Change to the kickoff rule 2026

[siv]

So it'd be a 6 tackle restart if you dropkick it drom 40-50 out and miss to keep the ball out of Reece Walsh's hands? Seems like it might be exploited.

I could live with this

40m or 50m field goal attempts rarely go over the dead ball line

 

[siv]

With the bench can teams stack it with mostly forwards then one or two utility / half then if the game doesn’t require the latter they just keep the forwards fresh and smashing up the middle

Good coaches are going to have a field day with it

By still only allowing 4 on the field from the 6 or 8 man bench

Nothing changes to today where 4 forwards could be on the bench

Today its usually a hooker and 3 forwards

By allowing 18th and 19th men to sit on the bench, you can put a half, fullback, centre on thos extended bench

I think the main issue will be teams use the 19th man today as a reserve forward in case someone goes down during the warm.up

 

[siv]

Removing Blue Shirts will be a bigger rule change

 

[Wb1234]

By still only allowing 4 on the field from the 6 or 8 man bench

Nothing changes to today where 4 forwards could be on the bench

Today its usually a hooker and 3 forwards

By allowing 18th and 19th men to sit on the bench, you can put a half, fullback, centre on thos extended bench

I think the main issue will be teams use the 19th man today as a reserve forward in case someone goes down during the warm.up

Now you have to/should reserve a spot for a utility

In the future you can have him on the bench and if there’s no injuries then not have to use him

It’s a little bit like nfl with more specialised subs in certain circumstances but I like it

 

[Billythekid]

Leave rules alone. Our game has survived for a long time without changing rules every year.
New rules get exploited anyway.
Bellyache will be all over it.
One thing I'd like to see though, is a slightly smaller and lighter ball for the NRLW. They struggle to kick goals from the sideline, find touch and even pass the friggen ball. It detracts from the spectacle of the game when they get a penalty in the middle of the field and they elect to take the tap because they can't find touch, I've seen that about four times so far.

Not sure if the lighter ball would help but I absolutely think it would be a mistake to keep the NRLW exactly the same as the NRL. The WNBA have done this and it has been a huge mistake, a lowered hoop that actually allows the players to dunk would be amazing. The AFL is also suffering in a big way because of this.

 

[Nutz]

Not sure if the lighter ball would help but I absolutely think it would be a mistake to keep the NRLW exactly the same as the NRL. The WNBA have done this and it has been a huge mistake, a lowered hoop that actually allows the players to dunk would be amazing. The AFL is also suffering in a big way because of this.

Totally different sports billy, they have to keep the NRLW the same as the mens otherwise the little interest they have already will dissolve.
I was a kicker and back in the day, with the right ball, I could kick it a lot further than grade balls. It would require a little bit of research that's all.

 

[Timmah]

Not hard with 13 clubs also eunning a NSW Cup and Flegg team

Just align NSW Cup and JF schedules with NRL schedules

- Newtown / Cronulla should align
- Wests / Wesrs-Tigers should align

Then align the only 2 other clubs with a Qld NRL club
- Bears / Fiji align with say Nth Qld NRL weekends

Remaining weekends used to used to complete the NSW draw

In Qld you first align - Brisbane v Gold Coast, Nth Qld v Redcliffe style games.

Then manage rest of the Qld Cup draw around this

Of course bringing the 4 Qld clubs into a National RG improves this further

We're talking about how it is now, not a fantasy land.

Like I said, 58 out of 150-odd NSW Cup games is a fantastic compromise. It's not efficient or cost-effective for clubs to run multi-grade match days every week all year. Sorry, it's just not, and it's not gonna happen.

 

[Captain Apollo]

The only way to get around this is to mandate all bench players play lower grades and for players 14 to 30+6 to play before NRL games on game day
....

Problem with that is what hapens when an NRL team's lower grades are playing in a different state? Its impractical. I mean the Warriors would be the most disadvantaged as its lower grades teams play in a different country at the moment.

 

[Nutz]

Problem with that is what hapens when an NRL team's lower grades are playing in a different state? Its impractical. I mean the Warriors would be the most disadvantaged as its lower grades teams play in a different country at the moment.

Good point.
Can you remember Captain that the benchies ages ago played usually a ½-¾ a game in U23 or reserves then get taken off to sit on the bench for first grade wearing a dirty jumper with reserve numbers.
If you were at the ground watching and you saw a player you didn't recognise do something good you would ask your mate who number 23 was or look it up in the big league mag shoved in you back pocket.

 

[siv]

Problem with that is what hapens when an NRL team's lower grades are playing in a different state? Its impractical. I mean the Warriors would be the most disadvantaged as its lower grades teams play in a different country at the moment.

You do realise the NSW Cup, Flegg, Ball and Matts teams already do this today - eg fly interstate, to NZ or Fiji

Thats why lower grade schedules need to re-align with NRL

In Qld - the new Nth Qld team will fly almost everywhere too even in Qld Cup & NRLQ. While other SEQ teams fly 4 to 5 times today

 

[Dogs Of War]

You do realise the NSW Cup, Flegg, Ball and Matts teams already do this today - eg fly interstate, to NZ or Fiji

Thats why lower grade schedules need to re-align with NRL

In Qld - the new Nth Qld team will fly almost everywhere too even in Qld Cup & NRLQ. While other SEQ teams fly 4 to 5 times today

You're still pretending that it wouldn't cost more to do this. It's way more travel for the majority of teams. Money that can go into other parts of the game.

