Changing the game, but who asked for it?
In the first ever episode of the Beyond The Fence podcast (link here), I reviewed the action from Round 1 in the NRL. In it, I expressed concern at all the new changes designed to speed up the game.
The talking heads at NRL HQ can scoff and point to all the numbers they want about “time in play” and possession counts etc, but the game is faster. It’s undeniable. And it isn’t good.
Peter V’Landys has brought in a raft of rule changes in his tenure. Credit: Tim Bauer
In that podcast episode I spoke about my main worries re: the sped up game. Both the short term effects of the quality of game as players puffed out earlier, as well as long term player welfare.
At the time of writing, the Parramatta Eels have just outlasted the Cronulla Sharks 28-4 at Bankwest Stadium. I say outlasted because, well, rugby league is more about survival and attrition now, rather than an even contest and occasional moments of match-winning brilliance.
In that game, the Cronulla Sharks ended with zero players on the bench. And not for the final 5-6 minutes, no, but the ENTIRE SECOND HALF was played without a single rotation from the men from the Shire. How is that possible? Well look at the rap sheet:
Sione Katoa was forced off early in Round 3 vs. the Eels with a knee injury. Credit: Getty
Will Kennedy - HIA
Wade Graham - HIA
Briton Nikora - HIA
Sione Katoa - knee
Three failed concussions and a suspected medial ligament injury. Now, concussions are hard to really place blame squarely on one factor, but one factor that has been raised as a point of concern is the fatigue. Fatigue doesn’t cause concussions, no. But, fatigue causes poor decision making and laziness. Players are tiring quicker, and putting themselves in dangerous situations.
Moving away from this game, let’s take a look at the injuries sustained this round (still with Sunday’s games to play).
*Note: Bradman Best and Michael Morgan injuries sustained before playing
Injuries are a part of the game. That much has been true since 1908 and will continue to be so until the Earth is consumed by the sun. It’s the nature of any contact sport.
But the higher rate of injuries this season has exposed a worrying trend around Peter V’Landys’ administration and treatment of the game.
The players are pawns, and these new changes are having an adverse effect on them.
Every new rule change and tweak that has come in has been designed to make the game faster (I feel like a broken record now) and reduce stoppage time.
Play the ball restart instead of scrums
Set restarts instead of penalties for almost everything
Automatically award try and let Bunker check in background (I actually like this change but it still speeds the game up)
NRL bosses say new rules are having positive change. Credit: Getty
When you reduce stoppage time you get, surprisingly enough, fatigue. This was by design according to the brains trust at the NRL, as a way to increase “entertainment value” and really bring the little man into the game late.
Except, who asked for that?
I don’t think a poll of the average rugby league fan would be crying out for sloppy arm grab tackles in the 45th minute as players are gassed, all so a nippy little bench utility can maybe make one line break late in the second half. Fans like the contest. Fans like drama. Not players calling for oxygen and defensive lines that look like Tuesday night Division 4 touch football at Macquarie University.
The players are ultimately the ones that suffer from this. They’re being asked to play longer stints at higher pace. The rate of fatigue is going to naturally increase, and with it, an increase in soft tissue and ligament injuries.
In all honesty, the drastic change in the way the game is played between last season and now can’t be discounted when explaining a much higher rate of injuries.
Do the administrators think the fans want a return to the “glory days” of the 1970s? Where players had to work jobs on the side, smoked cigarettes at halftime and every second tackle ended in a melee. For me, personally, the 1970s can stay in the 1970s.
It’s a common theme in all sports coverage. Former players from bygone eras belittling the current players and saying “they couldn’t handle my era.” Newsflash, your era sucked. That’s the reason we have medical advancements, no punching and video refereeing (when it works admittedly).
“Bring back the little man” is the credo. Credit: Getty
Right now, the game’s administrators are treating the players like robots, expected to be able to maintain this rage for a full season.
These rule changes, that were designed to bring excitement, speed and unpredictability into the game, have done exactly the opposite. Instead of excitement, we get confusion (damn it even the Bunker doesn’t know what’s offside and what a 20m restart is anymore). Instead of speed, we get sloppy ball handling and mental errors.
And worst of all, instead of unpredictability, we get the same damn script every game. A nice decent wrestle for the first 25 minutes before both teams inevitably collapse, and the game turns into a painful, unwatchable slog where no one wins.
But hey, how about those bench utilities?
