New rules effect on Manly ??

[Brissie Kid]

Every NRL team will be brilliant when they have the ball and get these favourable six again calls.

Every NRL team will be hopeless and accused of having no heart when they have to defend over and over when the calls all go in favour of the opposition.

Not NRL anymore. This will be dummy half scoot-ball by Rd6. Blowouts everywhere. And some game where a team will win from 24 points down in the last 10 minutes.

 

[Tomay]

My concern is that our team composition is based on large bodies - especially off the bench. Introducing these changes without notice is going to be tough on our forwards. With a full off season notice we most certainly would have focused on shedding weight and recruiting fitter middles. Let’s hope GoJetski is ready to go, be willl be very valuable this season

 

[maxta]

Last night was not a great example of it for Bronco's, as they played without key players with 25% of the ball....
Add David fifita, Pengai Jnr and perhaps Ben Teo with 50% of the ball and these rules will be super for Brisbane and on the back of this Milford may come off the "Missing persons" posters, currently seen on every telegraph pole and milk bar in Brisbane !!

 

[maxta]

Guys like Turbo and Walker should benefit from the new rule.

Manly like to play up the middle, so it shuold work to our advantage.

Shame no fainu, cause he is a player that would have also liked the rule, not so sure about Levi.

Mate I think Fainu would have been up in the top 3 - 4 hookers in the game in 2020, with this current style perfect for him in SO many ways...unfortunately not there, but I believe Levi will pleasantly surprise with his dummy half play and score a try this Sunday!
Glad Sam Burgess is gone - Cook would have been potent for Souths, but watch him go every time Murry plays the ball....

 

[skull61]

Not just Manly will be affected. You watch in a couple of weeks there will be calls to change it because of all the blow out scores and viewers switching off

 

[Woodsie]

Old man rant ..

The logical extension of speeding the game up is to favour athleticism over skill and gile .... there exists a happy medium ... but I am afraid we will ignore it in our haste .... just as the striping rule hinders the creative off loader ... too much frantic movement will hinder the skillful footballer ....

Modern rollball touch football is very fast ... and as boring as .... we need to be careful what we wish for ....

 

[KOMORI]

I can see some players like Tamalolou (spelling?!?) racking up some record meters per game in the near future with this rule..
Cardiac fitness will become paramount simply because defending teams will have lost that precious 30-60 seconds breather that they got from the penalty.
I actually think that the “six again string” (great terminology!!) is far more advantageous than the equivalent string of ruck infringement penalties, even given the field position gain that the penalty and resulting kick for touch gives.
Field position is easy enough to gain: possession is what wins the game and the “six again string” will allow a team to keep the ball and absolutely gas the defensive team through non stop scrambling..

 

[KOMORI]

Also, how long before the term “six again string” is commonly used by journalists and commentators??

 

[The Who]

We all know Des likes to treat the fourth man on the bench like his first dollar - unused and in mint condition.....

What a wonderful turn of phrase.
I applaud your penmanship.

 

[jbb/james]

I would hate it to get to a point that the kick off reciever is n the box seat because all teams falter in the first few minutes.
Parra gassed em early and the bronco comeback was inept. Looks dangerous

 

[manly al]

Still think that the main purpose with the six again is to open up the game more and consequently more open free flowing footy . Also to reduce the general predictability of much of the current playing format for many seasons now . Presently mainly revolves around kicking for field position on the 5 th , hammer the opposition full back or winger , then a brave but really nothing play into the opposition ruck , then just three more plays until a 5 th tackle kick and repeat play unless an error or penalty occurs . Still the necessity for laying a platform for the big men and yardage gain in general but again that additional opportunity for more open and enterprising play with the occasional six again ruling . Time will tell as usual for any footy innovations and well measured or not and again will just have to see how this one evolves .

 

[double hoops]

I can't help but think Man might struggle defensively with this rule change, More than most.

We have been happy to give penalties away, to slow down the play of the ball. Reset the line, get a breather. And our defense up the middle has been rock solid doing that.

Add our Defence structure out wide relies on the old up and in more than most clubs.

I can see Manly struggling, really struggling to adapt to this, at such short notice.

Hope I'm wrong, but I can't see our defence being anywhere near as tight as it was in 2019.

 

[HoldenV8]

My concern is that our team composition is based on large bodies - especially off the bench. Introducing these changes without notice is going to be tough on our forwards. With a full off season notice we most certainly would have focused on shedding weight and recruiting fitter middles. Let’s hope GoJetski is ready to go, be willl be very valuable this season

Agreed. I think for a while until teams can get their fitness levels back up and until they all get a handle on not giving away 6 after 6, teams like ours who have a lot of big bopper forwards are going to suffer more than those with smaller, lighter forwards.

Right now it would appear that having bigger motor, lighter and more mobile back rowers on the bench instead of heavy hitting props might be the way to go in this faster style of game.

That's the one negative right now that I can see for Manly. Other than Jetski and Waddell, our bench forwards are basically props in Boyle, Keppie, Paseka and Sipley. It puts more emphasis on both Siro and Thommo staying healthy because if they get injured, essentially all we have left is front rowers.

 

[Ranga]

I know this would be contrary to conventional wisdom that says the try line must be defended at all costs, but is there a point where you'd rather concede a try, kick off and work for field position again instead of busting your gut for 20+ tackles in a row and being gassed?

 

[HoldenV8]

I know this would be contrary to conventional wisdom that says the try line must be defended at all costs, but is there a point where you'd rather concede a try, kick off and work for field position again instead of busting your gut for 20+ tackles in a row and being gassed?

Can you see Des being a coach who will happily give away a try on the off chance that we might be able to come back because we're not as gassed as might be?

Des hates losing. Just ask the door at the old Parramatta Stadium.

 

[Brissie Kid]

OK I've got it.

When you're in defence, don't move forward.

Instead use retreating defence, don't hold down, have one marker and just let the opposition have five unchallenged tackles as they move upfield, but there's no gaps in your defence.

Then you just have to defend the 5th tackle kick inside your own 20m line.

No energy wasted & you most likely get the ball back with 20m restart and 7 tackles, followed by "six again".

 

[Ranga]

Can you see Des being a coach who will happily give away a try on the off chance that we might be able to come back because we're not as gassed as might be?

Des hates losing. Just ask the door at the old Parramatta Stadium.

I can't see Des coaching it, I agree, and of course the answer to the issue is don't infringe. But sometimes you find yourself on the wrong end of the ref's stick (particularly when they just want to be relevant), and spending tackle after tackle defending your line might mean you win the battle but not the war. It will be interesting to see how team's respond, that's for sure.

 

[HoldenV8]

I can't see Des coaching it, I agree, and of course the answer to the issue is don't infringe. But sometimes you find yourself on the wrong end of the ref's stick (particularly when they just want to be relevant), and spending tackle after tackle defending your line might mean you win the battle but not the war. It will be interesting to see how team's respond, that's for sure.

How the refs call them will be key.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

How the refs call them will be key.

The absolute key I reckon

 

[grassy]

I can’t help but think it’s going to become touch football.If this is the new rule,then I hope we are fit enough to go the distance.This is going to test our backline big time.After watching last nights first half game,parra at one stage was shown the try line by the ref.Every mis call by the ref will amplify big time for the final result.I just hope we adapt. Refs better be on their game otherwise I see this as a disaster.Of course I could be wrong but it’s just a gut feeling at the moment.