WARREN RYAN: Time for wrestling to loosen its grip on NRL

[Scarves]

Perverse... you sound like another top quality Sydney bloke. Sydney blokes know all about complicated, our women, our traffic, I still can't work out the parking meters, and why can't I get off the M2 at Lane Cove anymore... please please just keep the footy simple.

 

[rupertpupkin]

A return to the 4xreserve system is the way to go. It will weed out so much of the crap that has entered the game, and eliminate the "need" for many of the vaunted "changes". However, I cannot see much hope for improvement any more. The NRL is ruled by News Ltd. The interchange serves television, and came in during the SL era. They won't let it go. They don't give a sh*t about the game, only how "sexy" it can be made to look on TV.

Big guys running around, on fresh legs, in bodyhugging muscle shirts will be seen as a better money spinner, than guys with rubber legs, looking "dorky", because they are stuffed, and cannot catch some "weedy" little guy. Even the wrestling would be viewed as a desirable aspect to these vermin. It isn't about the game anymore. It's about marketing and "sexiness". Buggered players, making mistakes, and missing tackles isn't "sexy". Makes for fantastic rugby league. But won't sell Hondas. Given the choice between old school open play, in wide shot, and big men wrestling in close up, I'm betting they'll go with the latter.

 

[Mick_63]

The powers that be could start by scrapping the dominant tackle if theres more than one bloke tackling.

Dominant tackle with 2,3 or 4 blokes is ridiculous.

 

[bartman]

Sirro was overrated. He wouldn't have made a difference at the end of the 89 GF.

He might have played 80 mins most weeks, but there was a good 20 mins of bludging in there, even during the peak of his career.

 

[Lycon79]

I think reducing the inter changes to 6-8 changes is the best way to nullify the wrestling defences with out drastically changing the game or making things too confusing

the idea of once your off your off has some merit to imo

 

[Loudstrat]

A return to the 4xreserve system is the way to go. It will weed out so much of the crap that has entered the game, and eliminate the "need" for many of the vaunted "changes". However, I cannot see much hope for improvement any more. The NRL is ruled by News Ltd. The interchange serves television, and came in during the SL era. They won't let it go. They don't give a sh*t about the game, only how "sexy" it can be made to look on TV.

Big guys running around, on fresh legs, in bodyhugging muscle shirts will be seen as a better money spinner, than guys with rubber legs, looking "dorky", because they are stuffed, and cannot catch some "weedy" little guy. Even the wrestling would be viewed as a desirable aspect to these vermin. It isn't about the game anymore. It's about marketing and "sexiness". Buggered players, making mistakes, and missing tackles isn't "sexy". Makes for fantastic rugby league. But won't sell Hondas. Given the choice between old school open play, in wide shot, and big men wrestling in close up, I'm betting they'll go with the latter.

Yet the best marketing our game can so is to show people like Campbell, Bowen, Slater, Isaac Luke, Hayne, Lockyer, Hodgeson et al, doing their stuff with the extra space that tired forwards bring. That's why I agree with your 4 reserves system call. I hate interchange.

 

[fatshark]

Gotta remember, these blokes are some of the fittest men to play sport. Most of them can go for 80 minutes. Making only 4 interchanges is a good idea, until someone gets knocked out or injured. Then your teams chances of competing are gone.Maybe a player can only go off then back on once.
11 players a side is a stupid idea. May as well make the field 20 metres wider.The game changed from 15 players, 100 years ago.
SL has always been the same, soft defence from unfit pommy bastards.
And the same team always wins.

 

[phonetic]

How about we just start penalising the hell out of wrestling in the ruck? That ought to speed it up a bit.

But hang on.. The Storm, news ltd, NRL..

AAAhhhh.. forget I said anything. My bad.

 

[nomis88]

Melbourne is to have a minutes silence for Killer Kowalski on Sunday night. Great to see current day wrestlers paying tribute to a past legend.

 

[danno]

"Quote:
WARREN RYAN: Time for wrestling to loosen its grip on NRL
2/09/2008 10:01:00 PM

LAST Sunday, Andrew Johns popped into the ABC Radio box to inquire whether I'd seen the Challenge Cup final at Wembley between St Helens and Hull. I told him I'd sat up and watched it. "What a terrific game of football," he said.

Andrew had previously said publicly that he liked the Super League style because of the speed at which it's played. He pointed out that they're not so concerned with defence, but more with outscoring the opposition.

Somewhere along the line, the Aussies figured out that if you don't let the other mob get too many, it's not so hard to outscore them. That, however, requires additional fitness. Working hard on both sides of the ball is an Aussie invention that the Poms have been in no great hurry to embrace."

Nice reference to himself.

 

[Hanscholo]

When Robert Finch's invention, the dominant tackle goes, so will the need for teams to feel the need to 'win' a tackle. The sooner the better please, give every single ruck a 2 second count from held, if they arent clear, penalty.

 

[The Engineers Room]

I think it needs to go the other way to eliminate the wrestle and stop the reliance on quick play the balls and dummy half running. The defence needs to be able to hold down longer. Give them a three count to release and any contact after that is penalised. Players can flop in late and not get penalised as long as everyone is off by the 3 seconds.

Then stage two is make the defence wait until the ball clears the ruck to move.

Then stage three is impliment longer time (4 seconds) dummy half runners caught and one on one tackles with first contact below the sterum.

 

[Loudstrat]

Gotta remember, these blokes are some of the fittest men to play sport. Most of them can go for 80 minutes. Making only 4 interchanges is a good idea, until someone gets knocked out or injured. Then your teams chances of competing are gone.Maybe a player can only go off then back on once.
.

If someone gets injured, they get replaced! Simple!

Hate to tell you, but injuries are part of the game. Remember when Parra played Manly and Manly had 3 players injured and won? That's because they produced courage and a gutsy performance. How much guts is involved if you have to have a 20 minute breather all the time?

Still remember the day David Penna broke his neck tacking a fresh rampaging Sharks forward, after Penna had tackled his ring off for 70 mins. Interchange is only used for forwards anyway. Only a handful of sides cover for injuries for backs at the moment - so for 7 players interchage is already obsolete.

 

[Calixte]

RL just needs to strip off some of the more recently applied sh*t to rediscover the magic in the game. We all know that.

No wrestling, tired defence, less interchange if any.

Simple, simple, simple.