The new technology that could end contentious forward pass calls

[EaglesDontTweet]

SMH By Adrian Proszenko

The NRL is trialling technology during the upcoming pre-season games that it hopes will finally end one of the biggest frustrations in the game; definitively determining whether a pass has been thrown forward.

Head office has engaged two separate firms about solutions to the age-old problem, an area of the game that remains contentious despite the increasing number of officials on the ground or in the bunker.

One of the firms is the London-based Sportable, which proposes to insert a microchip into the Steeden to determine whether the ball leaves a player’s hands forwards or backwards. Another firm, which wishes to remain anonymous for now, will use tracking technologies to make the call.

The NRL will use the upcoming NRL trial and NRLW premiership games to assess whether the technology works and is cost-effective. Officials at Rugby League Central believe the options are as close as the game has ever come to fixing the most contentious part of the game.

“We have been quietly working on different types of technology with a couple of companies for the past 12 months or so,” said the NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley.

Full story link:

The new technology that could end contentious forward pass calls

The forward pass remains the most contentious part of the game, but that could all change due to a revolutionary technology trial during NRL pre-season and NRLW premiership matches.

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[voicefromthehill]

I have it on good authority that the algorithm used for this tech weights the call on a forward pass on the basis of "is it Manly or is it a team playing Manly"

 

[40 nil]

One of the firms is the London-based Sportable, which proposes to insert a microchip into the Steeden to determine whether the ball leaves a player’s hands forwards or backwards.

I like this technology if it is effective - simple with less variables

 

[Eagle 1]

Where was this technology when we really needed it.....2013 Gf v Roosters !! lost count on how many they threw...

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I suspect it will be very unpopular. Many flat passes producing great tries will be disallowed due to the machine detecting a 0.001 degree of forward movement from the hand. Booo!

 

[Frogz]

WTF do touch judges do. What a useless bunch

 

[Peter C]

Fifty percent of every short ball from dummy half to first receiver are either forward or flat, this new technology may stop the fluidity of the game.
It's a bit like speed cameras, if they were calibrated exactly to book everyone going over 60kph, everyone doing 61 and over would be fined, this would cause everyone to drive WAY under 60 to avoid being caught, then this will cause other traffic problems.
I still think more onus should be placed on the sideline referees, it's just that nowadays they don't have the balls to make a call anymore if fear of being wrong,

 

[DUFFMAN]

This will cause more issues then it solves, every time they try and fix something they create 6 more problems.
Will also slow the game down, so many passes are flat and should be let go but won't be.
A flat pass near your own line and the team runs 90 metres to score with the play been called back as it was a flat pass but the computer says was 3 inches forward.

 

[Will on the hill]

All depends on the calibration, it needs to allow for the north south speed of the passer at the moment of release. If they get it right then at least it would be consistent.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

There will need to be a level of tolerance to be set to allow flat passes. We just need to stop blatant forward passes leading to points and blatantly wrong forward pass leading to disallowing tries.

 

[47MVEagle]

Surely some sort of equation taking into account the weight of the ball, the position & speed of the passer & the position & speed of the catcher would be able to determine if the ball left the passers hands flat, backwards or forwards?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

How is a chip in the ball going to know when the ball leaves the player's hands? Maybe they'd need a chip in the player's hand too, not just in the ball

 

[Stuey Davis’s Socks]

How is a chip in the ball going to know when the ball leaves the player's hands? Maybe they'd need a chip in the player's hand too, not just in the ball

Don’t want to attract too many seagulls

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Chip one hand, beer in the other?

 

[Eagle 1]

How is a chip in the ball going to know when the ball leaves the player's hands? Maybe they'd need a chip in the player's hand too, not just in the ball

Will they be ruling on a slight bobble by the dummy half, if the ref lets it go,mmm... probably will.

 

[simon64]

Where was this technology when we really needed it.....2013 Gf v Roosters !! lost count on how many they threw...

First thing I thought of Eagle 1.

 

[Brissie Kid]

The NRL is trialling technology during the upcoming pre-season games that it hopes will finally end one of the biggest frustrations in the game; definitively determining whether a pass has been thrown forward.

Surely if the hope of this trial is to determine whether the pass was 'thrown forward' then the technology will serve no use?

A football 'thrown' forward should be easily spotted by a referee/touchies watching the player's hands. Technology can't fix that.

The technology will only be of use if the rules of the game are changed so a pass thrown backwards is illegal if the ball travels forward. In other words, when team mates are running forward in support, they probably will never be able to lawfully pass the ball.

 

[Shoe1]

Fifty percent of every short ball from dummy half to first receiver are either forward or flat, this new technology may stop the fluidity of the game.
It's a bit like speed cameras, if they were calibrated exactly to book everyone going over 60kph, everyone doing 61 and over would be fined, this would cause everyone to drive WAY under 60 to avoid being caught, then this will cause other traffic problems.
I still think more onus should be placed on the sideline referees, it's just that nowadays they don't have the balls to make a call anymore if fear of being wrong,

There should be hefty fines for forward passes too.

 

[40 nil]

There should be hefty fines for forward passes too.

Ten in the bin should be sufficient penalty

 

[castle eagle]

shame this technology wasn't around when scum smith was playing