Points structure and rule changes

[RoosTah]

I think we'd all agree that this year has been one of the more conservative years on the field for the NRL. There have been plenty of thrilling games, but more penalties, drop goals and penalty goals than we've seen in years.

This has led to an increase in the share of points being scored via penalties increasing significantly and also seen a few games where a penalty goal has decided a game after one side has worked their way up the other end to kick a field goal.

To me this seems like an irrational imbalance in the scoring system that unjustly punishes the side that does the work to kick a much harder drop goal.

So how about his for a points structure:

Tries: 6 points
Conversions, drop goals and penalties: 2 points

That would even the points for all kicks to an equal amount, whilst also increasing the incentive to go for tries.

Thoughts?

 

[TheFrog]

I think we'd all agree that this year has been one of the more conservative years on the field for the NRL. There have been plenty of thrilling games, but more penalties, drop goals and penalty goals than we've seen in years.

This has led to an increase in the share of points being scored via penalties increasing significantly and also seen a few games where a penalty goal has decided a game after one side has worked their way up the other end to kick a field goal.

To me this seems like an irrational imbalance in the scoring system that unjustly punishes the side that does the work to kick a much harder drop goal.

So how about his for a points structure:

Tries: 6 points
Conversions, drop goals and penalties: 2 points

That would even the points for all kicks to an equal amount, whilst also increasing the incentive to go for tries.

Thoughts?

Nah. They dropped field goals to 1 point for a reason. Teams were kicking five or more of them in a single game. The best thing for the field goal would be to abolish it, but the NRL are terrified of drawn matches.

 

[The Vaulting Violinist]

Penalty goals should be worth one

And the other team losing a piece of clothing for 3.4 minutes

 

[RoosTah]

Nah. They dropped field goals to 1 point for a reason. Teams were kicking five or more of them in a single game. The best thing for the field goal would be to abolish it, but the NRL are terrified of drawn matches.

If a full converted try is worth 8 points, then teams are only going to go for any goal kick as a way to break a deadlock or get a breather after sustained pressure. They were kicking 5 or 6 back in the days when tries were worth 3 points, so there was real incentive to just take the goals as they were worth almost the same. That’s not the calculus when it’s worth a qtr of a full try.

 

[ReddFelon]

The drop goal is too easy due to the ten metre rule, it has to be reduced in value as a result, if they were worth 2 points you'd set up your kicker 15-20 out when you were on the try line, the defence would have no shot at a charge down. It'd basically be league halves imitating a Johnny Wilkinson highlights package.

 

[RoosTah]

The drop goal is too easy due to the ten metre rule, it has to be reduced in value as a result, if they were worth 2 points you'd set up your kicker 15-20 out when you were on the try line, the defence would have no shot at a charge down. It'd basically be league halves imitating a Johnny Wilkinson highlights package.

Drop goals are worth a qtr of an unconverted try as it is. Making them worth a 3rd isn’t going to make teams do for them every time they’re in range - especially as you risk a 7 tackle set if you miss.

 

[ReddFelon]

Drop goals are worth a qtr of an unconverted try as it is. Making them worth a 3rd isn’t going to make teams do for them every time they’re in range - especially as you risk a 7 tackle set if you miss.

Realistically though you're not going to get 8 point converted tries, the whole reason they went with the 4-2-1 system was to make the scoring system closer to drive attacking football. Given the continual demand for golden point to be replaced with golden try, I think the general consensus is that people dislike drop goals the most out of any form of scoring.

Difficulty aside (I've always been better at drop goals than place kicks), I find the average fan just doesn't appreciate them, they're almost frowned upon.

 

[RoosTah]

Realistically though you're not going to get 8 point converted tries, the whole reason they went with the 4-2-1 system was to make the scoring system closer to drive attacking football. Given the continual demand for golden point to be replaced with golden try, I think the general consensus is that people dislike drop goals the most out of any form of scoring.

Difficulty aside (I've always been better at drop goals than place kicks), I find the average fan just doesn't appreciate them, they're almost frowned upon.

I’d be interested to see a poll of what people hate more - drop goals or penalty goals... I’d contend penalty goals are even more hated - especially this year.

I just see the system as irrational - we want to drive try scoring so we devalue kicks, but keep penalties to half a try? Just doesn’t sit right with me.

Maybe make all kicks 1 point... I dunno, but the current system with a drop goal being worth less than a penalty feels broken and not designed to reward any skill in that part of the game

 

[Slackboy72]

How about no.

 

[ReddFelon]

I’d be interested to see a poll of what people hate more - drop goals or penalty goals... I’d contend penalty goals are even more hated - especially this year.

I just see the system as irrational - we want to drive try scoring so we devalue kicks, but keep penalties to half a try? Just doesn’t sit right with me.

Maybe make all kicks 1 point... I dunno, but the current system with a drop goal being worth less than a penalty feels broken and not designed to reward any skill in that part of the game

I think that's exactly what they were aiming for, short of straight out banning them from play, making them worth one point restricts their usage to the closest of games and extra time. I think the powers that be wanted to eliminate the field goal as much as possible, particularly in Australia to avoid any comparison to the AFL.

