NRL Rules discussion

Anyone else sick of the deliberate penalties given away on the goal line? 

I am. It makes the game so niggly and frustrating.

Referees seem so scared to bin someone. I know there's an opinion that if it's not 13 v13 it destroys the game.

How about they send them off and allow a replacement but make the penalty a double interchange?

Could be fairer, especially near the end of games when interchanges are running low. If the team is all out then you're down to 12.

Thoughts?

I fucking hate it mate and I dont understand why the sin bin isnt used more in that situation.
If a team gives away 2 in a row down there - if they give away any more the refs need to start binning players. Doesnt matter if its not the same offence, its the same situation.

On thing I fucking hate is runners being run/knocked/blocked off the ball when they are chasing a kick. It does my head in 100%. I fucking hate it. It happens on EVERY SINGLE ATTACKING KICK too. If someone is coming in to chase the ball, 3/4 blokes run in and turn around and just bump the guy out of the way. The NRL has started a mini crackdown on it but it should be out of the fucking game. Its a blight.

Another thing I hate is players being allowed to be offside on long kicks. Ive never understood this. They are allowed to be offside and if the the defender gets the ball and runs 10m they are automatically on side. Why? They should have to be behind the kicker, or the kicker should have to put them on side.
Before this rule came in when we were kids, the halfback would kick it and the fullback or winger would take off down the sideline or field to put everyone onside. I hate seeing a prop or back rower 15m infront of the kicker then they jog down and just wait 10m (most of the time) from the fullback and just tackle him. Its bullshit, they are offside!

If this is an open forum about rules discussion, then the ones that bug me are:

1. A charge down or defender playing at the ball with their legs or feet shouldn't restart the tackle count or give you a scrum feed if it goes into touch. If you're not good enough to get the kick through the defensive line or before a defender comes to tackle you, you shouldn't get potentially rewarded with 6 more tackles. Obviously you can't have fullbacks intentionally kicking a ball near the sideline into touch to get the scrum feed, so you'd need to word this right.

2. I like the 7 tackle rule for kicks that have gone dead or touch in goal, but I don't think it should apply for knock ons over the line. The intention of the rule was to stop teams intentionally kick it dead to minimise the risk of attacking fullbacks making a break from the kick return, and to promote teams to run on the last instead of kicking it. I don't think the intention was to disadvantage someone trying to reach out and score a try and losing it in the process. A 6 tackle set in that case is enough IMO.

3. I hate players staying down for crusher tackles. I can't remember when a player actually had to leave the field following a crusher tackle. I think we've gone past the point of players using them as legitimate wrestling techniques, and all the crushers that now happen are accidents. If the ref isn't able to call it straight away, then it's play on. The Match Review Committee supposedly watches every match, so they can still cite someone if necessary. I don't mind players staying down for high tackles as if it isn't serious enough for getting charged, then it's play on (and the refs miss some doozies), but it seems every crusher tackle goes on report, no matter how minor or accidental. It's a blight on the game, and it happens pretty much every game.

Dip - what if they are in a bit of pain, that could be the reason they stay down. Plus everyone is so (and rightfully) concerned about the neck - some of it is precautionary.

it is annoying that the crusher is the one they penalize, everyone is still intentionally twisting and turning other players into awkward positions but they penalize crushers which are complete accidents 99% of the time


7 tackle sets defs need looking into, a guy dropping the ball over the line trying to score should never be a 7 tackle set from the 20, its ridiculous



My pet hate is actually in the rule book and happens once a week (i've mentioned it before)


Players taking taps when their players are offside, the rule book does not say "go back and try again", you are supposed to lose possession, its such a simple rule that kids get taught at ten that we completely overlook.

Deliberate penalties has been happening for a while, you see it several times a week (annoys the shit out of me).

Something Ive been calling for a long time and thats the 5 min sin bin. If it was implemented it could have been used on numerous occasions already this year. IMO it would change the game for the better.

Pieman wrote:Dip - what if they are in a bit of pain, that could be the reason they stay down. Plus everyone is so (and rightfully) concerned about the neck - some of it is precautionary.

You should never tell an injured player not to stay down, and I have no drama with that, but when I say play-on, I mean no penalty. I mean like if someone twists a knee play can still stop and they can get attended to (especially important with neck injuries), but when they're ready (or replaced), play continues with a play the ball.

My gut feeling is that in most cases, players will just get up and play the ball because when you stay down you're disadvantaged by slowing down the play.

Bren wrote:Deliberate penalties has been happening for a while, you see it several times a week (annoys the shit out of me).

Something Ive been calling for a long time and thats the 5 min sin bin. If it was implemented it could have been used on numerous occasions already this year. IMO it would change the game for the better.

