Six Agains

[Sproj]

Is the NRL actually broken in 2026?: The alarming numbers behind blowouts and shootouts

Competitiveness is down, points per game is up, and the NRL might have a problem.

www.zerotackle.com

The stats are pretty damning. My views on six agains are clear. I think my views seem to be in agreement with current and past players alike. I do not know a single fan who likes them but am I missing something?

Do you like them or not? What is the benefit of them? Do you like blowout after blowout?

And I suppose perhaps most importantly - do you still watch games not involving the Broncos?

 

[Santa]

Kinda agnostic towards 6 agains - I dont mind the concept so much - its more of its implementation that annoys me. Too many stopages is annoying to watch, but there is no consistency on how it is officiated.

But I think the game was fine last year (maybe im biased because we won), and dont know why they needed to change the rules yet again. It's like the stupid crackdowns they have from time to time.

Love the NRL though - and watch as much as I can (has actually probably increased over time - especially as ive got into the fantasy leagues).

 

[Tristan1990]

why do we suck at getting them

 

[Foordy]

**** six agains

And **** Vlandys... He has destroyed our great game.

I support the Broncos, I no longer support rugby league.

 

[Morkel]

Their purpose makes sense and it would actually fix the problem it was intended to solve... if it was applied properly. But it's not, and you'd have to put together a pretty wicked spreadsheet to convince me that it was implemented for anything other than artificial game management.

Now that there is blowback from the media about it, you can guarantee what's going to happen. The NRL will claim that "teams will just have to be more disciplined, and then they won't have them called against them", and what we'll actually see is that the NRL just gets more selective with when they call them (reducing the total number) but still letting their darling teams make a mockery of the ruck. While blowing 5th-tackle 6-agains for one team and 1st-tackle square ups for others to even up the count.

 

[Elbows]

**** em off. They have the ability to ruin a game in a 10 minute period.

Origin 2 when Klein went Krazy and fatigued Qld out of the game is a perfect example

 

[Brocko]

The reason they were brought in, makes sense, and it's why PVL and his defenders will constantly go back to, "do you remember what the game was before they came in".

Their application, is what is shit. You can barely find out what they are for, for statistic purposes they count each set restart as equal, but in reality they couldn't be further from equal. A tackle one set restart coming out of your end on the 23m mark, cannot be viewed the same as a 4th tackle set restart 10m out, yet when they review the nature of an infringement count, and whether it was even or not, these 2 set restarts are valued the same. They are not.

I watch most games, but as above, I support the Broncos, not really the game. If I wasn't interested in the fantasy comps side of things, or same game multi's, I'd probably only watch Broncos.

I don't think they can or know how to fix the ruck/10m, and until they go back to 2 referee's, so it can all actually be officiated properly, I don't think anything will change whilst set restarts are as they are. The policing of the ruck is different game to game, team to team depending on momentum and other factors, so to me, they as they are right now are helping to create this feeling about the game.

I'll die on the hill that I think 2 refs on field is the way forward to actually police the ruck and 10m properly.

 

[Old Mate]

Their purpose makes sense and it would actually fix the problem it was intended to solve... if it was applied properly. But it's not, and you'd have to put together a pretty wicked spreadsheet to convince me that it was implemented for anything other than artificial game management.

Now that there is blowback from the media about it, you can guarantee what's going to happen. The NRL will claim that "teams will just have to be more disciplined, and then they won't have them called against them", and what we'll actually see is that the NRL just gets more selective with when they call them (reducing the total number) but still letting their darling teams make a mockery of the ruck. While blowing 5th-tackle 6-agains for one team and 1st-tackle square ups for others to even up the count.

This is it unfortunately. The last couple of years I thought it was tolerable but this season is ridiculous for blow outs.

 

[Old Mate]

The reason they were brought in, makes sense, and it's why PVL and his defenders will constantly go back to, do you remember what the game was before they came in.

Their application, is what is shit. You can barely find out what they are for, for statistic purposes they count each set restart as equal, but in reality they couldn't be further from equal. A tackle one set restart coming out of your end on the 23m mark, cannot be viewed the same as a 4th tackle set restart 10m out, yet when they review the nature of an infringement count, and whether it was even or not, these 2 set restarts are valued the same. They are not.

I watch most games, but as above, I support the Broncos, not really the game. If I wasn't interested in the fantasy comps side of things, or same game multi's, I'd probably only watch Broncos.

I don't think they can or know how to fix the ruck/10m, and until they go back to 2 referee's, so it can all actually be officiated properly, I don't think anything will change whilst set restarts are as they are. The policing of the ruck is different game to game, team to team depending on momentum and other factors, so to me, they as they are right now are helping to create this feeling about the game.

I'll die on the hill that I think 2 refs on field is the way forward to actually police the ruck and 10m properly.

I thought two refs was stupid when it first came in but getting rid of one for 6 gains is even more moronic. It should basically just be a penalty if in your own half.