 

[RoosTah]

I think that's exactly what they were aiming for, short of straight out banning them from play, making them worth one point restricts their usage to the closest of games and extra time. I think the powers that be wanted to eliminate the field goal as much as possible, particularly in Australia to avoid any comparison to the AFL.

Ok, then let’s have all kicks just be worth 1 point. At least that way we’ll be consistent and achieve the aim of pushing sides to score more tries and stop going for bloody penalty goals.

They’ve got to do something.. the NRL is slowly turning into 1990s British style rugby union with the penalty fests we’ve seen this year. Super rugby has more tries and less penalties right now and that’s not how things are supposed to be

 

[Cherry_poppins]

6 point try only if your apex does a suplex on the prefect (why not rename the captain?) during the play

What a geniused idea

 

[ReddFelon]

Ok, then let’s have all kicks just be worth 1 point. At least that way we’ll be consistent and achieve the aim of pushing sides to score more tries and stop going for bloody penalty goals.

They’ve got to do something.. the NRL is slowly turning into 1990s British style rugby union with the penalty fests we’ve seen this year. Super rugby has more tries and less penalties right now and that’s not how things are supposed to be

I think the penalties are a combination of things;

The coaches insisted that the referee crack down would end after round four, it didn't and as a result they've tried to respond by encouraging a less than exciting style of play to punish the NRL. Add to that I think the penalty goal strategy has come about as more coaching teams have realised that everyone is coaching an almost identical goal line defence system, as a result the guaranteed two points is now the preferred option due to how well teams are defending on their own line.

I think the only answer is to return to a single ref to stop the continual undermining of the lead referee by the pocket ref and to introduce a flat rule of 3 penalties in the red zone = sin bin.

 

[Cherry_poppins]

I think the penalties are a combination of things;

The coaches insisted that the referee crack down would end after round four, it didn't and as a result they've tried to respond by encouraging a less than exciting style of play to punish the NRL. Add to that I think the penalty goal strategy has come about as more coaching teams have realised that everyone is coaching an almost identical goal line defence system, as a result the guaranteed two points is now the preferred option due to how well teams are defending on their own line.

I think the only answer is to return to a single ref to stop the continual undermining of the lead referee by the pocket ref and to introduce a flat rule of 3 penalties in the red zone = sin bin.

3 penalties huh? What about that manly player who was behind the goal line as the ball was played who was called offside earlier in the year? I can't remember which game but it happened

If the refs were any good then sure that's pretty good however they're a bad joke, a worse joke than Lewis Brown or f**king Luke Burgess being first grade players this decade

Jesus titty f**king Christ that's a terrible idea given the current crop of refs

No offense

 

[ReddFelon]

3 penalties huh? What about that manly player who was behind the goal line as the ball was played who was called offside earlier in the year? I can't remember which game but it happened

If the refs were any good then sure that's pretty good however they're a bad joke, a worse joke than Lewis Brown or f**king Luke Burgess being first grade players this decade

Jesus titty f**king Christ that's a terrible idea given the current crop of refs

No offense

Oh I don't disagree the referees are abysmal, I believe that's a symptom of the two ref system having zero accountability and the ability for the lead referee to be overridden by the assistant. They need an entire overhaul of the current way referees are being trained.

 

[Cherry_poppins]

Oh I don't disagree the referees are abysmal, I believe that's a symptom of the two ref system having zero accountability and the ability for the lead referee to be overridden by the assistant. They need an entire overhaul of the current way referees are being trained.

My way of fixing it would be getting the top English ref,pay him a f**kton more than ESL can afford to have him coach the f**kers

Terminate every referees contract

Allow each of them the opportunity to reapply and be taught by the new English referees coach

Go back to one ref

f**k the try/ no try pre decision and back to benefit of the doubt

f**k off the second ref

Try to get Hawkeye in to judge on forward passes,f**k just use drones with zoom from above

Mistakes cop fines

Game changing f**k ups attract a 3 game suspension, 3 strikes and you have to get your license back

Also each ref now has to respect the players

 

[mxlegend99]

Tries should be worth 100 points. Leave kicks as is. That would discourage people going for penalty goals and field goals.

And we should remove the value of every kick that is missed. You kick a goal you get 2 points. Miss it you lose 2. Just like supercoach.

 

[Danish]

I wouldn’t adjust the points, but they absolutely need to address the amount of time teams take to kick penalty goals.

Every side wastes at least the full 90 seconds till the ref blows time off, then another 1-2 mins after that. It’s a horrible look for the game and makes us as boring as rugby at times:

They need an actual shot clock on kicks at goal. Meaning the team forfeits the shot and hands over possession if they don’t take it in time

 

[_snafu_]

The answer is cardboard corner posts.

 

[The Vaulting Violinist]

How about you’re only allowed to kick one penalty goal per half?