Players have reported they could barely breathe during NRL trials with blame being laid at new rule changes introduced for season 2021.
Those complaining about the new rules need to take a few deep breaths (when the chance arises) and consider their benefits.
The rule changes aim to produce more ball-in-play time and reduce stoppages such as penalties, scrums and video reviews.
The rule changes reducing stoppages are:
• six-again to be called for ten-metre infringements
• a play-the-ball restart if the ball or player with the ball goes over the sideline
• the Bunker will now review replays after an on-field referee awards a try but a conversion attempt will not be allowed until it gets the green light
• injured players will be interchanged if a trainer asks for play to be stopped
• a handover will be ordered when a player does not make a genuine attempt to play the ball correctly with their foot
The result in the Panthers-Eels trial meant the ball was in play for 32 minutes in the first half, up almost five minutes from the average half during last year’s NRL season.
Critics claim the resulting attrition will lead to a drop in the quality.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Reports from the trials described weariness creeping into not only defences but also those in possession resulting in more dropped ball.
Sapping the energy of those with the ball, it has been said, will lead to a loss of shape, or attacking structure.
One columnist says the danger is more games will be decided by missed tackles and errant passes, rather than acts of brilliance.
The real problem is that rugby league as an entertainment option has suffered too long from the predictability with overusing shapes and structures.
Missed tackles and errant passes are ingredients that make games less predictable and more exciting. This is why these rule changes are long overdue.
Let’s consider what happens in a typical game of league.
Both teams trade barbs, running one-outs in their own half before kicking to the opponent’s corner or putting up a bomb.
These back-and-forth, monotonous sequences are only broken when the referee awards a penalty, carrying the team in possession deep into their opponent’s territory. Only then do teams unveil their trick shots in attack.
Frequent stoppages allow defences to be fresher, leading to never-ending swarms of gang tacklers who wrestle, chicken-wing and do whatever else to the ball carrier.
Fresher defences usually snuff out any possibility of offloads.
A lack of offloads means less second-phase play and opportunities for teams to work their way into try-scoring opportunities without the assistance of the referee providing a piggyback.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
The increase in stoppages has contributed to the shrinking ranks of smaller and leaner players, making the game less inclusive for a wider variety of body types.
Increased stoppages have allowed big boppers enough chance to catch their breath and wind up again to trample over the dwindling numbers of smaller and leaner players that have become increasingly perceived as a liability.
The sport has become increasingly dominated by brawn and unimaginative power-based tactics with less emphasis on skill and nous like the overuse of one-out running or darting out from acting half.
At youth levels many kids leave the game because there is no place for their smaller frames. Their speed, skill and swerve have no place to thrive in a game increasingly catered for those with much greater size.
Team lists are increasingly dominated by athletes rather than footballers.
The one valid concern about the rule changes comes regarding six-again being called for ten-metre infringements.
At one point does an attacking side get rewarded with the chance to accumulate points through what would have been a penalty goal?
What if, for instance, in the dying stages of a game a team leading by one point deliberately commits repeated ten-metre infringements safe in the knowledge their opponents will be denied a penalty goal kick?
When a ten-metre infringement occurs the captain of the team in possession should be given a few seconds leeway to elect to take a penalty goal.
The referee could play advantage until the next tackle at which point the captain can elect to take play back to the spot of the infringement and attempt the penalty goal.
Let’s give these new rules a chance to keep the game evolving and most importantly moving.
mach4
Roar Rookie
Perhaps it is now time to stop the ridiculous amount of time spent on warm-ups.
MarkD
Guest
You want a fast game when half the game is defence. If you want a fatigue factor then instead of completely changing the game how about changing the interchange back to a substitution rule like yesteryears. No value in an 80 min prop with the current interchange. Worried about the constant penalties from defensive line when in the red zone then have the refs use the current laws and send the repeat offenders to the bin, like their suppose to. The 6 again rule is a scam and as far as I have seen isn't evenly applied from team to team or defensive end to attacking end . It really is pot luck as to when the ref gives the cow bell call, at least when the penalty was given for ruck infringements , you knew what infringement it was for ie. hands on the ball ,slowing the play etc. At the moment ,ihear the cowbells and have no idea what it's for . If you want to watch union then watch it , but stop turning the game into a hybrid l3ague union game which it almost is .
Nat
Roar Guru
Amen!
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
If two groups of NRL players are knackered after 80 minutes, that's what you'll have anyway! Kick more and run less!
matth
Roar Guru
Yes, when did "corridors" become part of rugby league? You know what would be nice? A deep attacking line with the centres playing alongside each other coming at speed with room to show their evasive skills against tired defenders. Basically 1980.
matth
Roar Guru
There also might be an increased emphasis on stopping the ball in the in-goal to get that drop out stoppage.
matth
Roar Guru
So AFL then?
