New rules effect on Manly ??

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Watching the Titans v Cowboys game atm....

This new rule, and the resulting six again string, is going to change the face of Rugby League as we know it.

The teams that adapt the quickest will benefit immensely in the short term...
 
Watching the Titans v Cowboys game atm....

This new rule, and the resulting six again string, is going to change the face of Rugby League as we know it.

The teams that adapt the quickest will benefit immensely in the short term...
We needed a change, becoming a bit predictable
 
We needed a change, becoming a bit predictable
Not wrong.... be very interested to see how the Storm adapt to this given that their entire game revolves around controlling the speed of the ruck and having their defence set and ready as a result of their wrestling skills...
 
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.
I actually think the opposite. A lot of penalties are being let go with 1 ref. There is no 2nd ref nitpicking every little thing. So many times we were penalised last year I couldn't figure out why. I think the games are let go a bit more so far this wknd so I actually think it'll have a positive effect on us
 
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The 1 thing I have noticed due to the speed, Every side is using line speed in defence to try win early contact to contain the roll on effect up the middle and heaps of time have been way offside, which has been rarely pinged, often seeming 2-3 metres offside...thinking Every side will continue the tactic as its invaluable to control the attacking tempo as best way possible and the 3 most effective -

1 - Defence Shoot up - get the jump when possible - 1 ref either loose here or hard to control
2 - Good contact - dominate the initial contact to halt the attacker - not let them bend the line
3 - Numbers - swarming a 2nd and 3rd defender to legally allow time on the man with the ball
 
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Not wrong.... be very interested to see how the Storm adapt to this given that their entire game revolves around controlling the speed of the ruck and having their defence set and ready as a result of their wrestling skills...

True.... but if the refs don't rule 6 again for the golden boys with sCam going full ref whisperer mode, then the storm will still get away with it.

I was also thinking if the refs were secretly miffed about the one ref change, they could rule 6 again so often it stuffs everything up and the nrl throw the second tosspot back onto the field.
 
Observations after 3 games
1. Offload. The Eels did it quite well, it creates pressure on the defence that could easily (and did, in that game) turn into 6 again. Once you have that call keep the foot on the throat by targeting the middle, will pay off later in the game
2. The Chook game seemed to be ref'd differently, I'd be curious to see the time the Chooks took in the tackle, with no 6-again call vs the Broncos that got several calls against them. I didn't see the big difference myself so wonder if the refs will back off a bit after the number of calls in the 1st two games
3. Don't over-complicate, the game remains fairly simple in that the most dominant forward pack usually paves the way to victory. And the side that controls possession usually ends up dominating the forward battle.
4. Manly should be fine, we have power and off-loading ability in the forwards, will probably get screwed in a couple of games but should still prosper overall.

edit - 'controlled' offload (taking to you Marty!)
 
2. The Chook game seemed to be ref'd differently, I'd be curious to see the time the Chooks took in the tackle, with no 6-again call vs the Broncos that got several calls against them. I didn't see the big difference myself so wonder if the refs will back off a bit after the number of calls in the 1st two games

Yeah ... both teams given a bit more time than the earlier games .....

I think it was closer to the desired result than the others .... wrestle was 90% eliminated but the game was allowed to flow ... liked the slightly slower tempo better ...
 
The open attack of the new rules makes me think Schuster will be a dead set winner. Yes he has a lot of growing up and maturing to do to be an NRL player week in week out but his slight of hand and vision running at tiring defences could be spectacular.
Agree. He looks 100% suited to this style of game. A lot like Dylan Brown for Eels. Hopefully sooner rather than later, even as a bench player to come on late in games. We've seen the return of the "super sub" and Schuster could definitely fill this role to ease into first grade. Croker is handy but hardly a super sub, we need someone who can spark something off the bench against tired defenders. Id have Cust and Schuster ahead of Croker for this purpose (super sub)
 
You can still wrestle, just gotta do it before the call of held. Most of the six again calls have been for hand on ball, retreating to marker through the ruck, crowding the ruck or holding onto the tackled player too long, all of which are post held call infringements. Three man tackles to hold a player up and slowly put them on their back are still totally legal when done right.
 
The open attack of the new rules makes me think Schuster will be a dead set winner. Yes he has a lot of growing up and maturing to do to be an NRL player week in week out but his slight of hand and vision running at tiring defences could be spectacular.

I think that having a proper six and halfback would be an advantage in the new game.
Two halfs who can read a game well and have lots of tricks but know when to distribute and when to show n go or kick.
I thinkk Dylan would go better in the centres what six.
 
I'm thinking it should suit Manly to a tee. Most of Manly's attack recently have come through the middle third and based off an off load or quick play the ball, where Tommy runs from dummy half or Faniu linked with DCE and Tommy around the ruck.

Teams struggle to stop the Marty and AFB one two punch, and if they got to repeat that again without a break puts us in a great position.

Gives DCE more opportunities to create something with those extra tackles up his sleeve which he will take advantage of.
 
I think Manly should benefit from the new ruck rules.

All games I have seen this weekend have emphasised the speed of the ruck as a lot of the wrestling and hanging on has disappeared.

Our spine will benefit from that increase in speed, despite the fact that last year we had one of the slowest play the ball averages in the Comp.

Unfortunately, the only player who will not be able to perform at a higher rate is Jorge, with his error prone style of playing the ball and the extra "steps" he takes to prevent messing it up.

Sorry Jorge, you will need 2 tries, 10 hit ups and 2 big bone smashing tackles to get selected next week. I personally hope you can do it!
 
Gus's take on the new rule and the effect if is having on games. Interesting what he says about speed of the play the ball. It's not the be all and end all, which is how it should be. Refs will still dictate the speed of the game, that's a given. Their "held" and "release/moooooove" calls will still determine the ruck speed, so I can't see how this new rule suddenly turns the game into dump and run touch footy ?

What this rule does is reduce the cynical ruck infringements. Refs are probably more inclined to blow a "6-again" under new system then they were to give an actual penalty in the past - less focus on them as officials, less overt impact on the game (field position doesn't change, play doesn't stop), less analysis as there is no time for endless replays and dissection by bored comemntators - so it's an easier "sell" all round for the ref.

I'll be interested to see how it evolves over the next month, both from a coaching perspective and a referees application perspective.

 
I think Manly should benefit from the new ruck rules.

All games I have seen this weekend have emphasised the speed of the ruck as a lot of the wrestling and hanging on has disappeared.

Our spine will benefit from that increase in speed, despite the fact that last year we had one of the slowest play the ball averages in the Comp.

Unfortunately, the only player who will not be able to perform at a higher rate is Jorge, with his error prone style of playing the ball and the extra "steps" he takes to prevent messing it up.

Sorry Jorge, you will need 2 tries, 10 hit ups and 2 big bone smashing tackles to get selected next week. I personally hope you can do it!
Agree, i think slow outside backs could be caught out in defence more now.
 

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