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Just joking, very interesting article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03...nce-of-lateral-movement-rugby-league/12048398
Have these rugby league novices discovered the secret to winning in the NRL?
The captain's challenge. The new 20/40. Outlawing tackles for players in mid-air. Midfield scrums.
All eyes will be on 2020's rule changes when the NRL season kicks off this weekend.
But despite all the tweaks, rugby league's essential character remains.
Rugby league is about taking the ball forward.
The fierce attack meeting a breaking wave of defence, surging their 10 metres back and forth. Field position means distance from the tryline. Run metres only count if they're forward. Forwards crave hit ups, not hit downs.
But to the rugby league community, the obsession about forward progress may have hidden the importance of something else.
The side-to-side.
At least that's what a team of mostly rugby league novices told a collection of the smartest NRL minds over the offseason.
As part of the NRL DataJam competition, a group of data scientists from Sydney firm Edge Red quantified just how important side-to-side movement is in rugby league success.
And it's not just the cut out pass, the crossfield kick or Benji Marshall's (early career) step … it's across all facets of play in attack and defence.
"Teams that run more laterally also happen to be the teams with better win records," explains Edge Red co-founder Howard Gu.
"Especially in the situations where the attacking team has a great opportunity to score a try … where the offensive team moved more side-to-side (than the defensive team), they almost had a 300 per cent greater probability of scoring."
continues in the link...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03...nce-of-lateral-movement-rugby-league/12048398
Have these rugby league novices discovered the secret to winning in the NRL?
The captain's challenge. The new 20/40. Outlawing tackles for players in mid-air. Midfield scrums.
All eyes will be on 2020's rule changes when the NRL season kicks off this weekend.
But despite all the tweaks, rugby league's essential character remains.
Rugby league is about taking the ball forward.
The fierce attack meeting a breaking wave of defence, surging their 10 metres back and forth. Field position means distance from the tryline. Run metres only count if they're forward. Forwards crave hit ups, not hit downs.
But to the rugby league community, the obsession about forward progress may have hidden the importance of something else.
The side-to-side.
At least that's what a team of mostly rugby league novices told a collection of the smartest NRL minds over the offseason.
As part of the NRL DataJam competition, a group of data scientists from Sydney firm Edge Red quantified just how important side-to-side movement is in rugby league success.
And it's not just the cut out pass, the crossfield kick or Benji Marshall's (early career) step … it's across all facets of play in attack and defence.
"Teams that run more laterally also happen to be the teams with better win records," explains Edge Red co-founder Howard Gu.
"Especially in the situations where the attacking team has a great opportunity to score a try … where the offensive team moved more side-to-side (than the defensive team), they almost had a 300 per cent greater probability of scoring."
continues in the link...