Try Scoring - Control of Football

[EaglesDontTweet]

In both televised games yesterday the issue of control of football during the scoring of a try was a determining factor in awarding or denying the try (given the rule has been changed to say that the attacking player has to have control).

I personally cannot make up my mind as to whether this is a good rule change or just creates an opportunity to deny a great try.

I did some research but couldn't find this specific change mentioned in The RUGBY LEAGUE LAWS OF THE GAME INTERNATIONAL LEVEL WITH NOTES ON THE LAWS AND NRL TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP INTERPRETATIONS pdf from the NRL website.

Again from NRL.com I did find the following.........
Scoring a try
A try is scored when:
a. A player first grounds the ball in his opponents in goal
b. Opposing players simultaneously grounds the ball in the in-goal area
c. A tackled player’s momentum carries him into the opponents in goal where he grounds the ball.

Grounding
Grounding the Ball includes:
a. Placing the ball on the ground with hand or hands, wrist or forearm
b. Exerting a downward pressure on the ball in contact with the ground
c. Dropping on the ball and covering it with the front part of the body above the waist and below the neck.

I would think grounding the ball with wrist or forearm would not be control but obviously this covers when approaching the ball and not carrying.

Any thoughts?

 

[Bandit]

Should tries off kicks be worth 3 points & tries carried over the line worth 4?

There's heaps of tries coming from kicks these days - especially to the wdie men.

 

[ManlyBacker]

I'm happy EDT with the change. Scraping a fingernail along the side of a ball doesn't cut it for me and that was what was being awarded tries in 2012. Officiating gone mad. I want to see a player put it down with control and pressure. Doesn't have to be much but at least look like they owned those 4 points.

 

[EaglesDontTweet]

I'm happy EDT with the change. Scraping a fingernail along the side of a ball doesn't cut it for me and that was what was being awarded tries in 2012. Officiating gone mad. I want to see a player put it down with control and pressure. Doesn't have to be much but at least look like they owned those 4 points.

A good point MB. I was always a fan of the applied pressure rule but was wondering about control. Continuous contact between the player and ball was a bit fraught and I can see the control rule probably does move the odds in favour of correct try decisions. As you say, control and pressure should go together, hard to do one without the other.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Any thoughts?

Yes, it is all as clear as mud. Just saw one in our 20s given to Canberra that was a clear knock-on to me, commentators agreed with video ref it was a try so clearly I have no idea at all.