 

[Brocko]

I thought two refs was stupid when it first came in but getting rid of one for 6 gains is even more moronic. It should basically just be a penalty if in your own half.

It would free up the touchies too. At games now, you've got one touchie 'policing' the 10m, and the other trying to watch the ruck, ie, one is in line with each team. If you get one lead ref keeping the 10m, and one ruck ref that pull up all the other shit in the ruck, stop the walking off the mark garbage, more easily see the third man in, hands on ball during PTB, all that stuff, the touchie's can just do their main jobs. Helping with the 10m, touchline and forward passes.

 

[Morkel]

The reason they were brought in, makes sense, and it's why PVL and his defenders will constantly go back to, do you remember what the game was before they came in.

Their application, is what is shit. You can barely find out what they are for, for statistic purposes they count each set restart as equal, but in reality they couldn't be further from equal. A tackle one set restart coming out of your end on the 23m mark, cannot be viewed the same as a 4th tackle set restart 10m out, yet when they review the nature of an infringement count, and whether it was even or not, these 2 set restarts are valued the same. They are not.

I watch most games, but as above, I support the Broncos, not really the game. If I wasn't interested in the fantasy comps side of things, or same game multi's, I'd probably only watch Broncos.

I don't think they can or know how to fix the ruck/10m, and until they go back to 2 referee's, so it can all actually be officiated properly, I don't think anything will change whilst set restarts are as they are. The policing of the ruck is different game to game, team to team depending on momentum and other factors, so to me, they as they are right now are helping to create this feeling about the game.

I'll die on the hill that I think 2 refs on field is the way forward to actually police the ruck and 10m properly.

Half asleep at 2am last night, with my stupid brain running on a hamster wheel, I was trying to work out a solution to this. Like, when they call a 6-again, regardless of what the tackle count is, it's an extra 6 after the set is completed? So the attacking team still plays out that set, but on the 5th tackle the ref goes back to Tackle Zero? That will stop the early-tackle deliberate holding down, as the defending team then knows they are about to cop 10 or so tackles in a row and the attacking team can set up accordingly knowing the same?

Or again is the implementation irrelevant as it just means the refs will call it however it best suits their game manipulation at the time? If a team is 2 tries behind they'll find any excuse to reward them an early-set 6-again and almost certainly gift them a length-of-the-field march as well as a couple of cracks on the opposition's line?

 

[Morkel]

It would free up the touchies too. At games now, you've got one touchie 'policing' the 10m, and the other trying to watch the ruck, ie, one is in line with each team. If you get one lead ref keeping the 10m, and one ruck ref that pull up all the other shit in the ruck, stop the walking off the mark garbage, more easily see the third man in, hands on ball during PTB, all that stuff, the touchie's can just do their main jobs. Helping with the 10m, touchline and forward passes.

This. Bringing back the second ref fixes so many glaring deficiencies in how the game is refereed.

 

[Nashy]

I watch far far less rugby league over the past few years, and 6 against / game management / square ups and leg ups are destroying it.

I wouldn't be shocked if in a couple of years I don't even watch Broncos games. It doesn't matter the skill, the training, or the plays anymore, so long as the NRL want a tight contest, it will never be a fair contest with 6 agains able to be used to control the game in their favour.

And yes, bring the ****ing second ref back.

 

[BroncsFan]

One annoying thing about 6 agains is the original rules for them still allowed the ref to blow a penalty if they felt it was necessary... and that penalty didn't need to result in a sin bin.

Now if a penalty is blown it is assumed that it has to have been a professional foul and someone has to go to the bin.

It means being behind by 2pt at the end of the game may as well be the same as being behind by 4 or 6 pts... the ref ain't giving you a penalty no matter how far offside or how many slowing down tactics the defence throw at you.

They're ****ing stupid and the game has become all about momentum... and the ref controls the momentum so more and more games are being decided by the ref instead of the players on the field.

 

[Elbows]

Watching the Manly v Knights game at one stage it was 1-1 in 6 agains.

Then we get 3 in one minute

 

[Mr Fourex]

I'm not sure if I've clarified my views on 6 agains

 

[Foordy]

Here is Vlandys View:

“It’s a lack of discipline,”

“It is the coaches way of trying to slow the ruck down. No-one wants it to go back to the bad old days of the wrestle and that was unfortunately what was going to happen if we didn’t change it.”

“Be disciplined and do the right thing,”

 

[BroncsFan]

Here is Vlandys View:

“It’s a lack of discipline,”

“It is the coaches way of trying to slow the ruck down. No-one wants it to go back to the bad old days of the wrestle and that was unfortunately what was going to happen if we didn’t change it.”

“Be disciplined and do the right thing,”

"bad old days of the wrestle" and yet the current game is completely dependent on how good you wrestle... and if you happen to lose a ruck then blatantly slowing the opponent to a crawl to stop a quick ptb.... whilst barely being penalised for doing so