in 1 match. He has done what no other goal kicker has done and changed the rules. The reduction of drop goals from 2 to 1 is known as the Eric Simms rule.