They should do what touch football does. Consecutive penalties on your own line - go and stand at the corner post for a set of 6. Quick and easy, doesnt potentially change an entire game like 5 or 10 minutes might but allows adequate punishment for being a prat on your own line.

ryno_ wrote:

They should do what touch football does. Consecutive penalties on your own line - go and stand at the corner post for a set of 6. Quick and easy, doesnt potentially change an entire game like 5 or 10 minutes might but allows adequate punishment for being a prat on your own line.

Another touch rule that someone suggested the other day and that I'm warming to, is the idea of a forced sub, which would then eat into your interchanges but not leave your side a man down.

Imagine the uproar if the forced sub took the last interchange and then a team had to play with 12 players after an injury etc.

I hate the one set sin bin. Or the forced sub - in league. It works in touch but its an amateur sport thats heaps faster paced than league.

I dont see why refs cant just sin bin blokes - if they dont want to be sin binned then dont give away the penalties, simple.

Pieman wrote:Imagine the uproar if the forced sub took the last interchange and then a team had to play with 12 players after an injury etc.

I hate the one set sin bin. Or the forced sub -  in league. It works in touch but its an amateur sport thats heaps faster paced than league.

I dont see why refs cant just sin bin blokes - if they dont want to be sin binned then dont give away the penalties, simple.

Imagine the outcry..... no matter what!

I think we've left the realm of making common sense decisions, that everyone agrees improves the game, behind. People gonna whinge

Which sucks, because I'd like to see a few things tried - 5min sin bins, and the prerequisite for referees to have testicles foremost amongst them.

As much as it pissed me off that Hollywood Harrigan (for example) used to blow penalties against Queenslanders (just because they were Queenslanders), I'd rather hearken back to having on-field decisions made, but using technology to overturn howlers quickly. You know - sort of how the bunker worked in the first 5 rounds this season??????



Fuck it's hard to strike a balance

Yeah players staying down for crushers when  they've turned and backed into the tackle. 

Cheats using neck damage as sympathy for a penalty. Disrespectful.

leaguegod wrote:


Players taking taps when their players are offside, the rule book does not say "go back and try again", you are supposed to lose possession, its such a simple rule that kids get taught at ten that we completely overlook.

Totally fucking agree!!!!! Should be a turnover every single time

I hate how all the rules go out the window in extra time, no offside penalties what so ever.

Offside off the kick off - happens just about every game.

When you watch NBA or NFL - if the refs make the incorrect call in play, they over turn it.
Its embarrassing how e.g. you can see that the ball went out off someone on the other team but they wont change the call. They show replay after replay but refuse to change the call. Its weird. Especially when they have time to do it at a scrum etc.

Fuck I wish the NRL went down the NHL route and legalised fighting, or, managed fighting, rather than banning it.

I miss the biff

Pieman wrote:Fuck I wish the NRL went down the NHL route and legalised fighting, or, managed fighting, rather than banning it.

I miss the biff

There us much more grubby stuff that happens now cause blokes aren't worried about getting a smack across the chin.

Maxwell had a shocker on the weekend. The players did enough to turn the game into a boring knock-on fest without his help blowing the pea out of the whistle.

And pulling Matterson up on a knock-on, when he clearly kicked the ball was a terrible decision, especially when TRex was allowed to throw the ball forward to himself last week.

ryno_ wrote:Maxwell had a shocker on the weekend. The players did enough to turn the game into a boring knock-on fest without his help blowing the pea out of the whistle.

And pulling Matterson up on a knock-on, when he clearly kicked the ball was a terrible decision, especially when TRex was allowed to throw the ball forward to himself last week.

His tough talk to Friend re the SKD ongoing indiscretions was utterly cringe-worthy.

Reminded me of that fucker Craig Joubert

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

His tough talk to Friend re the SKD ongoing indiscretions was utterly cringe-worthy.

Reminded me of that fucker Craig Joubert

BLoody oath. He literally said that hes been penalised for offside three times I will bin him if he does it again.
He does it again.
No bin.
What a fucking joke.

Also, the intentional penalties from the roosters are just disgusting. It goes against the fabric of the game, and frankly is poor sportsmanship. One where jake friend held someone down right in front of the posts for fucking ages, was just wow. I would love to see how many penalties jake friend has given away within his own 10m in the last few years, would be like 100 over two years I reckon.

Joey's comment when it happened - that should be a sin bin. Giving away an intentional penalty like that is a professional foul.

Also, The sin-bin from the warriors bloke. That should have been a penalty try IMO. I mean, he still nearly bloody scored it, what more proof do they need. Im happy they binned him but geez, that was a penalty try for mine.

On another note its fucking brilliant seeing the roosters lose every week