NRL announces rule changes in a bid to improve spectacle

The NRL has announced several rule amendments for the upcoming season that, if implemented correctly, will greatly improve flow of the game, and reduce much fan and pundit criticism.

The changes come off the back of multiple rule changes in 2022 that were aimed at improving the game as as spectacle, with these including set restarts instead of penalties, who could stop the game and when free interchanges could be used by teams.

The NRL has made further amendments in 2023 to close other loopholes and make further improvements to the game that will reduce ‘needless stoppages’ and improve overall fan enjoyment.

One of the great frustrations of the NRL fan is seen almost every game in try scoring scenarios, when a player clearly grounds the ball, but through over analysis of ‘slow-mo’ vision, the try is denied. In 2023, tries will be awarded to players “if the ball rotates from the hand to the wrist or forearm provided there is no obvious separation between the ball and the hand or arm”.

The NRL has also continued their attempt to make the game safer at the top level in the eyes of the public when it comes to head injuries. Players and coaches should no longer feel the pressure of needing to play through head injuries of any kind with the NRL allowing teams to activate their 18th man at the failure of two head injury assessments, instead of three.

Interestingly, changes have been made in relation to incidents where head injuries may be suffered, or any foul play in general. From the start of the 2023 season, “the Bunker may only intervene for acts of foul play which it deems to be reportable”.

Possibly the greatest frustration of NRL fans and analysts across the country was the clear exploitation of the ‘six again’ rule at the scrum, where players were intentionally offside, not only to push attacking play in a certain direction but to allow their defensive line to fully form.

In 2023, “A full penalty will be awarded (rather than a set restart), for off-side scrum infringements by the defensive team anywhere on the field”.

Further to this change, 10m compliance has changed for defensive sides, meaning active defenders must have both feet behind, or in line, with the referee at the defensive line. Referees will also be able to “use the sin bin if they consider breaches to be deliberate or cynical”.

One of the last changes is the use of the “held/release” call by referees in tackles. Referees will now use a single “held/release” call, instead of separate calls, to prevent unnecessary slowing of the play-the-ball, while improving flow and speed of the game.

These may not be the last changes made before or in the 2023 NRL season, with the trial of a new “green card” injury system in the English Super League being watched closely by NRL lawmakers.

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