Change to the kickoff rule 2026

[Growthegame]

Isn't the game facing its highest ever ratings, attendance and financial stability ever? Since several MAJOR rule changes in the last few seasons?

Because of the rules changes or despite the rule changes?

 

[Valheru]

Agree. We complain about rule changes and then offer no real solutions.

The reason why this isn't so much a rule change as a correction, in my mind, is due to fairness. It offers the team that has just conceded points a 'right of reply'. Hard to do that unless you have the bloody ball! This is what NFL does even in overtime.

If the consequence of this 'right of reply' is that teams get pinned in their own half, then the solution shouldn't be scrap the rule altogether, but tweak it so they still get the ball back (the main point of the rule) while also not disadvantaging them in terms of field position (a secondary point). Hence, just make kick-offs after tries start from the 40m line to give teams a chance to get to halfway in a couple of tackles. It will make it more of a spectacle anyway. Easy solution. While also keeping the main point of it. Ball in hand. Opportunity to score points. Fewer blowouts. Maybe. Where's the data on that anyway?

My two cents.

In NFL it's absolutely required. If they dont it is conceivable the team conceding wouldn't get the ball back for ridiculous amounts of time.

I dont see it as a necessary change in rugby league but I also don't see what harm it would do. I'm pretty neutral on it as I dont see it changing much either way.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

If they are worried about blow-outs, just get the refs to swing momentum with a handful of 6 against and penalties to the team getting pumped......exactly like they already do now, so no change required.

Haha exactly. This is called the Klein law.

 

[Frailty]

Isn't the game facing its highest ever ratings, attendance and financial stability ever? Since several MAJOR rule changes in the last few seasons?

Sure, if you ignore the fact the games ratings and attendance have been gradually increasing of a long period of time.

Again, I said the standard of the game had fallen despite more athletic players.

 

[Canard]

Sure, if you ignore the fact the games ratings and attendance have been gradually increasing of a long period of time.

Again, I said the standard of the game had fallen despite more athletic players.

Hasn't it absolutely exploded in the past 2 seasons?

I don't agree that the "standard" has fallen, but that is a subjective thing anyway.

 

[Wb1234]

Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Ricky Stuart are among the big-name coaches who will meet with the NRL on Tuesday to discuss several hot topics including the role of the bunker, what constitutes a sin-binning, and potentially changing the kick-off rule.
The trio, along with Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon and Penrith’s four-time premiership winner Ivan Cleary, will be asked for their opinions in the hope they can help the NRL make any relevant changes moving forward.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett will be one of the big-name coaches who meets with the NRL on Tuesday.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett will be one of the big-name coaches who meets with the NRL on Tuesday.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
It was at a similar meeting last year that the NRL and coaches landed on the “common sense” approach to the obstruction rule, which led to referees waving away the claims of defenders trying to milk penalties.
Sources with knowledge of the meeting not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the coaches will debate the role of the bunker – specifically, what bunker officials should be allowed rule on and when they become involved.
The question of high tackles, when they deserve a sin-binning and mitigating circumstances will be discussed, with Reece Walsh’s high shot on Melbourne’s Xavier Coates in the grand final – and the fact he stayed on the field – a prime example that left stakeholders confused.
South Sydney’s Bennett supports changing the kick-off rule, which was first raised by this masthead last month.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett will be one of the big-name coaches who meets with the NRL on Tuesday.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett will be one of the big-name coaches who meets with the NRL on Tuesday.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
The NRL had planned to ask clubs if there was an appetite to change the kick-off rule so that the scoring team takes the kick-off to restart play, rather than receive the ball again. Should enough coaches be in favour, there is every chance the proposal will be taken to the ARL Commission, and rubber-stamped in time for the 2026 season.
Canterbury supremo Phil Gould was firmly against changing the rule, posting on X: “Whoever it was that regurgitated the concept of the scoring team kicking off in the NRL should be publicly whipped. Please ... they tried this rubbish years ago, and it was a disaster.”
During the Super League years in the mid-1990s, the team that conceded a try was given the chance to get back in the game by receiving the kick-off.
Cleary last month said he liked the rule as it was, and said it allowed Penrith to gain momentum late in the game to mow down the Broncos in the 2023 NRL grand final. He added Brisbane’s successive comebacks in this year’s finals series had been helped by getting the ball back after scoring.
“When I started watching rugby league, no one would ever come back from 14 points down – then [Brisbane] did it four weeks in a row,” Cleary said.
Bennett said it made sense to change the kick-off rules because it made the game fairer, and helped balance possession.
“When we re-unified the game after Super League, ‘Gus’ [Gould] knocked it on the head then,” Bennett said. “He was no fan of it – which is OK, he’s entitled to his opinion. He obviously hasn’t changed his stance.
“[By having the rule change] it makes it fair, you have equal opportunity with the ball. Ball control has always been important in the game, but it’s distorted because you can score, then you go back and get the ba

 

[Bazal]

Think of the increase in the ability to Game Manage the Product(tm) though???

