NRL to Trial 11-man Game and Kick Rules
25th August 2008
THE days of teams scoring endless tries from kicks may be coming to an end. Over the closing two weeks of the season, the NRL will use the under-20s competition to trial a rule designed to make it less attractive for teams to go to the air or the ground, instead encouraging them to keep the ball in hand. It won't be the only experiment, either. At the suggestion of Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart, the Sharks under-20s side will play North Queensland in two weeks with both sides reduced to 11 men. While the idea of 11-man rugby league is too radical to contemplate in the near future, a change to the rules to discourage sides scoring tries from kicks is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Under the proposed rule change, which will be used in two under-20s games over the next two weeks, any kick defused in the in-goal by the defending side will automatically result in a 20-metre tap.
The idea has already won support from Canberra chief executive Don Furner. "It's a great idea," Furner said. "I love football, but sometimes all you see is dummy-half run, dummy-half run, kick for the corner." Several sides this season have been criticised for their over-reliance on tries from kicks, chiefly the Sydney Roosters. "You have to keep pace with trends in the game," NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said. "If there is a view out there that too many tries are being scored off kicks, this kind of rule would discourage so much kicking in-goal." At the heart of both experiments is a desire to make the game less predictable, a criticism of the NRL this season.
The idea of 11 men per team has been championed by premiership-winning coach Warren Ryan for years, but it took a phone call from Stuart to make it happen. Stuart spoke to the NRL during the week and suggested experimenting with the concept in a Toyota Cup game. After North Queensland officials agreed to the concept, the NRL approved using it in the final round match between the Cowboys and the Sharks. The NRL will allow each side to keep six men on its interchange and will reserve the right to return to 13-a-side if the scoreline is getting out of hand.