And another thing.

[Top End Eagle]

I have always believed the death of the footy (like we saw posted with cliffy in that Great Britain tour) (thanks @Little Grubber Kick thats was awesome) has been the wrestle and the gang tackle.

I have always thought the best way to negate it was by having players play the ball properly. It's tough to get up balance on one leg roll the ball not too hard but hard enough so your dummy half gets good service.

Ever since the touch footy style dump and walk over it has been allowed players are too quick to get up and therefore creates a needlessly fast play the ball and the need for defending teams to stop the roll on. If they policed this properly players would take their time after being tackled and naturally slow the play the ball so as not to ruin the pick up from dummy half.

This along with keeping the players onside until the ball has touched the foot (not some arbitrary righto he's on his feet you can rush up) would see the game return to what it was. And wrestlers be damned.

 

[manlyfan76]

I hate that the nrl think super speed at the play-the-ball is what we all want.

 

[Chip and Chase]

It's killed the legs tackle. Absolutely no reward for a grasscutter these days. Refs pander to the ground hump or the "place the ball on the ground and try and get up a nanosecond after being tackled" move. Annoys the hell out of me.

Everyone should be made to play the ball as carefully and deliberately as Horhay

 

[Harvies elbow]

The game is no quicker today than it was in the 70s and 80s.
Sure the players are superior athletes and it should be faster but because of the wrestle the play the balls are slower.
Back then once tackled, the tackler had to immediately release the tackled player.
And the refs policed it too.
If you need evidence of what I'm talking about go to eagle66's 1977 thread and check those games out.
I absolutely loathe it when 'experts' say "oh the scum are just better at it ".
They are not better at anything except ruining the game.

 

[ricardo]

Just have the ref count loudly to three after each completed tackle. If a defender has a hand on the player tackled at the three count it's a penalty. Simple.

 

[Woodsie]

Just have the ref count loudly to three after each completed tackle. If a defender has a hand on the player tackled at the three count it's a penalty. Simple.

Like you're going to find a ref that can count to three ...

 

[ricardo]

Hehe yeh, tough but true.

I just feel there's too much inconsistency in the tackle/wrestle. A simple rule like that would make it easy to police

 

[wombatgc]

Fifitas is the worst in the game.

 

[HoldenV8]

Just have the ref count loudly to three after each completed tackle. If a defender has a hand on the player tackled at the three count it's a penalty. Simple.

Back to Vulcan for you Spock. The NRL has no room for your logic.

 

[HoldenV8]

The problem with making players actually play the ball is that it ruins the spectable of a faster game for television. And we can't have that now can we.....

The NRL made a token effort enforce it at the beginning of last year, but like most other rules they publicly say that the refs are going to heavily police it only lasted about 2 or 3 weeks before it was forgotten about. And players weren't even penalised for it, they were just told to go back and play it properly on the few occasions that the refs actually did anything about it.

The play the ball, like the modern scrum (do not get me started. Bloody fullbacks packing in at lock with props out at 5/8. Roy Bull, The Moose and Lurch would be rolling over in their graves) is a joke.

 

[globaleagle]

Just have the ref count loudly to three after each completed tackle. If a defender has a hand on the player tackled at the three count it's a penalty. Simple.

Ref counting style for when the storm tackle:

1...............................................2...................................................3

Ref counting style for when Manly tackle:

123

 

[rifraff]

Nothing worse than seeing someone trying to play the ball with a foot and being called up for not playing the ball correctly..

Why do some players still try..

Shouldn't that be one of the first things a coach should teach out of them..

Either enforce the rules or change them.

Amazing how many forward passes have been called since Turbo threw that bad one against the Broncos.

Refs and touchies can see.. Just have to remind them what to look for.