Hey guys, first post.
I have decided to start following the nrl, and so far I've been thorougly entertained. Rugby league is a completely new game to me, so there are some things about it that I don't quite understand. I'm going to attempt to explain my thoughts and ask questions to try and further my knowledge of the game. Some questions and comments may seem idiotic, so I'm sorry in advance. Thanks in advance for bearing with me. ;-)
I don't understand the consequences and assessments for penalties. It seems like sometimes the tackle count starts over. Other times the offended team advances a few yards with the tackle count starting over, and other times it looks like one player deliberately kicks the ball out of bounds and the team advances to that point with a fresh tackle count. Could someone please explain how penalties are assessed?
What happens after a 40/20 kick? How often does it occur? If the ball goes beyond the 20 meter line, is the opposing player allowed to return the kick or does he have to force it out of bounds and have the scrum take place at that point? I saw it for the first time in the Melbourne - Cronulla match. IIRC the ball bounced around in bounds and the Sharks player forced the ball out of bounds without an attempt to return the kick.
In a scrum, it seems like the team going against the feed doesn't put forth much effort to try and take ball. I read that this happened in the Souths - Bulldogs match. How often does it occur?
Are there any other common questions that I didn't ask in this post? I may find some other questions to ask the more I watch the game. Thanks for taking the time to look over this post.