NRL players have given their strong backing to the administration to the game in Australia, and to the changes that have been brought into the competition this season.
In their annual players’ poll, carried out by the NRL and the Sydney Morning Herald, the players, 150 of whom were polled from all the clubs, backed the six-again rule, with 59% in support and only 14% again, with 27% saying it is still too early for a verdict.
63% of players backed the captain’s challenge in its current form, while 49% backed the decision to revert to one referee, with 15% opposing the change and 37% saying they didn’t care.
And on a scale of 1 to 5 the players gave the current administration a vote of 3.5, as opposed to only 2.4 a year ago, recognising the progress made under current Chairman Peter V’landys and in particular his success in getting the game up and running again after the Covid-19 outbreak.
In relation to new rules that might be introduced, the players backed the idea of an 18th man being able to take to the field to replace a player injured by foul play, with 86% voting in favour. The NRL is seriously considering introducing that provision.
The players also voted Sydney Roosters’ fullback James Tedesco as the best player in the NRL, while they voted the Roosters’ Trent Robinson as the best coach.
The full results of the poll can be found on the NRL website.