 

[siv]

You're still pretending that it wouldn't cost more to do this. It's way more travel for the majority of teams. Money that can go into other parts of the game.

5 odd extra trips for Brisbane, Redcliffe Gold Coast is offset by all other travel costs for training and match days that used to occur

Eg Melbourne to Sunshine Coast

Then you create over 100 opportunitites for part time footballers

Revenue has grown almost 4 fold since News Ltd left. There is plenty now for both professional and part time structures

Professional NRL NRG NYC
Part time - State Cup based

 

[Dogs Of War]

5 odd extra trips for Brisbane, Redcliffe Gold Coast is offset by all other travel costs for training and match days that used to occur

Eg Melbourne to Sunshine Coast

Then you create over 100 opportunitites for part time footballers

Revenue has grown almost 4 fold since News Ltd left. There is plenty now for both professional and part time structures

Professional NRL NRG NYC
Part time - State Cup based

The majority of people aren't coming to watch any of that level of footy. So it's a lot of money for nothing. If it would pay for itself, we would have kept the U20's comp we had before. But it wasn't. What do you see if the value add? Taking game from smaller venues like at Wynnum where they get 2-3k crowds and have games for $10 that the local community could see a NRL player playing, versus readjusting all the draws for your pipe dream? It's not the 1990's anymore.

Geez even when I still lived in Sydney I used to love going to Belmore to watch a few reggies games for stuff all on the hill, They would at times have 2-3 games on the day. It's not NRL level footy, but for some this is a good day out. More opportunities for people to watch footy on there terms is better.

 

[Captain Apollo]

You do realise the NSW Cup, Flegg, Ball and Matts teams already do this today - eg fly interstate, to NZ or Fiji

Thats why lower grade schedules need to re-align with NRL

In Qld - the new Nth Qld team will fly almost everywhere too even in Qld Cup & NRLQ. While other SEQ teams fly 4 to 5 times today

OIk. So the Warriors play in Auckland in the NRL, yet its NSW Cup team which is at home is scheduled to play at home but do so in NSW and not NZ. That's an example of what I mean. To do what you propose, the Warriors would have to fly the entire NSW Cup squad to NZ and the opposing NSW Cup team, who may not be affiliated with an NRL team, (or the same one playing the Warriors that round) have to fluy to NZ. That's one of the reasons why I believe it's impractical as others have touched on already.

 

[siv]

its NSW Cup team which is at home is scheduled to play at home but do so in NSW and not NZ.

Their NSW Cup, Flegg, SG Ball and Matts team all play home games in NZ not in NSW - today

 

[siv]

The majority of people aren't coming to watch any of that level of footy. So it's a lot of money for nothing. If it would pay for itself, we would have kept the U20's comp we had before. But it wasn't. What do you see if the value add? Taking game from smaller venues like at Wynnum where they get 2-3k crowds and have games for $10 that the local community could see a NRL player playing, versus readjusting all the draws for your pipe dream? It's not the 1990's anymore.

Geez even when I still lived in Sydney I used to love going to Belmore to watch a few reggies games for stuff all on the hill, They would at times have 2-3 games on the day. It's not NRL level footy, but for some this is a good day out. More opportunities for people to watch footy on there terms is better.

45 minutes of grass growing before NRL kickoff has been a crowd killer for pre games and the overall game day experiance

 

[siv]

What do you see if the value add?

Value add is fulltime professional development of players something farming out players doesnt achieve

Improved game day experiance

The 2000 fans that head to Qld State Cup games would still go there even if the 2 NRL dont show up

My kids refused to go to state games after NYC ended, they didnt choose to follow those feeder clubs

Kids love NYC and fans love watching NYC players develop into NRL players, all on game day

 

[Dogs Of War]

45 minutes of grass growing before NRL kickoff has been a crowd killer for pre games and the overall game day experiance

That's not changing anytime soon. So your whole argument falls on it's face.

 

[siv]

That's not changing anytime soon. So your whole argument falls on it's face.

And with it most fans give up and watch games in pubs or just save money and watch at home not wasting money on parking, food or drinks

Rather than get some food chat with mates, and settle into your seat beating the crowd rush 5 minutes before kickoff get a good park and watch a good lower grade game

What gets me is how clubs waste venue rental real cash showing 45 minutes of grass growing

I am not interested in watching referees doing warm ups

 

[Dogs Of War]

And with it most fans give up and watch games in pubs or just save money and watch at home not wasting money on parking, food or drinks

Rather than get some food chat with mates, and settle into your seat beating the crowd rush 5 minutes before kickoff get a good park and watch a good lower grade game

What gets me is how clubs waste venue rental real cash showing 45 minutes of grass growing

I am not interested in watching referees doing warm ups

So how are crowds going up then siv? They have been increasing year on year, but you say everybody is staying home or going to the pub. Both can't be true.