Rob9
Roar Guru
This is the whole problem, it’s all so wishy-washy with no real foresight through to the outcomes of adding x, y and z to the equation. So we want little players to trim down a bit now?? Even in the pack, some of the games most influential forwards like Jai Arrow and Cam Murray aren’t big. These guys aren’t exactly gym gorillas. It’s so clear this article and the idea that the ‘little guy’ is being phased out of the game is a false premise. Then this, ‘Maybe too many middle forwards have because they have never had to play really fatigued’. I remember Johnathon Thurston talking about player welfare and fatigue in an interview when the NRL started hacking into the interchange. He said something along the lines of anyone that thinks players aren’t fatigued enough during the course of a game hasn’t played NRL before. Fatigue isn’t a set state, it’s a scale that has levels. And there is no escaping the fact that the more fatigued you are, the more likely you are to be injured. What the new rules will do is see players focus more on their aerobic capacity which will reduce their levels of fatigue when playing a faster paced game (therefore brining it back to the status quo- just more ball in play and minimizing forces in collision due to reduced levels of muscular power) or see players playing more fatigued than they were previously which will result in a greater number of injuries.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
How fast do you the game will get if more players cramp up? Or pull a hammy after 60 minutes? Or get a head knock because they were too tired to focus on proper tackle technique?
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
I will be guided by the best source on this -- the players (who are likely to be back by medical officials). If the players say the game has become too quick then their concerns should be heeded. It may be fine for fans to want these new rules changes but to get a feel for it, why not put on the boots and go play under the new rules and judge for yourself? V'landys has already demonstrated a disregard for player welfare when he pushed for an early resumption to the NRL last year (for which he was feted too much). If the players feel their concerns aren't being listened, they may very well walk. Rugby union in NZ, and Australia, is on the cusp of injecting a great deal of money into their game (Warriors officials for one should be worried) and that opens up alternatives for aggrieved NRL players even amid a pandemic.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Right because that is what happened when there was more fatigue previously. That sounds more like the fear campaign put out by coaches not wanting rules put in place that take away their control of games.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
Once they have adjusted to the new style of game the injuries will be at the normal level. That's not how it works, Rellum. Greater fatigue equals greater (chance of) injuries. Bodies and bones will have become increasingly bruised; the slower, nippier players will slow down and be caught by bigger players. As will the very young players. Crunch!
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Ok say a minute and a half. Now what's the average umber of CCs per game. ? Well with the new CC ruling I'm going to call it 4 or 5. ( that includes successful challenges and inconclusives). 4x 1.5 = 6 mins or 5x 1 = 5 min. Six freaking minutes of my life wasted for what. Six minutes for the heat to go out of a great game for what? ? Fair play? NO . Six minutes wasted in the vain hope of getting things right . Bring on the strip slo mo yet again, its scintillating viewing.
Paul
Roar Guru
Perhaps I'm being naive, but I'd have thought the NRL would have sought or received advice from health experts in the game about the impacts of these rule changes. At the end of the day, they're in the best place to know whether injuries are more likely or not. People talk about their concerns the game will get faster but surely the complete opposite is possible too? Guys who get tired won't run as quickly - you only have to look at players in golden point games to see that. They might start games flat out, but as the effects of these rule changes kick in, they'll tire and slow down. The other thing that will happen, if these rules stay in place for a few years, is the size & shape of players will change, so these 110 - 120kg types will be the exception again, rather than the rule. I for one don't think that's a bad thing, it's simply part of the evolution of the game.
Rellum
Roar Guru
If the players use them up in the last 5 minutes to rest then they are creating the problem not Nat. He is just highlighting a problem with the system.
Rellum
Roar Guru
You train to play fatigued. You don't train to play only fresh. Maybe too many middle forwards have because they have never had to play really fatigued. No not all player are big middle forwards but they have all done too much power lifting and not enough football. Those little players will still have to do less power lifting and trim down a little which I think will make them even more effective in the new game.
Rob9
Roar Guru
But they’re not all ‘power units’. As mentioned in the comment you’ve replied to- almost a third of a teams starting 13 are between 80 to 95kg and filling positions that are based on organising and executing attack (halves) and utilizing speed and acceleration skills to be in the right place at the right time to hit space (full backs). These players aren’t and never will need to be big. Ryan Papenhuyzen is one of the most exciting and influential talents in the game right now. He’s 80kgs and by no means a ‘power unit’. Of course the rules will change how teams train their players but it doesn’t change the goal of the new rules- fatigue. And again, there is no greater cause for injury than fatigue. 2 things can happen as a result of this misguided chase for fatigue; the players adjust with a greater focus on aerobic fitness training to bring down their levels of fatigue during competition which will render the rule changes obsolete, or there’s an increase in injuries. If the goal is more football, then just introduce a game clock.
Walter Black
Guest
"The coaches will still find ways to slow it down (Capt Challenges)" A Captains challenge might last 1 minute, minute and a half at the most. If slowing the game down is the only reason these get used then they are going to get used up pretty quickly. So we are going to be looking at a maximum of 3 or 4 minutes stoppage in an entire game. The reality is that it isn't in a teams interest to use the CC cynically until the last 10 minutes of a game and from what we saw last year, it doesn't happen. Don't try and create a problem where one does not exist. For the most part the CC is a welcome addition to ensuring fair play and it is as much a tool for the refs as it is for the captains.
Rellum
Roar Guru
The idea is to get the players to train differently and not all be be power units. Once they have adjusted to the new style of game the injuries will be at the normal level. It is not a reason to resist change.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Sapping the energy of those with the ball, it has been said, will lead to a loss of shape, or attacking structure. That's the idea. I am afraid they are going to have to become footballers and not just athletes who run up and down their strip of the pitch.