For me the stupidest thing about Rugby League are the constant rule changes designed to resolve issues without ever thinking of the consequences
Change: Banning the shoulder charge - Designed to prevent people being hurt
There were already rules in place to stop people getting hurt - but lets bring in another and then get all confused over what a shoulder charge is.
Outcome: Someone runs into someone standing still - that's a shoulder charge by the person standing still. People banned for trying to prevent themselves being hurt. The game dissolves into a farce
Banning punching - designed to reduce the entertainment factor of Rugby League and stop Paul Gallen having a second career after losing every Origin series
Outcome - players spend 90% of their time goading opposition players into throwing a punch which no one ever throws. Players grab jerseys and say "oh yeah, come on then" a lot. The game dissolves into a farce
Two referees - Designed to try and get every single decision right every single time to placate managers and media people from screaming "the refs are f**king stupid"
Outcome: Two referees = two different interpretations of the rules - one keeps 8 yards then other 12. One hates hands on the ball, the other has a hard on for forward passes. Everything is measured differently during the same game causing immense confusion. No one is placated, things get worse and the managers and media people are screaming "the refs are f**king stupid" louder than ever.
0 tackle sets - designed to try and stop a player who no longer plays from kicking a ball dead too often
Outcome: Attacking kicks go the way of the dodo as every time you try and attack with a kick, the opposition gets an advantage which means they'll be in your red zone in 30 seconds time
Seriously - the next time the media starts screaming about an issue and how it needs changing - tell them all to f**k off. The only rule changes which require fixing are the ones they've already f**ked around with to the point they've destroyed the fabric of the game
Bring back the contest in Rugby League
Couldnt agree more.
On the shoulder charge, I have sort of gotten used to not having it cause players barely do it due to changing the tackling techniques but I used to think if they hit someone in the end using their shoulder its illegal anyway.
To me there are things today that are worse yet dont get a bigger penalty. I remember a try saving tackle which wouldve been shoulder charge. Illawarra vs Dragons and Brett Rodwell almost scored and I think it was Peter Coyne who used his shoulder to save a try. Today that would be a bigger penalty than a trip and a spear tackle which is ridiculous.
The no punch rule that was supposedly introduced a few years. Well if you watch old games in the 80s and 90s blokes that were throwing punches were sin binned anyway. So how could they introduce a rule that already a exists? If the referees had the balls to bin a player for throwing punches then no one what be talking it. You're right. It was a big cry from the media and the NRL were scared and needed to do something instead of growing a pair and telling the media to sit down and shut up.
This has been a problem with the NRL administration for a while.
The 7 tackle set was supposed to avoid negative play when the opposition would kick it dead on purpose, but why does every 20m restart have to be a 7 tackle set? Even when you drop the ball over the line while attempting to score.
I didnt mind the two referees back then but that was when referees were in charge of the game. Now referees are too afraid to make the tough decisions, its hard to tell who's really controlling the game out there.
Go back to one referee and teach them to make a decision without having to go to the bunker all the time.
One bad decision I'll mention is last week's scheduling of Souths Vs Dragons at the SCG on 6pm Friday night.
Pathetic by the NRL.
