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Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,713

NRL double down on controversial kick-off rule change ahead of crunch meeting with clubs​

Peter V’landys has refused to back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the clubs, as he fights to land a record multi-billion dollar broadcast deal.

Peter V’landys won’t back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the game’s 17 clubs in his bid to deliver the code a record multi-billion dollar broadcast bonanza.
NRL chief Andrew Abdo is expected to meet with clubs on Wednesday to discuss feedback on a number of proposed rule changes set to be implemented in the 2026 Premiership.
The clubs have unitedly rejected the NRL’s proposal to change the traditional restart of play, giving the team that concedes a try the option to either kick off or receive the ball.

“What people have to understand is that we have to make the game exciting for the fans.
“We had 137 million viewers (in 2019) before we changed the rules (six-again set restarts). Now we’ve got 224 million viewers.
“Our attendances and viewership have increased dramatically because the game is faster and more exciting.”
V’landys and Abdo are in the midst of critical negotiations over the game’s next broadcast deal.

The current agreement expires at the end of this year and V’landys is determined to deliver the NRL its biggest ever contract in excess of $5 billion.
To do that, he believes the NRL must continue to evolve and changing the traditional restart of play – where the team that concedes a try kicks off to the team that scored – will help make the game more exciting.
“If we didn’t make the rule changes we’ve made so far, we wouldn’t be where we are,” he said.
“Sometimes leadership means that you’ve got to make the tough decisions.
“You listen to people but at the end, as custodians, you make the decisions that you believe are in the best interest of the game as a whole.
“Who is to say we can’t increase it by another 30 or 40 million viewers? It might be at its peak, but there’s a lot of good minds that say it isn’t.
“You don’t rest on your laurels just because you’ve had success. That doesn’t mean you become complacent.
“Without the fans, you don’t get the broadcast (revenue). The more fans you have, the more money the game gets.
“You have to continue to look at the game, review the game and make sure that we’ve got it at its best.

“We haven’t made a final decision. That’s what consultation is about. If we’ve already made a decision, why are we consulting?
“The purpose of consultation is to listen to people’s views and see if they have a strong enough argument not to do it.”
The NRL has some concerns about momentum being hard to turn in games, which has prompted the discussion around changing the restart of play after a try.
V’landys said it would bring a new dimension to the NRL.
“The fact that you can choose to kick off or receive is tactical, which makes it more interesting and brings unpredictability to the game,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure that a team doesn’t get momentum and then you can’t reverse it. The other end of the argument is that anyone can make a comeback.
“That’s the sort of thing we’re weighing up at the moment.
“Every single one of the coaches wanted to make (the game) more attractive. They understand the economics of the game.
“If you have a game that nobody watches then you’re not going to get the revenue. The reason we’re going to get record broadcast revenue is because the game is so much more popular now than it was three or four years ago.
“We’re prepared to make changes to satisfy the fans and attract more fans.
“The proof’s in the pudding. The game has never been more popular, ever. We’ve broken all records in the last two years.”

 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,713

Reagan-Campbell Gillard reveals NRL superstars he turned to after surprise London Broncos captaincy call​

A 245-game NRL veteran was shocked to be handed his first captaincy role at age 32, and revealed he reached out to former and current stars for advice on the new position.

Former Australian prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard sought advice from Panthers and Kangaroos skipper Isaah Yeo after being named captain of the rejuvenated London Broncos.
And, in coming weeks, Campbell-Gillard also plans to secure leadership counselling from St George Illawarra’s Clint Gutherson and Parramatta’s Mitch Moses.
In a historic announcement, Campbell-Gillard was appointed to the top job by Broncos head coach and former South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou to drive a rugby league revolution.
London will play its first game in The Championship under new owners – NRL legend Darren Lockyer and Queensland mining magnate Grant Wechsel – on Sunday week against Widnes Vikings at Cherry Red Records Stadium in Wimbled

 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,713

Melbourne Storm 2026 NRL season scouting report: Best 17, contract statuses, rookie watch​


