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Is there a danger that games are becoming too one-sided, predictable and even boring due to set restarts?  

Particularly in the NRL, the six again rule seems to accentuate the difference between good and bad sides. The better ones are scoring more points and the less good ones conceding more.

I’m not keen on going back to penalties for ruck infringements, but what else could be done to get the balance right?

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22 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Is there a danger that games are becoming too one-sided, predictable and even boring due to set restarts?  

Particularly in the NRL, the six again rule seems to extenuate the difference between good and bad sides. The better ones are scoring more points and the less good ones conceding more.

I’m not keen on going back to penalties for ruck infringements, but what else could be done to get the balance right?

Cut down the 10m line and stop obsessing about the speed of the "ruck"/PTB.  If it's harder to defend that will encourage good kicking of various sorts because the team who give/kick the ball back will also know that it can defend in its turn.

Today the game is played more and more within 15m of the try line.

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As much as I hate the rule changes, let's get a grip. 35-6 in a match between one of the form sides (playing at home) and one of the bottom sides is a perfectly normal scoreline. It is NOT a blowout.

NRL needs to accept that this is a reality of sport. You cannot play God and control every outcome. Although they have quite successfully done it to an extent with the introduction of the salary cap.

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I also think we have to be careful what we wish for.

It may well be nice to see a tight game but if that comes at the cost of ref's blowing 25 or 30 penalties a game as they were doing in some games in 2018/19 then I am not sure that produces a great spectacle either.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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11 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

I thought the rules brought in last season to speed the game up took it to the limit,in my opinion this season’s changes have taken it too far.

Agreed. I think it was still ok at the end of last season. 

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28 minutes ago, Saint 1 said:

Do you think this is a response solely to the Rabbitohs Broncos game? Did you miss last weekend? 

No I didn't. But I am still looking for the "blowout" scoreline. 40 points was the highest winning margin. These scores are nothing new.

Statisticians and historians are constantly finding new "first time since..." stats to tell us. This week just happen to be about about scorelines. And I think the stat was something to the effect of "most uneven matches since 2005" or something? 

It's all part of the cycle. NRL fans have been spoilt in recent seasons with some absolute golden-point thrillers, it was never gonna last forever.

And sadly, when we do get those cracking matches that go down to the wire, instead of marvelling in what a spectacle we just witnessed, all the talk afterwards is often dominated by those that want to moan about a referee decision that "cost them the game".

 

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I think the spectacle is better than previous years with some needless stoppages , lots of penalties , and even more video ref . I was getting a bit fed up with some of it . I quite like the way it looks now . I think ultimately the best teams are the best teams who will come out on top whatever , and if lesser sides  can’t keep up  it’s up to them to adapt and improve to suit the rules 

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I don’t watch the NRL or really keep an eye on what’s going on in Oz, but my mates keep telling me the game in Australia is far more exciting with matches going either way right up to the end. I will have to ask them about all these close games, and see were i can watch the highlights for free. 

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23 minutes ago, Josef K said:

I don’t watch the NRL or really keep an eye on what’s going on in Oz, but my mates keep telling me the game in Australia is far more exciting with matches going either way right up to the end. I will have to ask them about all these close games, and see were i can watch the highlights for free. 

I think it is very fair to say that the NRL this year has 3 or 4 poor teams and they will struggle week after week against the best teams so it may not be as close from 1 to 16 than it has been in recent times. 

Having said...

Listen to your mates and watch the NRL, it's bloody great.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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53 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I think it is very fair to say that the NRL this year has 3 or 4 poor teams and they will struggle week after week against the best teams so it may not be as close from 1 to 16 than it has been in recent times. 

Having said...

Listen to your mates and watch the NRL, it's bloody great.

I’ll give it a go Dunbar if i can watch the highlights for FREE. The only clip ive seen of the NRL was two fan’s fighting at a game last week (i think). That was embarrassing and id imagine drink was the cause of it. There are too many lightweight’s who go to sporting events who spend most of their time going to the bar getting plastered. 

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2 minutes ago, Josef K said:

I’ll give it a go Dunbar if i can watch the highlights for FREE. The only clip ive seen of the NRL was two fan’s fighting at a game last week (i think). That was embarrassing and id imagine drink was the cause of it. There are too many lightweight’s who go to sporting events who spend most of their time going to the bar getting plastered. 

There you go. Plenty more on that YT channel.

 

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1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I think it is very fair to say that the NRL this year has 3 or 4 poor teams and they will struggle week after week against the best teams so it may not be as close from 1 to 16 than it has been in recent times. 

Having said...

Listen to your mates and watch the NRL, it's bloody great.

Each to their own- SL still better to watch in my opinion but any RL on TV is great.

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1 minute ago, Mr Frisky said:

Each to their own- SL still better to watch in my opinion but any RL on TV is great.

Absolutely.  I have to say I have started to enjoy the NRL more than Super League (for reasons that I won't bore you with) but I really enjoy Super League as well... and Challenge Cup and Championship and everything else.

It is Rugby League fans refusing to watch a Rugby League comp that I can't wrap my head around.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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6 hours ago, Eddie said:

The NRL odds sum up what a foregone conclusion a lot of games are these days, the favourite is almost always 3/10 or less this season, sometimes even 1/12. 

No NRL team has been 1/12 to win a game this year. Mid-match, I imagine so but not as the game kicks off. 

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I think NRL games would see blowouts regardless of the rule changes. There’s currently quite a disparity between the top of the ladder and the bottom of the ladder in Australia this year and last year and the rule changes may well be exacerbating the scorelines a bit more than under the old laws but the blowouts would still be happening. 

There’s very much two halves to the NRL at present and a lot of talk pre-season was “could (m)any of the bottom eight in 2020 turn it around to make the top eight in 2021” and the general consensus from “experts” and bookmakers suggested it was unlikely and even after four rounds, only St George have made it into the eight so far. The bottom five in 2020 (Bronx, Dogs, Cows, Sea Eagles and Dragons) haven’t improved that much, Dragons aside (thus far), with the other four still in the bottom five of the table. 

For a long time, the NRL was relatively even, however, the gaps have occurred and are getting bigger year on year, the rule changes are a poor excuse for why this is happening. 

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6 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Is there a danger that games are becoming too one-sided, predictable and even boring due to set restarts?  

Seen a number of one-sided NRL games, but no boring ones. Anyone bored by them either isn`t much of a fan, or hasn`t worked out that there are different ways to enjoy different types of RL games.

You can get wrapped up in the tension and drama of any sporting contest that`s close towards the end. The appeal is superficial. You don`t have to like the sport itself.

I can happily watch the last couple of minutes of a tight AFL game. Wouldn`t want to sit through the rest of it though.

Another example is Wimbledon finals. At the end of every set, I switch off for about half an hour, then come back when the next set should be nearing its conclusion.

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