The Green Mushroom
Juniors
- Messages
- 41
With the season barely over, I am already bored, at least until the Four Nations begin. Why don’t have a thread for describing our visions of a perfect NRL, or even a perfect Rugby League world.
Here’s my fantastic, totally over the top vision of the game. I know that most of my ideas are implausible at best; impossible in any realistic sense and some are total lunacy. But at least I’m not writing my suggestion to merge the AFL and the NRL.
Some ideas are my own, some are “borrowed” from various news sources and I think I may have seen a few on this board.
Competition
· The current NRL sides, the Queensland Cup and NSW Cup sides and expansion teams in Perth, New Zealand, and any place where a club is willing to make a nice and hefty donation to the NRL all join the competition.
· Teams are ranked into three or four divisions of 12 teams each. If necessary, the lowest division has more teams. Each team plays the others in its division at home and away.
· The Gultinan Shield is awarded to the Champion Team of Australia—the minor premier in the First Division.
· All teams also participate in the Sponsor’s Name Rugby League Cup. Professional teams enter in First Round, amateur teams enter in Preliminary Rounds. Lower division clubs automatically host First Division teams if drawn against each other.
· The bottom two teams in each division (except the lowest) are relegated for the next season. Teams playoff if they finish equal 11th on points. (No for and against)
· The top five in the First Division advance to the finals series for the Premiership
· The top four in the lower divisions play for promotion. The winner of the 1st v 2nd match goes straight up, the loser plays the 3rd v 4th winner for the second promotion spot.
· Each team has a “Player Rating” cap. Players are assigned a rating based on experience, Origin and international selection, and All Star game selection. Players’ ratings are discounted if they do not change clubs or return to their original club in such a way that a team effectively has no cap if it fields a team made up entirely of players from its junior system.
· Junior players not offered a spot in their parent club’s first grade or reserve side enter a draft. Draft order decided by three-year average. Relegated teams picking before promoted teams who pick before teams that do not change divisions.
Officiating
· The “Three Official” system. The touch judges are required to be fully qualified referees and all three officials have the responsibility to enforce all the laws. The referee has the final say if there is a disagreement.
· All decisions have to be made on the field. The video ref only comes into play to report players to the match review panel or if one of the captains makes a challenge. A captain can’t challenge anymore if he is wrong twice.
· Mandatory sin bin for professional fouls or dangerous play.
· In a move borrowed from some leagues in the States, the head of officiating sits in a “war room” overseeing all matches, grading officials and reporting players. If an official isn’t up to snuff, he’s going to be filling coffee cups in the war room in the next round to learn how to do his job better.
Rules Changes
· 13 players on the field at the start of the game with seven substitutes on the bench. At least three subs have to have played in the reserve grade game. Players can return to the game once after they are subbed out. Substitutions made because of injury do not count against that total.
· A new set of six is awarded only after a penalty or the opposition actually playing the ball at least once themselves. Tackle count does not reset otherwise.
· Scrums are contested with the ball being placed on the ground by the referee and the packs packing down over it. No one can strike at the ball until the referee signals for the scrum to begin: by yelling ‘Scrum!”
· Raking allowed in the play the ball, as is playing it any direction. Again, the tackle count does not reset if the marker rakes the ball or even if he wins it but then loses the ball.
· Five metre rule for both teams.
· Ball must be clearly knocked forward for a knock, clearly thrown forward and clearly touched down for a try.
· Tries are worth Five Points. Goals (Conversion, Penalty, Drop) all worth Two Points.
· Matches that are level at 80 minutes are drawn. Finals, Cup and Origin matches level at 80 minutes have ten minutes of extra time then golden point, if necessary.
The International Game
· Players can be eligible for Origin AND their national team.
· Five Nations tournament between Big Three teams and winners of prior year’s European and Pacific Cups in Even Numbered Years
· World Cup or Ashes Tours in Odd Numbered Years.
· Annual World Nines Tournament.
Here’s my fantastic, totally over the top vision of the game. I know that most of my ideas are implausible at best; impossible in any realistic sense and some are total lunacy. But at least I’m not writing my suggestion to merge the AFL and the NRL.
Some ideas are my own, some are “borrowed” from various news sources and I think I may have seen a few on this board.
Competition
· The current NRL sides, the Queensland Cup and NSW Cup sides and expansion teams in Perth, New Zealand, and any place where a club is willing to make a nice and hefty donation to the NRL all join the competition.
· Teams are ranked into three or four divisions of 12 teams each. If necessary, the lowest division has more teams. Each team plays the others in its division at home and away.
· The Gultinan Shield is awarded to the Champion Team of Australia—the minor premier in the First Division.
· All teams also participate in the Sponsor’s Name Rugby League Cup. Professional teams enter in First Round, amateur teams enter in Preliminary Rounds. Lower division clubs automatically host First Division teams if drawn against each other.
· The bottom two teams in each division (except the lowest) are relegated for the next season. Teams playoff if they finish equal 11th on points. (No for and against)
· The top five in the First Division advance to the finals series for the Premiership
· The top four in the lower divisions play for promotion. The winner of the 1st v 2nd match goes straight up, the loser plays the 3rd v 4th winner for the second promotion spot.
· Each team has a “Player Rating” cap. Players are assigned a rating based on experience, Origin and international selection, and All Star game selection. Players’ ratings are discounted if they do not change clubs or return to their original club in such a way that a team effectively has no cap if it fields a team made up entirely of players from its junior system.
· Junior players not offered a spot in their parent club’s first grade or reserve side enter a draft. Draft order decided by three-year average. Relegated teams picking before promoted teams who pick before teams that do not change divisions.
Officiating
· The “Three Official” system. The touch judges are required to be fully qualified referees and all three officials have the responsibility to enforce all the laws. The referee has the final say if there is a disagreement.
· All decisions have to be made on the field. The video ref only comes into play to report players to the match review panel or if one of the captains makes a challenge. A captain can’t challenge anymore if he is wrong twice.
· Mandatory sin bin for professional fouls or dangerous play.
· In a move borrowed from some leagues in the States, the head of officiating sits in a “war room” overseeing all matches, grading officials and reporting players. If an official isn’t up to snuff, he’s going to be filling coffee cups in the war room in the next round to learn how to do his job better.
Rules Changes
· 13 players on the field at the start of the game with seven substitutes on the bench. At least three subs have to have played in the reserve grade game. Players can return to the game once after they are subbed out. Substitutions made because of injury do not count against that total.
· A new set of six is awarded only after a penalty or the opposition actually playing the ball at least once themselves. Tackle count does not reset otherwise.
· Scrums are contested with the ball being placed on the ground by the referee and the packs packing down over it. No one can strike at the ball until the referee signals for the scrum to begin: by yelling ‘Scrum!”
· Raking allowed in the play the ball, as is playing it any direction. Again, the tackle count does not reset if the marker rakes the ball or even if he wins it but then loses the ball.
· Five metre rule for both teams.
· Ball must be clearly knocked forward for a knock, clearly thrown forward and clearly touched down for a try.
· Tries are worth Five Points. Goals (Conversion, Penalty, Drop) all worth Two Points.
· Matches that are level at 80 minutes are drawn. Finals, Cup and Origin matches level at 80 minutes have ten minutes of extra time then golden point, if necessary.
The International Game
· Players can be eligible for Origin AND their national team.
· Five Nations tournament between Big Three teams and winners of prior year’s European and Pacific Cups in Even Numbered Years
· World Cup or Ashes Tours in Odd Numbered Years.
· Annual World Nines Tournament.