Free agency​

The Storm have their biggest names tied up but they have some key players who were up for grabs on November 1. They’ve already lost Nick Meaney to the Bears for 2027, but Will Warbrick, Shawn Blore and Tyran Wishart all entered the final year of their contracts in November. It’s likely all will command decent money on the open market and the Storm are likely to lose more players.
Rating: C

Coach status & safety rating​

Craig Bellamy is one of the greatest coaches in the game’s history and he is under no pressure to keep his job. The only question is whether he wants to continue coaching. Bellamy is off contract at the end of 2026 and the Gold Coast went hard to lure him to the Glitter Strip. Meanwhile, the Storm want him to do at least another year in Melbourne in 2027. They would love to have it sorted before the season begins.
Rating: B

Crystal ball​

The Storm still have arguably the best spine in the game and many would argue the best coach in rugby league history for at least 12 more months. The loss of Eli Katoa was a shock but there is enough class and quality in their ranks to pick up the slack. They will be in the mix again.

2026 odds​

Premiership: $7
Minor premiership: $7
To make grand final: $3.50
Top four: $2
Top eight: $1.25
Most losses: $151

 
T.S Quint

T.S Quint

Coach
Messages
16,070
Johnny88 said:

NRL double down on controversial kick-off rule change ahead of crunch meeting with clubs​

Peter V’landys has refused to back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the clubs, as he fights to land a record multi-billion dollar broadcast deal.

Peter V’landys won’t back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the game’s 17 clubs in his bid to deliver the code a record multi-billion dollar broadcast bonanza.
NRL chief Andrew Abdo is expected to meet with clubs on Wednesday to discuss feedback on a number of proposed rule changes set to be implemented in the 2026 Premiership.
The clubs have unitedly rejected the NRL’s proposal to change the traditional restart of play, giving the team that concedes a try the option to either kick off or receive the ball.

“What people have to understand is that we have to make the game exciting for the fans.
“We had 137 million viewers (in 2019) before we changed the rules (six-again set restarts). Now we’ve got 224 million viewers.
“Our attendances and viewership have increased dramatically because the game is faster and more exciting.”
V’landys and Abdo are in the midst of critical negotiations over the game’s next broadcast deal.

The current agreement expires at the end of this year and V’landys is determined to deliver the NRL its biggest ever contract in excess of $5 billion.
To do that, he believes the NRL must continue to evolve and changing the traditional restart of play – where the team that concedes a try kicks off to the team that scored – will help make the game more exciting.
“If we didn’t make the rule changes we’ve made so far, we wouldn’t be where we are,” he said.
“Sometimes leadership means that you’ve got to make the tough decisions.
“You listen to people but at the end, as custodians, you make the decisions that you believe are in the best interest of the game as a whole.
“Who is to say we can’t increase it by another 30 or 40 million viewers? It might be at its peak, but there’s a lot of good minds that say it isn’t.
“You don’t rest on your laurels just because you’ve had success. That doesn’t mean you become complacent.
“Without the fans, you don’t get the broadcast (revenue). The more fans you have, the more money the game gets.
“You have to continue to look at the game, review the game and make sure that we’ve got it at its best.

“We haven’t made a final decision. That’s what consultation is about. If we’ve already made a decision, why are we consulting?
“The purpose of consultation is to listen to people’s views and see if they have a strong enough argument not to do it.”
The NRL has some concerns about momentum being hard to turn in games, which has prompted the discussion around changing the restart of play after a try.
V’landys said it would bring a new dimension to the NRL.
“The fact that you can choose to kick off or receive is tactical, which makes it more interesting and brings unpredictability to the game,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure that a team doesn’t get momentum and then you can’t reverse it. The other end of the argument is that anyone can make a comeback.
“That’s the sort of thing we’re weighing up at the moment.
“Every single one of the coaches wanted to make (the game) more attractive. They understand the economics of the game.
“If you have a game that nobody watches then you’re not going to get the revenue. The reason we’re going to get record broadcast revenue is because the game is so much more popular now than it was three or four years ago.
“We’re prepared to make changes to satisfy the fans and attract more fans.
“The proof’s in the pudding. The game has never been more popular, ever. We’ve broken all records in the last two years.”

