Andrew Johns protest over Pole sinbin

[1eyedmel]

The way the game is going they may as well just play touch football instead. The sinbinning of Pole was a deadset joke that could have cost us the game. They have now gone over the top with the ruling and I think it's going to turn the game into a disaster.

 

[Tucker]

The way the game is going they may as well just play touch football instead. The sinbinning of Pole was a deadset joke that could have cost us the game. They have now gone over the top with the ruling and I think it's going to turn the game into a disaster.

It’s the way of the world.
We need to be smart enough to adapt.
Our discipline is much improved this year so far. Keep it going.

 

[innsaneink]

I have raised this before and I think, given the current crack down, it is time to raise it again. Unless you reward players for making legs tackles nothing will change as the ball needs to be shut down. The invention of dominant tackles and other rubbish have confused the game but given that a dominat tackle is already in use it could easily be applied to a head on legs tackle. In that case if you are axed the defenders are able to hold you down that little bit longer. A tackle from behind or cover tackel from the side would still require players to release as soon as they hit the ground - if if a break has been made the advantage remains with the attackers. A simple change in interpreatation coudl have a profound effect on the preferred tackling technique and the number of high shots.

Not sure how to get the idea to those that rule the game, but a potentially simple solution to a complex problem.

Rewarding legs tackles has been brought up many times over the years by fans and bloked like Joey & Fittler....NRL dont want to know about it...they dont want slow they want fast

 

[liltiger]

I think they literally have to revert back to historic defensive techniques. The process of standing tall and meeting the attacker face on to wrap the ball up has resulted in these tackles. Most of them are accidents but that is because the window of error is tiny. You go back a few decades and a head high was an obvious foul play except for late footwork coathangers, that were the result of a lazy arm being swung out to try and catch them.
Yes this will result in massively increased second phase play as most players these days are more skilled in the offload but that’s not a bad thing. It opens the game up and makes it more entertaining.
As for punishment whilst the transition takes place….maybe a head high is a sendoff, however you can replace the player with your 18th man?

Your right, it's probarbly the way it's heading, someone once mentioned to me on the forum the N.R.L should start awarding traditional legs tackles as a dominant tackle and allow the defender to lie on the ball carrier an extra second to get rid of the fear of the quick play the ball, I thought it was a great idea they'd be incentivising the old school grass cutter tackles, though I think your right and it'll definitely work, it'll take 5 or so years to really become the dominant tackling technique because through the advent of the wrestle and other defensive techniques the players today are much bigger bodied, so I'd imaging physiches would have to change to accommodate the change of rules, it could happen sooner, it'll just depend how clubs, coaches and high performance staff go at it.

 

[liltiger]

It’s the way of the world.
We need to be smart enough to adapt.
Our discipline is much improved this year so far. Keep it going.

It's strange though cause according to the N.R.L they say we're 3rd or 4th worst for high shots. I was shocked. Imo that can't be true, maybe for what the ref's have called, right or wrong, but there are heaps of clubs worse that us I think.

 

[innsaneink]

The way the game is going they may as well just play touch football instead. The sinbinning of Pole was a deadset joke that could have cost us the game. They have now gone over the top with the ruling and I think it's going to turn the game into a disaster.

The penalty against Seyfarth cost us 2 points against NZ, he did even less than Pole....just stood and braced while CNK decided to head butt his shoulder at the last moment

 

[Jolls]

Rewarding legs tackles has been brought up many times over the years by fans and bloked like Joey & Fittler....NRL dont want to know about it...they dont want slow they want fast

I think the times have probably changed though. They may now have the appetite for it. The reason that it isn't done now is because the game is slowed by wrapping the ball, whereas, if playing stictly by the rules, a legs tackler would have to release the legs of the player as soon as they hit the ground. Making the game much faster.

The other aspect that led to the upright tackle was the increase of the defensive line from 5m to 10m in an effort to open up the game for the attackers. Same sort of reasong behind the move from unlimted tackles - to promote more attack.

This is a second order effect of that 10m decision and the throd order wrestling etc. It is the unforseen side effects of decsions made in good faith.

So if we want the to see open attack, and players not being belted around the head, then treat the players and coaches just like children. Reward them for doing what you want and it will happen. What is the second/third order effect of labelling a head on tackle dominant? The policing of how far off directly in front is still classified as being dominat. This would be a nightmare to police - but probably no different to the stupid inside shoulder rules. Wasn;t is so much simpler when you were penalised for running behind a bloke?

Anyway - rant over -the solution is staring them in the face! Up to them to do something about it. While we are at it; do you think we can do something about a contest in the scrum again?

 

[Lestronge]

A lot of things have changed in the ruck. 2 of the worst in terms of rewarding the defence are dominant tackles aren't a thing, and refs seem to never call held once momentum is stopped. Late offloads are exciting but when wrapping a guy up and stopping him isn't enough then you need a bloke high to stop the offload. We have to have decision makers that realise all these things are connected and actually have a plan for what the game should look like. Humans have solved much harder problems than this.

For me when they change rules or interpretations for the sake of it, no one thinks about the unintended consequences and the product suffers.

I think that’s an illusion mate . The players today are just bigger and stronger so they’re momentum is still moving forwards lot of the time , so they fight right up until the last minute to get an arm free .
Back in the day it was really one or the other , they punch out big metres regardless of whether thier arms are free or they hit and spin and pop an offload .
The players are just bigger , stronger , faster in 2025 , so by the letter of the law the tackles are simply taking a lot longer to finish , which is why we see a lot more late offloads .
I blame the Vegemite and WheatBix ads. Raised a generation of bests 😜

 

[BAGNF05]

It's strange though cause according to the N.R.L they say we're 3rd or 4th worst for high shots. I was shocked. Imo that can't be true, maybe for what the ref's have called, right or wrong, but there are heaps of clubs worse that us I think.

Remember they are counting tackles like the Pole one in there so that data is corrupt.

 

[old_man_tiger]

I think that’s an illusion mate . The players today are just bigger and stronger so they’re momentum is still moving forwards lot of the time , so they fight right up until the last minute to get an arm free .
Back in the day it was really one or the other , they punch out big metres regardless of whether thier arms are free or they hit and spin and pop an offload .
The players are just bigger , stronger , faster in 2025 , so by the letter of the law the tackles are simply taking a lot longer to finish , which is why we see a lot more late offloads .
I blame the Vegemite and WheatBix ads. Raised a generation of bests 😜

Lol possibly the weetbix mate, but still possible to think about all the factors that make a good tackle and fast enough ruck and figure out ways to address the current farce without binning everyone.