2024 rule change: drop-out and kick-off penalties

[Maximus]

Wtf? Teams do it all the time regardless of the score.

Some teams do it everytime. No matter the circumstances. Short drop outs and kick offs have become common place. Thd NRL didnt need to do anything to encourage it. Teams were already happy with the risk vs reward aspect.

Now they have less risk. This doesn’t make the game less predictable. Its more predictable now. We will see more lottery contests from drop outs and kick offs.

Teams had already cut back on trying to force drop outs because the risk of being punished for a 7 tackle set is the same and the potential reward with getting the ball back is lower than ever.

This is what I don't understand about them claiming they needed to incentivise short kicks. At the end of last season everyone was complaining that nearly ever dropout was short. Who was asking for more of them?

 

[hrundi99]

You can also fall belt someone in the head in accident and it is seen for what it is

Well no head contact is policed and players can miss games for obvious deliberate contact, and then for accidental as well.

 

[Frailty]

I really wish the NRL would stop this "we need to change rules every season" approach.

The best rule changes have come from genuine need, not out of pure boredom of the league management.

 

[JamesRustle]

I appreciate we all want close games, but these are being manufactured and that is what this rule is doing more of.

The referees already referee second halves like its MarioKart; the further behind you get, the more ridiculous the advantages.

I really wish the NRL would stop this "we need to change rules every season" approach.

The best rule changes have come from genuine need, not out of pure boredom of the league management.

The sooner you and everyone else realise that the NRL is the entertainment and marketing arm for the sport of rugby league, then you can reduce your chance of having a heart attack by accepting the game managment (or what I used to alternate calling blatant cheating/incompetence) from referees and bunker, and just enjoy your choice of entertainment.

 

[Dragonwest]

I doubt this will change kick offs. Any set that you kick long and it starts in the red zone has such a small percentage of tries conceded or repeat set success for the opposition off the back of it.

When you kick off short and fail - all of a sudden the opposition have all their players behind the ball, can offer more in attack, higher chance of scoring and better end of set options to put pressure on you in your own red zone 1 minute later.

 

[Perth Red]

Here's a lovely scenario. 15 seconds to go, Broncos are leading Cowboys by 1 point and have a dropout from their own goal-line

Knowing they won't get penalised for going short they could do one of the shittest drop kicks that roll over the sideline and inside the 10 knowing that the opposition can't touch it.

You should be a coach!

 

[Sime_11]

so if there's a short kick off (say after a try is scored) and it doesn't go ten or goes out on the full, the receiving team gets a play the ball on their 40..... instead of a penalty and deciding whether to have a shot at goal or kick for touch 10 metres further up the field....

just rewarding mediocrity .... may as well give a participation award to the kicker for doing a shit job

 

[Munky]

I appreciate we all want close games, but these are being manufactured and that is what this rule is doing more of.

The referees already referee second halves like its MarioKart; the further behind you get, the more ridiculous the advantages.

The Mario Kart style rubber banding only seemss to come into play in the ten minutes after half time.

The refs give two penalties coming off the line to the losing team. If they don't take advantage they're happy for the blow out.

 

[Captain Apollo]

lol so now they are going to differentiate between normal kick offs/drop outs and "contestable" ones which means interpretation and discretion will have to be used

We all know how well that goes. What a disaster.

Yep, I have to agree to an extent. Making it so open to interpretaion by referees means there will be differences game to game, referee to referee, despite what the NRL administration try to do. As such it will lead to more people accusing match officials of incompetence or even cheating by fans.

 

[siv]

We are evolving into a game where all penalties after the 40m are becoming 6 again situations

Bar foul play

How many actual penalties are left?

 

[Pjf04b]

Have to keep Brisbane happy!

 

[some11]

Have to keep Brisbane happy!

broncos lost the gf because they had a 70% completion rate and made 11 errors, not because of a dropout

This is all about keeping gen Z engaged. None of these changes are aimed at older audiences who would rather the game stay the same.

 

[Pjf04b]

Probably, but still it’s a convenient coincidence!

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Interesting that this is happening right before Vegas, given that it probably makes the rules more relatable to an NFL audience

 

[Mr. Shaman]

They have to if they want it to exist in 20 years. This decision is to limit big hit ups off kicks. CTE will end this game it's a matter of when not if

Spud and Chief are drooling in their grave FFS

 

[T-Boon]

We are evolving into a game where all penalties after the 40m are becoming 6 again situations

Bar foul play

How many actual penalties are left?

A 6 again is a penalty. But the punishment has changed as it needed to.

 

[T-Boon]

so if there's a short kick off (say after a try is scored) and it doesn't go ten or goes out on the full, the receiving team gets a play the ball on their 40..... instead of a penalty and deciding whether to have a shot at goal or kick for touch 10 metres further up the field....

just rewarding mediocrity .... may as well give a participation award to the kicker for doing a shit job

By this logic it should have always been a penalty when the general play kick gets kicked out on the full rather than just a scrum from where the kick was.
sorry but It was always suspect that it was a penalty in the kick off and drop out circumstances.

 

[Mr Angry]

f**k off the strip rule.

 

[Munky]

By this logic it should have always been a penalty when the general play kick gets kicked out on the full rather than just a scrum from where the kick was.
sorry but It was always suspect that it was a penalty in the kick off and drop out circumstances.

By that logic the ten metre distance rule should be removed.

Why not kick off/drop out backwards then?

Twenty years later and Michael Witt redeemed.

 

[T-Boon]

By that logic the ten metre distance rule should be removed.

They will probably look at that gradually. Either go back to 5 or allow 3 markers who don’t have to be square.