Click to expand...

How does he know that more viewers tuned in because of the rule changes? Would those viewers have tuned in anyway if the rules weren’t changed?

And even if it is a causation there, does he think that because changing a rule here bright in more viewers that it means changing more rules will do the same?

I don’t see the logic, tbh.
 
J

jason taylor

Bench
Messages
3,779
T.S Quint said:
How does he know that more viewers tuned in because of the rule changes? Would those viewers have tuned in anyway if the rules weren’t changed?

And even if it is a causation there, does he think that because changing a rule here bright in more viewers that it means changing more rules will do the same?

I don’t see the logic, tbh.
Click to expand...
It's all about making the game "more exciting". You can see how it is core to the whole Vegas push. Of course, what increases 'excitement' is entirely subjective, but clearly there is a brainstrust at HQ that is tasked with coming up with these ideas.

Honestly, I don't hate the idea on the surface. But I do wish we still had a NYC or a proper reserve grade that could be used as a testing bed to try these ideas out before implementing them into top grade NRL.
 
Gary Gutful

Gary Gutful

Post Whore
Messages
55,080
T.S Quint said:
How does he know that more viewers tuned in because of the rule changes? Would those viewers have tuned in anyway if the rules weren’t changed?

And even if it is a causation there, does he think that because changing a rule here bright in more viewers that it means changing more rules will do the same?

I don’t see the logic, tbh.
Click to expand...
Agreed. It was a fairly piss weak argument. He should work on it if he wants to get the coaches on board.
 
King-Gutho94

King-Gutho94

Referee
Messages
20,265
Johnny88 said:

NRL double down on controversial kick-off rule change ahead of crunch meeting with clubs​

Peter V’landys has refused to back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the clubs, as he fights to land a record multi-billion dollar broadcast deal.

Peter V’landys won’t back down from the NRL’s controversial kick-off rule change ahead of a showdown with the game’s 17 clubs in his bid to deliver the code a record multi-billion dollar broadcast bonanza.
NRL chief Andrew Abdo is expected to meet with clubs on Wednesday to discuss feedback on a number of proposed rule changes set to be implemented in the 2026 Premiership.
The clubs have unitedly rejected the NRL’s proposal to change the traditional restart of play, giving the team that concedes a try the option to either kick off or receive the ball.

“What people have to understand is that we have to make the game exciting for the fans.
“We had 137 million viewers (in 2019) before we changed the rules (six-again set restarts). Now we’ve got 224 million viewers.
“Our attendances and viewership have increased dramatically because the game is faster and more exciting.”
V’landys and Abdo are in the midst of critical negotiations over the game’s next broadcast deal.

The current agreement expires at the end of this year and V’landys is determined to deliver the NRL its biggest ever contract in excess of $5 billion.
To do that, he believes the NRL must continue to evolve and changing the traditional restart of play – where the team that concedes a try kicks off to the team that scored – will help make the game more exciting.
“If we didn’t make the rule changes we’ve made so far, we wouldn’t be where we are,” he said.
“Sometimes leadership means that you’ve got to make the tough decisions.
“You listen to people but at the end, as custodians, you make the decisions that you believe are in the best interest of the game as a whole.
“Who is to say we can’t increase it by another 30 or 40 million viewers? It might be at its peak, but there’s a lot of good minds that say it isn’t.
“You don’t rest on your laurels just because you’ve had success. That doesn’t mean you become complacent.
“Without the fans, you don’t get the broadcast (revenue). The more fans you have, the more money the game gets.
“You have to continue to look at the game, review the game and make sure that we’ve got it at its best.

