The 6-Again: Flawed Logic & the Truth

[innsaneink]

You might hear a refs call occasioanlly, not all the time
Theres crowd noise and commentary over the top of it, its all happening quick and without replays more often than not its unclear why

Its not clear and obvious always, thats why theres such conjecture on the 6 to go

 

[gregjm87]

You might hear a refs call occasioanlly, not all the time
Theres crowd noise and commentary over the top of it, its all happening quick and without replays more often than not its unclear why

Its not clear and obvious always, thats why theres such conjecture on the 6 to go

I agree it is not always clear and obvious watching live. On replays it is, hence I very much dispute it not being auditable.
Not passing on the reasoning is a failing by the broadcasters.

 

[Joel Helmes]

I think the concept is reasonably sound, but 6 more tackles is too big a penalty, especially late in the tackle count. Maybe 3 again instead?

 

[FinestTigers]

I think the concept is reasonably sound, but 6 more tackles is too big a penalty, especially late in the tackle count. Maybe 3 again instead?

It’s an interesting thought, but reducing it to 3 tackles wouldn't halve the problem, it would actually make the officiating and welfare issues worse. Here's why.

The problem with the 6-again isn't just the number of extra tackles; it's the unreviewable, untraceable nature of the call. Whether a referee awards 3 extra tackles or 6, a silent wave of the arm still gives them total discretionary power.

Referees Will Just Call It Twice as Often.
If the penalty cost is reduced to just 3 tackles, referees will feel far less hesitant to wave their arm. Instead of one 6-again, you’ll just see two back-to-back 3-agains on consecutive tackles, giving the ref even more micro-control over the ruck.

It Keeps the Fatigue Engine Intact.
Sports science shows that fatigue compounds during unbroken ball-in-play time. A 3-again still eliminates the essential rest window (scrum, penalty kick, or kick to touch) that allows players heart rates to drop. As long as there is no stoppage to let players catch their breath, fatigue will continue to degrade tackle technique and drive up concussion risks.

I still think that the NRL"S stance about all this is hypocritical because You cannot claim to prioritize concussion safety while enforcing a rule that intentionally starves athletes of oxygen.

Just ask RLPA chief executive Clint Newton.
https://www.zerotackle.com/players-...ule-changes-in-latest-survey-234175/?hl=en-AU

 

[Chunk]

We Already Had Tools to Fix the Ruck, The Sin Bin.

The maximal deterrent to cynical wrestling and intentional slowing of the ruck isn't a silent wave of the arm, it’s a 10 minute spell in the bin.

If a team repeatedly flops, wrestles, or stays offside inside their own 20m, the referee has the authority to march a player to the sin bin. Teams would stop cynical wrestling overnight if doing it meant playing 12 on 13 for 10 minutes. The NRL introduced 6 again as a cheap shortcut instead of forcing refs to use the judiciary and sin bin properly.

Fair enough, I'd prefer the 6 again rule then sending people to the sin bin.

For me 13 vs 12 can drastically change the course of a match because the match becomes very lopsided and in turn would put far too much pressure on refs to make the right call, they wouldnt want to get that wrong.

 

[gregjm87]

Fair enough, I'd prefer the 6 again rule then sending people to the sin bin.

For me 13 vs 12 can drastically change the course of a match because the match becomes very lopsided and in turn would put far too much pressure on refs to make the right call, they wouldnt want to get that wrong.

At the time that 6 again was being discussed I was in support of the 5 minute bin as I do tend to agree 13 v 12 for 10 minutes can often be to big a penalty.
The fact the binning only comes after multiple infringements or the cynical infringements takes away the wrong call element somewhat. Yes the actual penalty where the binning occurred may have been the wrong call. But you got yourself into this position with the 3 other penalties in the few minutes prior. Also players don't need a warning that they ref is considering bin someone. Just bin them. Make it a constant threat so players are hopefully on their best behaviour, not only behave once the warning is given.

 

[king_sirro]

I thought the main reason for the 6 again was the constant holding down when defending your line. Im against the rule. Yes I can see how in some instances its better than a penalty fest, but the negatives are just far to significant in my opinion. The clear varying interpretation from officials really effect games. Those variables dont just change from game to game, week to week, they can change mid game. In fact, its fair to say they can, and are easily, ruled differently for the 2 teams playing. I dont think anyone can argue that a lot of games the ref will allow one team a good second longer on the ruck than the other team. This is the really frustrating part and why many people think the game is corrupt. Ref's like Grant Atkins and Ash Klien are without doubt weak humans who favour the top team. They dont cheat. They are just weak and take the easy option of looking after the top team so they win....well I guess that is cheating.

I also hate how you dont have the choice to take a penalty goal. 30 seconds on the clock and the defending team blatantly holds down and you get a 6 again while you are down by 2. Its a joke of a rule.

 

[FinestTigers]

I thought the main reason for the 6 again was the constant holding down when defending your line. Im against the rule. Yes I can see how in some instances its better than a penalty fest, but the negatives are just far to significant in my opinion. The clear varying interpretation from officials really effect games. Those variables dont just change from game to game, week to week, they can change mid game. In fact, its fair to say they can, and are easily, ruled differently for the 2 teams playing. I dont think anyone can argue that a lot of games the ref will allow one team a good second longer on the ruck than the other team. This is the really frustrating part and why many people think the game is corrupt. Ref's like Grant Atkins and Ash Klien are without doubt weak humans who favour the top team. They dont cheat. They are just weak and take the easy option of looking after the top team so they win....well I guess that is cheating.

I also hate how you dont have the choice to take a penalty goal. 30 seconds on the clock and the defending team blatantly holds down and you get a 6 again while you are down by 2. Its a joke of a rule.

Spot on, and the best proof of how broken this rule is comes straight from the international stage and the players' union.

If the 6 again model were truly a success, why hasn't International Rugby League (IRL) fully integrated the NRL's extreme set-restart rules into Test matches and the World Cup? The rest of the rugby league world steps back because they recognize how much it destroys officiating integrity and pushes athlete bodies past safe physiological limits.

And the only reason the game looks quiet on this issue is that the NRL operates a corporate system that fines anyone tens of thousands of dollars for telling the truth.