Opinion
I know it is in rugby league’s DNA to alter and modify the rules continually, and the reason for making changes is simple – to make the game far more attractive to the fans.
Unfortunately, the latest suggestion of seven-tackle sets if the ball is kicked into touch has left me not angry but deflated and honestly, bewildered. Ultimately, it has me questioning the game’s direction, and I ask the reasonable question – what is the end game?
In present times, Peter V’landys and the Australian Rugby League Commission and administration have done a fantastic job of keeping the competition on the field and on our television screens. Yet, instead of leaving their talents in the boardrooms of Australia’s elite, they are interfering with what I consider to be the greatest game of all.
I won’t lie; I am the definition of a rugby league tragic. However, I’m just not as in love with rugby league at present. What I find strange about this growth of indifference towards the NRL is that it is happening in a COVID year, where rugby league should be providing me with the escape from the madness that is going on around us.
Unfortunately, I watch the team travelling third beat the team travelling fourth, 54-12. Yes, I hear you; Eastern Suburbs are depleted. The game was not over until after Latrell Mitchell’s big hit, and only then did Souths run away with it.
I should also note that I am a Souths fan, and although I should be super pumped about such a victory (minus Latrell’s pending suspension), I am left lamenting the fact that there is a serious class divide in the game.
Melbourne and Penrith are the two superior outfits this year, and South Sydney can reasonably claim to be the best of the rest, but even then, the top-six sides are far better than the rest of the competition. I know there are many reasons for this, but I am in little doubt that the rules are a major contributing factor.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
At the moment, it seems that the NRL is trying to make the game full of Wayne Pearce look-a-likes (yes, I know he suggested the seven-tackle sideline restart). By this, I mean a fast, frantic game of touch, but a tackle version.
Every player is under 110kgs and can play a full 80 minutes, and an all-out attack is the name of the game. That end game is boring!
I want the game to have balance in the force – where attack and defence get equal treatment. In essence, I want teams to work for their tries.
Okay, genius – what would you change to make the game better?
With this in mind, here are the rules that I would implement or remove to make the game far better than what is currently being served up.
1. The seven-tackle sets
A zero tackle should only happen if a player knocks on and the other team retrieve the ball. Otherwise, get rid of them. This point includes the newly suggested kicks into touch.
If reasonable minds hold sway, they will not happen, ever! Introducing them is a great way to punish teams who have excellent kickers. I mean, teams will stop attempting to kick the ball for a 40-20 if the other team gets a seven-tackle set.
Further to this, I have never really been a fan of the seven-tackle set from a 20-metre restart, either. I don’t like it. I know it can provide a momentum swing, but the rule was only brought in to stop teams purposefully kicking the ball dead, so fullbacks did not dominate the sport.
Guess what? Fullbacks dominated before the rule was brought in, and they continue to do so after the rule was introduced. The seven-tackle set is rubbish – pure and simple.
2. The six-again rule
Vomit!
Absolute garbage. Especially the six-again for offside.
I mean, did they even think of the consequences of this? Fine, stand offside and give up a tackle. It provides no advantage for the attacking team. And with the six-again for the ruck infringement, I’m often wondering – why the hell was that a six-again and not the other tackles?
Go back to penalties. If a team commits a foul, legitimately penalise the defence and reward the attacking team! The NRL brought it in to remove the wrestle, but I still see the wrestle.
3. The Bunker
Does anyone have any anti-military hardware to blow that thing up! I mean, in one game, they get involved, and in the next, they are silent. What the hell?
(Image: Joe Frost/The Roar)
I don’t want to watch rugby league and rage (unless my team is losing). Often, I am left sitting shaking my head at some of the calls or non-calls. The crackdown has passed, and the game has solved many of the issues, but if the referee misses an incident, the Bunker needs to stay out of the way!
This is how a Bunker should operate: the referee misses a penalty. The bunker says nothing. Easy. If a player needs to be placed on report, leave that for the end of the game. Please do not interfere with the contest on their field.
I could maybe, with reluctance, agree to the Bunker for try-scoring situations, but even then, I hate the delay. Seriously, watch games of old when the referee made a decision – good or bad; it was far more enjoyable.
4. Interchange needs a revamp
Firstly, get rid of the 18th man. Or, if you keep 18 players, then make it a five substitution rule. The big players tire, and then the small, fit and fast men can dominate. Ideally, I prefer four players on the bench with six substations.
Understandably, the game needs to address Head Injury Assessment. If a replacement is required from a reportable incident, then keep the free interchange option.
If a player stays down to attract a penalty, that player must be removed from the field for five minutes or replaced, and consequently, the team uses an interchange. I’m over the diving.
On another note, if you get rid of the video match official, you remove a lot of the diving for penalties.
5. Scrum restart positions
I know they offer an attacking advantage, but if a team get a scrum restart, why do they get to choose where it happens? Petty whinge, I know, but equally frustrating all the same.
Just curious, if a team kicks the ball into touch, is there anything wrong with allowing this natural break to occur, rather than having teams rush for a restart?
6. Two-point field goal
I have friends and family who don’t understand my annoyance at this – considering it has been to South Sydney’s advantage this season, but my reason is based on legitimacy. Historically, the game removed two-point field goals for a reason.
Moreover, despite the fact that they only happen if kicked behind the 40-metre line, they symbolise the gimmick nature of the present administration. What next? We keep the five-point try if you score behind the post as in the 9s?
If you score a try from past halfway, should you get six points automatically? Of course not; that would be stupid! And so too, my fellow Roarers, is the two-point field goal. Seriously, that’s how they get you – step by step, inch by inch, change by change until you accept stupidity. It is a gimmick.
The NRL is not the NBA or Super Netball. The game should not have a different point scoring system for wherever they achieved the act on the field. Let’s consign the two-point field goal to the dustbin of history.
Obviously, there could be more to change, such as the judiciary grading system and a possible increase of suspensions for wrestling tactics, but in terms of the rules of the game, what would you get rid of or modify to make the game a more even contest between attack and defence compared to what is presented in 2021?
To conclude, it feels as if rugby league is wobbling along, looking for a magic bullet.
In doing so, they are ignoring (unintentionally) the true fans and chasing fans who are not the rusted-on diehards nor emotionally invested in the sport. Finally, no matter how many times the present pre-determined loaded surveys to prove they are right, the game just feels out of sync this season.
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