Team A scores a try. Has to kick off. Two tackles in, KleinKampf or the Pube Collector spot a penalty no one else can see. Suddenly Team B is on the charge. Glorious!!

 

[siv]

I think it would only work in the womens game

Many times you see the girls just get a run of points before the attacking team makes a mistake

It would be better to improve the defence of teams

In the mens game its a result of the 6-again rule, where the defence us punished more than attacking teams

It woukd be better to fix up playing the balk correctly, like picking it up off the ground 1m before playing it

 

[T-Boon]

where is the Roosters coach? They always get a seat at these types of things.

 

[T-Boon]

It seems like if a team is behind and is playing catch up it would be better if the comeback was down to their attack and defense rather than the attack and momentum/refs - which is really just passionate one out hit ups.

1. Scorer kicks off. Make it easier to have a successful short kick off or somehow get the ball from the kickoff some other way.

2. Fix up the charge down rule so the defense can get pressure on the attacking team without too much risk of giving a repeat set.

 

[Wb1234]

One article said if this rule comes in refs like Klein won’t need to do so many catch up penalties and six agains

Gus seems to be the only real opponent

Looking at the bunker and refs is the big thing they need to fix up

 

[wittyfan]

It should be changed, it worked pretty well in Super League.

 

[Captain Apollo]

It should be changed, it worked pretty well in Super League.

The only person who thought that was a Mr W. Bennett. I wonder why?

Fact is every other club when the NRL was formed was happy to go with the then ARL's rules.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

It should be changed, it worked pretty well in Super League.

No it didn't. It was an abomination. The fact this is open for discussion is very worrying.

 

[mave]

Stop
Changing
The F**king
Rules

 

[Captain Apollo]

The following is from part of an article on the SMH's website on this matter (source: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-around-the-clubs-december-20251201-p5njvi.html) -

Meanwhile, six of the game’s best coaches – Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Michael Maguire, Ivan Cleary, Ricky Stuart and Craig Fitzgibbon – spent a few hours at the NRL’s Moore Park headquarters on Tuesday being briefed on proposed rule changes.

The coaches also took the opportunity to raise some of their own concerns, including how best to achieve consistency with the bunker and what constitutes a player being sent sin-binned.

Bennett bumped into his old Queensland Origin captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who has joined the Sydney Roosters, the arch enemies of Bennett’s South Sydney Rabbitohs.

NRL club CEOs will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, with Perth Bears boss Anthony De Ceglie set to present to his counterparts for the first time, and Jason King, the incoming Manly chief at Manly, will discuss the game’s latest integrity projects.

Amanda Laing, the head of streaming and broadcast at Channel Nine, owners of this masthead, is also scheduled to address the club chiefs.

 

[T-Boon]

Stop
Changing
The F**king
Rules

the game has probably had its best crowd and TV growth in its history off the back of a few great rule changes. That is all that was needed to get a lot more fans engaged. I say keep tinkering and turning dials until we have capacity crowds and NRL TV ratings leave the competitors in its wake.

 

[Dogs Of War]

the game has probably had its best crowd and TV growth in its history off the back of a few great rule changes. That is all that was needed to get a lot more fans engaged. I say keep tinkering and turning dials until we have capacity crowds and NRL TV ratings leave the competitors in its wake.

You only change the rules if coaches are taking advantage of stuff on the field. That's how the game has evolved so far to make a better product. People push the limits of the current rules, which then we counteract with a change. It's served the sport well over the years. Even the ones that were introduced recently were designed to bring less stopages and more fatigue into the game and have had the right result in that department when you see how much improvement in the speed and ball in play time has gone up. Lets not artificially add rules that aren't addressing a problem. Teams trying to come back will now need to resort to loads of short kick offs which aren't the most fun to watch, and the rule changes they put into that area last year need a review anway as they seem to be a very poor response to the volume of short drop outs. I'd like to see it that the receiving team can touch the ball within the 10m line which will force teams to reconsider how they approach that situation.

 

[T-Boon]

You only change the rules if coaches are taking advantage of stuff on the field. That's how the game has evolved so far to make a better product.

I agree you absolutely have to have rule changes for those circumstances but there also has been great rule changes that weren't necessitated by dodgy coaching such as the 40-20 rule. I think you also just bring in a rule change if it will add great game play.

 

[Dogs Of War]

I agree you absolutely have to have rule changes for those circumstances but there also has been great rule changes that weren't necessitated by dodgy coaching such as the 40-20 rule. I think you also just bring in a rule change if it will add great game play.

Ah but the 40-20 was addressing a problem. Teams would get camped in there 40 set after set. So the 40-20 was brought in to change things up and give teams a chance to turn the tables. We all remember the good teams of the 90s, but the bad teams their just wasn't the depth of talent and some of those games between the teams towards the bottom of the table were absolutely dreadful.

It's how I won a car in the 1998. Watched Souths vs Wests, most terrible game of all time I swear. So boring, heaps of handling errors, I swear I was the only person who got to half time watching the game. At half time they had a comp to win a key to car and a little cash. I rang the number, won that week and then a few months later won the car.