Controversy about cases of concussion following kick-offs won’t go away, and a floated rule change would not only lessen the risk of head injuries, but also open up the possibility of more creative play by the attacking and defending teams.
An NRL game traditionally begins with a soaring kick-off that has a hang time sufficient for forwards to sprint 40 metres downfield to trap the receiving team in its quarter.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s tackle on Lindsay Collins which forced the Rooster from the field on the first play.Credit: Nine
The ball is usually caught by a halfback who passes to a giant prop who is traditionally met by 200kgs or more of human bison.
The sight of Roosters prop Lindsay Collins playing the ball in the opposite direction after a collision with the Storm’s giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona in the opening seconds of last season’s preliminary final, as well as other cases, has raised the possibility of a rule change which would see any ball caught on the full inside the 20-metre line result in the receiving team awarded a seven tackle set on the quarter line.
However, after five years of 20 different amendments to the rules, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys says “it would be yet another rule for referees to learn.” True. Last season, despite a rule operating since 2022, there were isolated examples of referees awarding six agains, instead of penalties, to a team attacking out of its 40-metre zone, while also awarding penalties, instead of six agains to a team at the other end of the field.
The NRL is anxious to introduce more contests into the game, given that scrums are no longer competitive, nor is raking for the ball allowed, while the code’s rival, rugby union, prides itself on its variety of challenges for the ball.
Yet, the seven-tackle set for a kick-off caught on the full introduces another contest, while simultaneously reducing the incidence of collisions causing concussion.
It will encourage the kicking team to vary their restarts, seeking to land the ball so it bounces, or comes down swirling under a nervous catcher, rather than land in the arms of a reliable No 7.
Kicking is the one skill in the game which has progressed most with players being full time, yet variations are usually only seen when a team is desperate for points, such as Nathan Cleary’s exploits in the 2023 grand final. The rule change would mean that if the ball hits the ground, it’s play on. The kicking team would much prefer the first tackle to occur closer to the posts than the 20 metre line and with one less tackle to defend.
The traditionalists will lament the loss of these gladitorial collisions but fans don’t wake up the next day with battle brain. The trade-off to the loss of this early game excitement is the counter-attacking opportunity of a team catching the ball and racing to the quarter line for a quick tap to exploit holes in a disconnected chasing team. This rule change won’t trouble referees who only have to decide if a ball is caught on the full, with the touch judge ruling where it lands.
Nor does the rule change compromise the integrity of the game, as did last year’s attempt to create another contest by ruling a play-the-ball should replace a penalty for a kick off that didn’t travel ten metres or sailed over the sideline.
So, when the attacking team errs in-goal, such as knocking on when attempting to force the ball for a try, it is punished by the opposition given seven tackles on the 20-metre line. Yet, if the defence errs, by kicking the ball dead, it is rewarded with an opportunity to get the ball back via a short, high kick off which need not travel ten metres and which once resulted in a penalty in front of the posts.
A rule change resulting in a seven tackle set for a kick-off caught on the full adds complexity to the old argument about the team scoring a try being awarded the option of receiving, or kicking off. While the try scoring team would always want to receive the ball, there could be an occasion where it feared a radar accurate opposition kicker and preferred to kick off.
Five years of rule changes have produced a game beloved by the fans, and V’landys is correct in not wanting to impose further pressure on referees with another change. However, inevitably a judge will sit in a court and ask the football codes what they did to lessen the impact of concussion. While the ratio of HIA’s to kick-offs is low, changing the rule could be a no-brainer.