“We haven’t made a final decision. That’s what consultation is about. If we’ve already made a decision, why are we consulting?
“The purpose of consultation is to listen to people’s views and see if they have a strong enough argument not to do it.”
The NRL has some concerns about momentum being hard to turn in games, which has prompted the discussion around changing the restart of play after a try.
V’landys said it would bring a new dimension to the NRL.
“The fact that you can choose to kick off or receive is tactical, which makes it more interesting and brings unpredictability to the game,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure that a team doesn’t get momentum and then you can’t reverse it. The other end of the argument is that anyone can make a comeback.
“That’s the sort of thing we’re weighing up at the moment.
“Every single one of the coaches wanted to make (the game) more attractive. They understand the economics of the game.
“If you have a game that nobody watches then you’re not going to get the revenue. The reason we’re going to get record broadcast revenue is because the game is so much more popular now than it was three or four years ago.
“We’re prepared to make changes to satisfy the fans and attract more fans.
“The proof’s in the pudding. The game has never been more popular, ever. We’ve broken all records in the last two years.”

Click to expand...
Its a shit rule

If your down by 10 points with 3 mins to go and score a try.

It basically ends any chance of a comeback because the team in front gets the ball back instead and halts all momentum and excitement for the last 2 mins

I agree with Matty Johns how about teams just get better at defending a set of 6 after conceding a try and stopping momentum.

I don't understand why we need to keep changing rules every season.

I am bit over the 6 again rule but at the same time I think atm the sport is in a nice sweet spot in terms of the product. I don't think right now there is much to tinker.

Maybe just tell the bunker to stay out of it.

PVL's ego has got the better of himself here.

70% of fans on the telegraph poll have voted against it. So i don't know what fans his asking.

Carayannis said this morning on SEN. Wayne Bennett is driving this rule change.
 
Lemon Squash

Lemon Squash

First Grade
Messages
9,234
I think Litigious Lee has probably nailed it.... Parra is well within their rights to hold firm but do we really want to have to deal with a legal case and all the unwanted distractions/costs that come along with it. Especially when in the end we aren't even going to gain anything from it.

I would be happy to let Lomax rot but realistically the more I think about it unfortunately I don't think that's how its going to go.

Personally I would want Howarth + One of their Flegg guns either Murgha, Tuimalata-Brown or Conn.

I am always suss though on players Melbourne are prepared to let go, not many of them kick on.
 
Lemon Squash

Lemon Squash

First Grade
Messages
9,234
King-Gutho94 said:
Its a shit rule

If your down by 10 points with 3 mins to go and score a try.

It basically ends any chance of a comeback because the team in front gets the ball back instead and halts all momentum and excitement for the last 2 mins

I agree with Matty Johns how about teams just get better at defending a set of 6 after conceding a try and stopping momentum.

I don't understand why we need to keep changing rules every season.

I am bit over the 6 again rule but at the same time I think atm the sport is in a nice sweet spot in terms of the product. I don't think right now there is much to tinker.

Maybe just tell the bunker to stay out of it.

PVL's ego has got the better of himself here.

70% of fans on the telegraph poll have voted against it. So i don't know what fans his asking.

Carayannis said this morning on SEN. Wayne Bennett is driving this rule change.
Click to expand...

100%

I can understand the concept of you have a try scored against you that you then gain the ball to try and hit back. I understand in theory they think this will keep scores closer / halt momentum, keep games closer etc and it may well do.

However just because a game is close doesn't make it a good game. You can sit and watch a 16-12 slugfest. Sometimes a game might end up 42-24 but up until 10 minutes ago it could still be anyone's game and exciting.

This rule will kill the close comeback and ruin it for fans that way.... off the top of my head the Broncos comeback against the Raiders in the finals wouldn't of happened and people were saying that was one of the greatest finals games of all time.

You are trying to fix one problem but creating another one in the process.... just let the rule stay.
 
JokerEel

JokerEel

Referee
Messages
20,238
The Lomax situation is exactly why the NRL needs to bring in a trade system.

The Players union or whatever they are called can whinge about players needing time to relocate or whatever BS they come up with but we have seen players move like Kelly in a few weeks to a different state..
 
Soren Lorenson

Soren Lorenson

First Grade
Messages
8,923
emjaycee said:
Long and lonely
Click to expand...
Sad Cry GIF by Piñata Farms: The Meme App
 
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