Amazing news . . .SOO to get 10 mtrs

[sean1976]

What has happened to the NRL edict about quick play-the-balls? I thought at the start of the season we were going to see a change, but to my eye the play-the-balls are just as slow and ponderous as ever.

I'm not sure quicker play the balls are the answer. That just makes the easy metres up the middle from a backpeddling defence more attractive. It also leads to the refs getting edgy and blowing random penalties if the tackler doesn't automatically disengage - one the least attractive aspects of the game, leading to all sorts of hustling and milking from the attacking team. The tackler deserves some advantage and time. Slowing the ruck puts more onus on the attacking team going wide or being creative. We haven't seen that in Origin for years. My prediction is that who ever wins, it will be the usual 12-8 like scoreboard.