If wrestling in tackles was abolished...

[eel01s]

I was thinking about Wayne Bennett's and Bob Fulton's comments about how wrestling is making the game boring etc. I'm sure most league fans would agree and wish it was completely abolished.

It got me thinking how every 10 years or so there seems to be a shift in the way the game is played. A good example of this is comparing 2001 to 2002.

In 2001 the game had almost become something akin to touch footy. Quick play the balls were king, and the teams that could do this well (like us) prospered.

However in 2002 Ricky Stuart changed the way teams defended, placing a lot more emphasis on slowing down the ruck and stifling the oppositions attack. Wrestling tactics evolved from there.

So what would happen if all wrestling tactics were outlawed in 2013? IMO the game would very quickly favour teams with more mobile forward packs that could win quick play the balls. Attacking flair would also be rewarded, as retreating defensive lines would find it harder to rush up and in to cut off the play. Tiring players would become a bigger part of the game.

I just wish all this wrestling BS was wiped out of the game. Players should make a tackle, where required the ref called held, and then the tacklers allow the ball carrier to play the ball. None of this dominant and surrender crap.

Your thoughts?

 

[spiderdan]

i'm pretty sure brian smith had our side getting coaching in wrestling techniques before 2002, and pretty sure other sides were doing the same.

grappling on the other hand is a different story.

that said i don't have a problem with dominant tackles being rewarded. but rather than the ref deciding how much time is allowed in the tackle or what constitutes a dominant tackle, i'd rather it be determined by the tackle itself. so that there is a maximum time the ref allows in a tackle (say about 2-3 seconds) until the ref calls for movement. if the tackled player can get a play the ball quicker then good luck to them.

 

[Strangenuts]

Hate the wrestling and it's detracting majorly from the game. We want more football and more footballers.

 

[TheParraboy]

bring replacement rule down to 4

 

[Eels Dude]

I'd like to see the limiting of having a third man in on the tackle. If the two defenders have stopped the attackers forward momentum then no third man can assist while they're bringing him to ground to slow down the play the ball.

 

[barney gumble]

Almost impossible to define what is wrestling. Yes of course there are certain obvious cases but a certain amount of wrestle is required a lot of the times to make a tackle. You need to be careful not to over police the game, like union does. The ruck area may be, at times because of the wrestle, boring, but the refs blowing their whistles every minute would even be more so. Don't believe me, watch a game of union.

 

[drago brelli]

Bennett introduced a wrestling coach when he was at Brisbane. Bellamey soon followed suit but took the whole thing 20 steps further so much so that Bennett was appalled. Read Bennett's book. All clubs then hired wrestling coaches. Watch Jeremy Smith closely, he learnt well at Melbourne. At times his 'tackling' technique is very creative bordering on dangerous. He never gets pulled up.

 

[cgee221]

Either outlaw the wrestling completely by tidying up the rucks and causing the refs to heavily penalize offenders so it forces the coaches to change tactics or bring the interchange down to 6.

If you ask me the game was very entertaining in 2001, despite the quick play the ball-run from dummy half mentality. We used to see so many creative & exciting tries. The players in general are more skilled today. Imagine seeing the likes of Jarryd; Benji; Johnson; et all with a bit more room & time.

What it also does is bring skillful forwards & little men back into the game. Which are a dying breed now-a-days as we either see workhorses or power runners but no really skilled forwards.

And what did we have in 2001? Skillful forwards & little men...we carved up big time bar on the night that mattered.

I hate the power & ruck dominated game. Give me skill & flair any day of the week!

#LoveSeeingTheBallPromotedAndExpansiveWithSkillAndFinesseRugbyLeagueJustSaying

 

[Runaround Man]

Either outlaw the wrestling completely by tidying up the rucks and causing the refs to heavily penalize offenders so it forces the coaches to change tactics or bring the interchange down to 6.

If you ask me the game was very entertaining in 2001, despite the quick play the ball-run from dummy half mentality. We used to see so many creative & exciting tries. The players in general are more skilled today. Imagine seeing the likes of Jarryd; Benji; Johnson; et all with a bit more room & time.

What it also does is bring skillful forwards & little men back into the game. Which are a dying breed now-a-days as we either see workhorses or power runners but no really skilled forwards.

And what did we have in 2001? Skillful forwards & little men...we carved up big time bar on the night that mattered.

I hate the power & ruck dominated game. Give me skill & flair any day of the week!

#LoveSeeingTheBallPromotedAndExpansiveWithSkillAndFinesseRugbyLeagueJustSaying

Totally agree with you here.
Can't help but think of the Canterbury team of the late 70's - when they were dubbed 'The entertainers'.
Even though I was a parra fan I loved watch Canterbury play.

 

[Tooooks]

bring replacement rule down to 4

I know this thread is about wrestling (which I hate), but I agree with you and would love to see no more interchanges and just 4 replacements.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

I reckon if tackling was banned all together it would suit our game more.

 

[spiderdan]

I know this thread is about wrestling (which I hate), but I agree with you and would love to see no more interchanges and just 4 replacements.

limiting interchange will just lead to a higher number of injuries through fatigue.

 

[TheRam]

Around 75% of all game this season have been shit this season. Enough said, time for the admin to fix it.

NOW!!!

 

[Gronk]

Yeah my pet hates are

1. Wrestling. Make them roll away immediately. I know that they are worried that NRL will start to look like touch footy, but wrestling is not the way to slow the game down.
2. Markers hands on the ball, and
3. Stupid penalties against the attacking team because the man playing the ball did it untidily, was not precisely perpendicular to the sideline etc. Seriously who gives a f**k ?

 

[TheRam]

Yeah hane on the ball is one of my pet hates too and how easy is it to fix ffs.

Refs are totally useless(and admin). It should never, ever have gotten to this stage if they were paying attention.

So many negative aspects of the play the ball could be fixed in a week or two. Also the ten metre rule, so easy. What is wrong with these fools?

 

[The Engineers Room]

I think you set a time for the tackle and dominant tackles one on one get an extra second but tackles where two tackle up top and the other player takes the legs gets 1 second less. The wrestling would disappear pretty quick.


Or 1 player dominant 4 seconds max, two players or 1 player not dominant 3 seconds and 2 seconds for all others. And I agree that if the tackled player can begin to get up the defenders have to release.

 

[mickdo]

And I agree that if the tackled player can begin to get up the defenders have to release.

So why would defenders stop wrestling then? They'd do everything they can to stop them getting up.

 

[lingard]

Totally agree with you here.
Can't help but think of the Canterbury team of the late 70's - when they were dubbed 'The entertainers'.
Even though I was a parra fan I loved watch Canterbury play.

You bastard!





(So did I.)

 

[Suitman]

You bastard!





(So did I.)

Yeh, but they pretty quickly went from the entertainers to the thugs when Warren Ryan got hold of them.

Suity

 

[Strangenuts]

limiting interchange will just lead to a higher number of injuries through fatigue.

Yeah cause there are way less injuries in the modern game?!:roll:
More interchanges means fresher players and higher impact collisions resulting in more injuries. IMO