It's a better game

[Vee]

Whatever side you took on the crackdown this year, I think it's undeniably a better game than in the recent past.

The cleanup in the ruck has been tremendous, allowing much quicker play-the-balls and far more entertaining footy.

I'm not sure they have got the off-side right, TV angles mostly deny viewers the chance to assess decisions but the increased use of the sinbin for professional fouls is long overdue and most welcome.

IMO It's a much better game than it has been for some years, going back at least to the introduction and acceptance of wrestling into the game.

 

[snickers007]

Thanks Bernard

 

[some11]

Are you on drugs.

How anyone can say an average of 20 penalties a game makes for better viewing is beyond me.

 

[ReddFelon]

Are you on drugs.

How anyone can say an average of 20 penalties a game makes for better viewing is beyond me.

Better than 20 instances of cheating being allowed.

 

[mave]

The cleanup in the ruck has been tremendous, allowing much quicker play-the-balls and far more entertaining footy.

Why is everybody so obsessed with making the ruck quicker and quicker ?

We were literally playing touch footy 6 weeks ago, at times.
There needs to be a balance between the Melbourne wrestle and the touch footy.

The ruck has been pretty good since the crackdown stopped imo.

 

[AJB1102]

The ruck has been pretty good since the crackdown stopped imo.

Reckon that happens without the crackdown ?

 

[mave]

Reckon that happens without the crackdown ?

No, definitely not.
They went too far imo, but the balance is pretty good now, so credit where it's due.

 

[T-Boon]

Why is everybody so obsessed with making the ruck quicker and quicker ?

Exactly. The goal for the ruck is it should be uniform. It should be the same speed each time or at least it should have zero influence. The speed of the play the ball should have exactly zero influence on the game. It was only ever meant to be the way you put the ball back in play not the way teams win or lose. One way of achieving that is going back to 5 metres.

 

[Vee]

Exactly. The goal for the ruck is it should be uniform. It should be the same speed each time or at least it should have zero influence.

Wrong. Dominant tackles should be rewarded, submission should be punished.

 

[T-Boon]

Wrong. Dominant tackles should be rewarded, submission should be punished.

If anything a skilful one on one tackle should be rewarded not an ugly gang tackle. But fact is it is the other way around.

 

[Vee]

If anything a skilful one on one tackle should be rewarded not an ugly gang tackle. But fact is it is the other way around.

But then all rucks wouldn't be the same. Which do you want?

 

[T-Boon]

It is an interesting topic overall.
The problem with last nights game is that Fox showed a Panthers v Warriors game from 2003 throughout the day and I watched about 20 minutes of it before I started weeping at how beautiful the game use to be. It was like looking at a picture of the wife from when you first meet her.
Seriously had the warriors style from 03 taken off rather than Bellamy's cynical style this code would be going gang busters.

 

[T-Boon]

But then all rucks wouldn't be the same. Which do you want?

What I said first, uniformity.
I like the idea of rewarding a solo tackle. Maybe after a solo tackle you are allowed a third marker.

 

[Timmah]

The game as a whole has been more watchable and entertaining this year - in spite of my own team mostly producing the direct opposite of that. I think the early-season crackdown did its job.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Why is everybody so obsessed with making the ruck quicker and quicker ?

We were literally playing touch footy 6 weeks ago, at times.
There needs to be a balance between the Melbourne wrestle and the touch footy.

The ruck has been pretty good since the crackdown stopped imo.

I think a lot of RL fans arent clever enough to understand that any rule change will have effects on player behaviour.

Everyone bleats on about fast rucks, but that only means dummy-half running and hit-ups. Slow PTBs mean teams need to break the line with lateral movements and offloads.

When considering a rule change, the first thing to look at is how the players will adapt to find an advantage.

 

[Knight76]

Never saw anyone penalised for voluntary tackle. I certainly saw plenty of refs yelling it, but they never put whistle to mouth.

 

[southwalesrabbitoh]

Never saw anyone penalised for voluntary tackle. I certainly saw plenty of refs yelling it, but they never put whistle to mouth.

That's a surrender tackle nowadays. I'm ok with guys diving to the ground and taking a tackle. But anyway, have to reduce the gap, to 5m, and go to 11-a-side. Allow players to roll the ball under their foot or knee, as long as the foot is close to the standing leg, or even behind the calf. As long as the person playing the ball is standing facing the oppositions in-goal area.