Downtown Rule - Kicking out on the full...

[Lambretta]

Watching the Dragons v Dogs game tonight it reinforced what was obvious from watching the first game... ie that Jamie Soward (and other kickers) will negate the enforcement of the downtown rule (designed to give full backs more time to move) by kicking the ball dead on the full over the dead ball line behind the goals.

To counter this I would propose that we either relax the law again

or we penalise for a kick over the dead ball line from the point of the kick

or we award a scrum from the point of the kick the same as if they'd kicked out on the full over the side line.

What is your preferred option?

 

[smacky]

Soward didnt kick it out on the full. He did purposely kick it dead but theres nothing wrong if with that if it bounces over

 

[dragondad]

He only did it once fmd !! :lol:

 

[adamkungl]

Like I said in the other thread on this topic - i don't care about Soward or Hayne, but it baffles me that dead-on-the-full isn't treated the same as out-on-the-full.

Should be the defending team's ball from where it was kicked.

 

[broncos_warriors_storm]

'downtown' should be scrapped

 

[dragonfire]

Watching the Dragons v Dogs game tonight it reinforced what was obvious from watching the first game... ie that Jamie Soward (and other kickers) will negate the enforcement of the downtown rule (designed to give full backs more time to move) by kicking the ball dead on the full over the dead ball line behind the goals.

To counter this I would propose that we either relax the law again

or we penalise for a kick over the dead ball line from the point of the kick

or we award a scrum from the point of the kick the same as if they'd kicked out on the full over the side line.

What is your preferred option?

you cant have it from the point of the kick. everyone is saying that the downtown rule is forcing it but i saw a team do this last year and no one was blowing up about it and so far only one guy has done it was 3 times through 2 games

 

[Dragon]

He hasn't kicked it out 'on the full' in either games you dolts (or maybe i just missed this?)

Oh and i also saw kicks roll dead-in-goal during the Tits v Souths game... Amazingly this happens just about every game, shocking. I remember Barrett was a specialist at this at the Saints, seems last week was no exception for the sharks either.

f*ckin have a whinge fair dinkum.

 

[dubopov]

The deliberately kicking dead in-goal "tactic" has been happening for at least 20 years ..

 

[Bengal]

or we penalise for a kick over the dead ball line from the point of the kick

Kinda agree. Its a fairly simple counter, a fairly simple rule that the rahs rahs have had for years and one we should have had ever since the 40/20 rule came into play. We need to punish poor kicking every bit as much as we reward it and that's doubly true now days. The opposing team should have the option to tap restart from wherever the ball was kicked or keep it as is (tap from the 20) for those kicks that take place within the 20.

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[Meth]

St George did it (deliberately rolled the ball dead) a fair bit last week to take Hayne out of the game. Obviously, that annoyed the commentators, who were eager to coo over Hayne. It doesn't seen to be a feature of the St George playbook though- they didn't see the need to do it last night to contain Patten.

I don't see an issue. It may be cynical football, but I don't think it should be outlawed. There won't be a mid-season rule change, so let's wait and see what happens over the course of the season before we make this into an issue. And let's stop seeing innovative law-changes as a reactionary strategy to counter ever little fad that the game goes through

 

[Bengal]

I don't see an issue. It may be cynical football, but I don't think it should be outlawed.

Its boring football that's all. Boring as batshyt to watch a ball dribble over the dead ball line, even more boring now if it helps take our excitement machines out of play.

And let's stop seeing innovative law-changes as a reactionary strategy to counter ever little fad that the game goes through

This rule change should have happened years ago. Its an easy change to make, and as people will come to see, will be as exciting as watching a successful 40/20 kick, especially if you're on the opposing side, and the ball was kicked from quite a distance away from their line.


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[S.R.]

The "downtown" rule seems to be a myth.
Has there been a single penalty in regards to this rule so far?
I've seen plenty of teams in breach of it, and not one whistle.

 

[Lambretta]

Yeah Meth, having slept on it, I sort of agree with you. It's just that its not really a rule change. Kicking out on the full over the sideline has a rule, just extend it for all lines in open field play.

I dont have a problem with teams kicking dead when it bounces in the field of play as the bounce can be unpredictable and anything can happen. Yes it can be a boring tactic to watch, but so what. It's about winning.

Oh and to the Saints fans, seriously, you don't have to take it quite so personally.

 

[Lambretta]

He hasn't kicked it out 'on the full' in either games you dolts (or maybe i just missed this?)

Mate in the Parra game he hit the fence twice with kicks that hadnt bounced in the field of play.

He did it once last night.

OK, so not a major issue. I don't have any problem with kicks that go over having bounced. Just good tactical sense and St George happen to be very clinical at it.

 

[phonetic]

Seriously.. it was once last night and it wasn't on the full.

 

[RedAndWhiteThommo]

If you are going to penalise a ball that goes over the dead ball line on the full, what would you do with an unsuccesful shot at a field goal?

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Mate in the Parra game he hit the fence twice with kicks that hadnt bounced in the field of play.

He did it once last night.

OK, so not a major issue. I don't have any problem with kicks that go over having bounced. Just good tactical sense and St George happen to be very clinical at it.

He didn't kick it dead on the full last night. It bounced in the in-goal.

 

[scottyeel]

Teams should be allowed to take quick taps again from the 20 after it's kicked dead. It is a deliberate tactic to slow the game down and it would be pointless if teams don't get the chance to set their defensive line.

 

[Bengal]

If you are going to penalise a ball that goes over the dead ball line on the full, what would you do with an unsuccesful shot at a field goal?

I think we can all distinguish between a field goal and a kick in general play easily enough. But that does raise an interesting point in regards to using field goal type kicks to negate a tap restart from where that kick took place.

As for kicks out on the full, I'll stick with the status quo on that one. What I envisage involve kicks that touch the turf at some stage before going out.

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[RedAndWhiteThommo]

And that's the problem with a proposed rule to penalise kicks that go out on the full. Players will take bad attempts at a field goal to overcome it - it would be up to the ref to try and determine the intent of the player in his kick. Not a good outcome IMO.

Leave it the way it is - it is rarely used and making changes will only open up other areas for exploitation.