Around the Grounds

[HarVeeGee]

Roll them back to the rules we had in 2019, except with a modification to the seven tackle set rule (seven tackle sets should only be for balls kicked dead from the kicking team's own half, ie, deliberate attempts to prevent a kick return).

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Roll them back to the rules we had in 2019, except with a modification to the seven tackle set rule (seven tackle sets should only be for balls kicked dead from the kicking team's own half, ie, deliberate attempts to prevent a kick return).

So back to teams giving away penalties on their own line to stall the oppositions momentum, slowing the ruck down to a crawl again

Yeah, cool

 

[HarVeeGee]

The slowing down in the ruck still happens constantly, especially in big games - finals, Origin. It's worse than ever to be honest, especially in the defensive 20 metre zone, teams do it all the time. Have you not noticed this, seriously? The game is now about giving away early set restarts on your goal line and avoiding them on halfway late in tackle counts. Penrith during their dynasty have been cynical and taken the piss in the ruck on a level Craig Bellamy never dreamed of in his wildest fantasies. Good on them: if you're not exploiting the rules you're an idiot. But the ruck is absolutely not cleaner now.

The closest we ever got to genuinely cleaning up the sloppy rucks was during the 2018 crackdown - penalising everything & putting guys in the sin bin until things improved - but they bowed to pressure from the peanut gallery to stop it. Now we have a situation which has coaches and club admin tearing their hair out. No one understands how they're ending up on the right side of the count one week - or half - and the wrong side the next. It's nonsense and it's undermining the integrity of the sport as a contest.

I just wish people would be honest about what their real issue is. You lot don't actually hate a slow ruck. You hate penalties. That's fine, you're entitled to feel that way. But I just don't get how you can watch Penrith win the last four comps and say "gee, it sure doesn't pay to be cynical in the ruck now!"

 

[The Axe of Druss]

The slowing down in the ruck still happens constantly, especially in big games - finals, Origin. It's worse than ever to be honest, especially in the defensive 20 metre zone, teams do it all the time. Have you not noticed this, seriously? The game is now about giving away early set restarts on your goal line and avoiding them on halfway late in tackle counts. Penrith during their dynasty have been cynical and taken the piss in the ruck on a level Craig Bellamy never dreamed of in his wildest fantasies. Good on them: if you're not exploiting the rules you're an idiot. But the ruck is absolutely not cleaner now.

The closest we ever got to genuinely cleaning up the sloppy rucks was during the 2018 crackdown - penalising everything & putting guys in the sin bin until things improved - but they bowed to pressure from the peanut gallery to stop it. Now we have a situation which has coaches and club admin tearing their hair out. No one understands how they're ending up on the right side of the count one week - or half - and the wrong side the next. It's nonsense and it's undermining the integrity of the sport as a contest.

I just wish people would be honest about what their real issue is. You lot don't actually hate a slow ruck. You hate penalties. That's fine, you're entitled to feel that way. But I just don't get how you can watch Penrith win the last four comps and say "gee, it sure doesn't pay to be cynical in the ruck now!"

So Penrith have been winning because they slow the ruck and only they have been getting away with it? The refs give them a free pass and ping everyone else?

Wowsers. There's being reductive and then there's posting what you have here. If you honestly think the game was better when teams gave away penalties, slowing the play and being able to reset their line every time, then I cant offer you anything here bud cause you like a completely different game than what I do clearly. Wanting players binned for ruck infringements is certainly a take on things jeezus

 

[HarVeeGee]

For repeated, intentional ruck infringements. Yes.

Where did I say they only win because they slow the ruck, and they're the only team that gets away with it? I guess every point seems reductive if you reduce the shit out of it.

Agree to disagree I think, no point talking past each other.

 

[Rod]

So back to teams giving away penalties on their own line to stall the oppositions momentum, slowing the ruck down to a crawl again

Yeah, cool

The answer to this was and is 3 straight penalties in the red zone is an automatic bin.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Using the bin for anything other than a professional foul is folly, this season has proven that.

