The game has become frustrating

[Chip and Chase]

You've got to ask yourself why the wrestle is so important to teams ?? If they don't slow down the ruck then you have a glorified game of dump and run touch footy. That is even more boring in my mind. One thing I would like to see rewarded is low tackles, from hips down. If you allowed round the legs tacklers to leg pull and get back to marker before the play the ball then there is incentive there. That lessens the importance of the gang tackle and wrestle and also opens the game up for offloads and ball players.

 

[2830 Eagle]

Bring back the 5m rule, will also stop every 2nd pass from dummy half being forward.

 

[jbb/james]

Bring back the 5m rule, will also stop every 2nd pass from dummy half being forward.

Agreed, 100%. This has been the single biggest backward move in the history of RL. Everything stems from this rule change

 

[Captain Moondog]

Here's what Cameron Smith had to say last year..
MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith has warned the NRL’s impending crackdown on the ruck will slow the game down even further.

Smith's reaction follows referees boss Bill Harrigan’s announcement yesterday that he has instructed whistleblowers to penalise offenders who engage in unnecessary wrestling tactics in tackles.


"If they're going to try and do that there's going to be plenty of penalties, which I thought is what all the fans don't want to see,'' Smith told the Big Sports Breakfast this morning.

"They want a free-flowing game and I think all the players and coaches want that as well.

"I’m not too sure why people are worried about this or blowing up this whole sort of slowing down the speed of the game. I think the game is travelling pretty good at the moment.''

Harrigan's a wanker but he was right about the wrestle. How stupid does Smith think the fans are. There's nothing free flowing about the game at the moment.

 

[Ralphie]

You've got to ask yourself why the wrestle is so important to teams ?? If they don't slow down the ruck then you have a glorified game of dump and run touch footy. That is even more boring in my mind. One thing I would like to see rewarded is low tackles, from hips down. If you allowed round the legs tacklers to leg pull and get back to marker before the play the ball then there is incentive there. That lessens the importance of the gang tackle and wrestle and also opens the game up for offloads and ball players.

I agree 100%. I believe that the classic low, round the legs tackle should be a dominant tackle and the tackled play should be made wait until the tackler is in the marker position.

 

[Technical Coach]

I prefer the wrestle than touch football any day of the week.

Yes changing to the 10m rule changed the game big time but going back to the 5min rule will have defence dominating even more than it does under a slow game of wrestle.

Just needs fine tuning and the balls to police the ruck even if it means a 1000 penalties but we know most people don't have balls in general.

This is a silly not really well thought out idea just putting it out in the open but maybe every three man tackle loses the right to have a surrender call just for starters.

You have to allow enough time for players to get into marker otherwise you are overly disadvantaging the tacklers. The rule of allowing a little more latitude with the second tug at the feet for tacklers around the legs needs to be more heavily promoted but that right is removed in any 3 man tackle also.(way too hard to police though)

Me personally I'm happy the way it is just fine tune it more.

 

[COMMANDER]

The ability to be able to change rules ad hoc is what pisses me off.

Most of the rule changes are a reaction to an alarmist media.

Imagine what its going to be like in 20 years time.

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Agreed, it was a horrible game of footy to watch precisely because of the wrestle. The Storm started it and Souths have modelled their game on it. Unfortunately I can't see the refs policing it in the finals so unless we can beat them at their own game we'll be stuffed.

Drama is Manly became better at the wrestle than anyone. I reckon we give away more penalties for trying to slow the play the ball down than anyone.

 

[Captain Moondog]

The ability to be able to change rules ad hoc is what pisses me off.

Most of the rule changes are a reaction to an alarmist media.

Imagine what its going to be like in 20 years time.

---

Agreed, it was a horrible game of footy to watch precisely because of the wrestle. The Storm started it and Souths have modelled their game on it. Unfortunately I can't see the refs policing it in the finals so unless we can beat them at their own game we'll be stuffed.

Drama is Manly became better at the wrestle than anyone. I reckon we give away more penalties for trying to slow the play the ball down than anyone.

---

The game will be unrecognisable in twenty years. Look at the changes we've had in the last twenty.
I'm no genius but some of the rulings we get now leave me scratching my head.
Just wait till 2014. It'll be a whole new ball game!

 

[COMMANDER]

The ability to be able to change rules ad hoc is what pisses me off.

Most of the rule changes are a reaction to an alarmist media.

Imagine what its going to be like in 20 years time.

---

Agreed, it was a horrible game of footy to watch precisely because of the wrestle. The Storm started it and Souths have modelled their game on it. Unfortunately I can't see the refs policing it in the finals so unless we can beat them at their own game we'll be stuffed.

Drama is Manly became better at the wrestle than anyone. I reckon we give away more penalties for trying to slow the play the ball down than anyone.

---

The game will be unrecognisable in twenty years. Look at the changes we've had in the last twenty.
I'm no genius but some of the rulings we get now leave me scratching my head.
Just wait till 2014. It'll be a whole new ball game!

---

It's almost to the point where you can't make a comparison between players because it's changed so much.

In 20 years 90% of players will be of poly/maori (not a race thing just that those people will provide players who are not massively tall, say 5-10 to 6-2 who are between 100 and 120kg's and who can run 11 sec 100 metres.)

These players are not known for endurance, they are known for explosive power over short periods of time.

Go back to having your best thirteen on the field with two replacements; completely different game and allows the guys with real skill and regardless of size to shine.

Nobody gets genuinely tired at the moment, unless they are playing Origin footy.

 

[The Who]

I'd like to see:
1. short arm penalties for the minor infringements (they have to tap and run but get a full set of six tackles)
2. Only forwards allowed in scrums. Get the defending set of backs five metres behind the line of the lock's feet, and encourage backs to use the scrum as an attacking platform.
3. Reduction in teams from 17 to 15 and allow only six interchanges.

 

[Captain Moondog]

I'd like to see:
1. short arm penalties for the minor infringements (they have to tap and run but get a full set of six tackles)
2. Only forwards allowed in scrums. Get the defending set of backs five metres behind the line of the lock's feet, and encourage backs to use the scrum as an attacking platform.
3. Reduction in teams from 17 to 15 and allow only six interchanges.

Reduction in interchanges is something I'd like to see too. Teams like the Dogs overladen with big forwards would struggle.
It'd be nice to see the little fast blokes come into their own in the last ten minutes of a match.

 

[Rex]

Want to eliminate the wrestle?

Simple - too easy - penalise the third man in.

Only allow three simultaneous tacklers ten metres out from scoring.

 

[COMMANDER]

I'd like to see:
1. short arm penalties for the minor infringements (they have to tap and run but get a full set of six tackles)
2. Only forwards allowed in scrums. Get the defending set of backs five metres behind the line of the lock's feet, and encourage backs to use the scrum as an attacking platform.
3. Reduction in teams from 17 to 15 and allow only six interchanges.

Point two is a cracker. Just like me!

 

[TokyoEagle]

Don't change rules mid season, any rule changes have to be made before a ball is passed.

---

On a little bit of a different topic but something i was thinking of today, allow the clubs to decide their time slots for each game. To keep it fair, have a system in place that gives the home clubs an order of choice that rotates as each round is done e.g. Manly gets first choice for round 1, we then get second choice for round 3 ( our next home game), and so on. At one stage we would get the last choice and would have to settle for whatever slot was left (probably Monday night). Some clubs might even choose Monday Night as they see it as a benefit with the bonus money in place. This kind of system would keep it fair for all involved and allow the clubs a little more control over their income streams.

 

[Brissie Kid]

Fix the game - make "he's milking it" a penalty against that player.