In no way using it more is going to make the game better. Madness

 

[Rod]

Using the bin for anything other than a professional foul is folly, this season has proven that.

In no way using it more is going to make the game better. Madness

The difference between what I'm suggesting and what they've been binning this year is that they started binning accidents.

Conceding 3 straight penalties while defending your line is no accident. You said yourself they'll do it purposefully as a tactic if not dealt with correctly.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

The difference between what I'm suggesting and what they've been binning this year is that they started binning accidents.

Conceding 3 straight penalties while defending your line is no accident. You said yourself they'll do it purposefully as a tactic if not dealt with correctly.

Was a purposeful tactic when they got the break and ability to reset the line, they don't have that advantage anymore now that it's a 6 again. Teams aren't giving away nearly as many now so the rule change has done its job.

Besides, when teams give away 3+ of the same infringment the refs have warned them the next will get binned.

I really don't see any positives for the game going back to penalties for those infringements. In fact if it were Newcastle who had been successful over the last 4 years I'm certain we're not even having this discussion.

 

[Zoidberg]

The thing I hate with the 6 again rule is there is never a sin-bin when a team makes a break then get held down in that tackle, just a set restart ruled. They need to get that right.

 

[macavity]

View attachment 102017

I don’t even want us to go the way we are playing at the moment.

im hoping we go in 27. I can’t go to the US in 26 (will be in NZ at that time) but could make it in 27. So lock us in for 26.

 

[perverse]

Imagine the embarrassment of putting us up in the spotlight like that.

 

[Woody90]

I hate that we’re going to Vegas. We’re such slow starters and this won’t help.

We were always going to get picked soon though having a traveling fan base.

 

[Nuke]

Apparently it's leaked. In no particular order:
Newcastle vs Cowboys
Dragons vs Canterbury
Hull FC vs Leeds.

 

[Rod]

I know we are bad and our roster management has been poor but there is a lot of average teams in this comp. This Dolphins performance has been pitiful, and the Warriors once again have done just enough to win and sit 2nd on the ladder.

Similar to us, a lot of teams start looking very thin after their top 18-20 players. And injuries and Origin are just starting to have their inevitable impact on the comp for this year.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Does anyone else love Shaun Johnson on the Fox League panel? Breath of fresh air imo

 

[Woody90]

Just watching the start of the Cows Manly game. FMD there’s a lot of beyond bad teams this year. Disgraceful we’re somehow the worst of them.

 

[Apey]

Just watching the start of the Cows Manly game. FMD there’s a lot of beyond bad teams this year. Disgraceful we’re somehow the worst of them.

As a proud Penrith hater it triggers me watching all these teams absolutely fall over each other trying to lose and blow the opportunity Penrith is giving everyone this year. The sad reality is if Penrith got back to playing at 80% of their ability it's only really the Storm that would have a chance at stopping 5 in a row. Man up you loser clubs.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

The comp seems very even this year. Penrith aren’t doing well and even Melbourne have shown there’s a few cracks in their armour. A few teams have risen up and played well enough to win a bunch of games but almost everyone else is inconsistent.

Then of course there’s us, the team that basically can’t get up for any game unless it’s against a reserve grade Souths team. This appears to be a year of upset victories and unexpected results across the comp yet we are consistently able to lose to everyone. Watch us absolutely stink it up against Penrith next week with 5-6 of their best players missing.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

As a proud Penrith hater it triggers me watching all these teams absolutely fall over each other trying to lose and blow the opportunity Penrith is giving everyone this year. The sad reality is if Penrith got back to playing at 80% of their ability it's only really the Storm that would have a chance at stopping 5 in a row. Man up you loser clubs.

TBF this is the currency that constantly winning gives you. Even when you’re not playing that great people don’t think they can beat you and that often comes back to bite.

It’s a bit like Roger Federer between 2003-2009. He won pretty much everything for about 5 or 6 years and this meant even when he played poorly by his standards, the players who he was up against would struggle to put him away because of his aura. They always seemed to be in disbelief that they were actually winning the match against him, and it almost always resulted in him finishing as the stronger player and winning the match.