Six Again Calls

[Mustafur]

Does this include 6 again's?
Because the infringement count isn't adding up here.

 

[Big Pete]

Does this include 6 again's?
Because the infringement count isn't adding up here.

Ruck Infringements and Penalties Conceded.

 

[Locky888]

At least the 6 again rule stops the Storm from wrestling, but I'm not a fan of the rule. The refs gives it out like free candy and if the rule does contribute to the high injury toll then I'm all for scraping it.

 

[Dexter]

When the rule is used is most important. We seem to get punished early and end up letting players up super quick trying not to concede and give away momentum which we never recover from.
I hate the rule TBH, some teams can go to sleep or get away with obvious second movements then other times I'm wondering WTF the call was for.
The sad thing for us is it wouldn't matter if we got double the calls, we don't know how to pull a defence apart. We can go around with our move to Boyd and a kick but actually constructing some attack is beyond anyone in our team.

 

[Skathen]

Thing many sneaky players are doing is they get called held yet keep pushing forward - not just a step but really pushing and they get a call quite often until the ref "wises up" to what they're up to then relents for a while.

If players move past the mark, refs should be calling them back, not giving them 6 again ffs.

 

[Huge]

Thing many sneaky players are doing is they get called held yet keep pushing forward - not just a step but really pushing and they get a call quite often until the ref "wises up" to what they're up to then relents for a while.

If players move past the mark, refs should be calling them back, not giving them 6 again ffs.

Oh yes!! I've spewed about the stepping forward and crowding the marker thing for years. It's certainly not new and for the life of me I have never understood why refs simply don't start penalising players for walking/pushing forward. Sometimes as much as 4 to 5 metres!

**** it shits me. It'd be one of the first things I'd fix. Also, can we demand the NRL bring in the virtual 10 metre line they promised??? The technology is already available. I know why they won't though and it's not an honourable decision they've made.

 

[K-Style]

At least the 6 again rule stops the Storm from wrestling, but I'm not a fan of the rule. The refs gives it out like free candy and if the rule does contribute to the high injury toll then I'm all for scraping it.

Does it though? The teams that have adapted to the rule keep the attacker on their feet as long as possible, pushing them backwards and then drop them when the ref calls held. I've only seen one six again where they stay on their feet.

 

[Organix]

Just read this article regarding the 6-Again statistics. Unfortunately, the stats are not sorted by teams, but instead as an overall metric.

I found this passage very interesting and I agree with what they said, particularly those items in bold:

In fact, referees now have more responsibility and potential impact on the game, having to use their discretion as to whether a ruck infringement justifies no penalty, a six again or an actual penalty. Teams who find themselves in situations where they would prefer a penalty than a set restart are not given an option, as demonstrated in Thursday’s Manly-Brisbane game where two set resets were given within twenty seconds of the last five minutes of the game, in lieu of a game-tieing shot at goal. The Broncos lost.

These consequences would have been obvious if they were thought about before implementation. Famously, the incredibly named Project Apollo’s innovation committee only had one hour to consider the changes. Once the novelty has worn off, questions will be asked, not just by unimportant nobodies with a WordPress account, but also by people who are actually listened to as the fallout become impossible to ignore. The Peanut King has already fired a shot across the bows, although I refuse to read what what he’s actually said.

In the rush to be seen doing something, V’Landys risks either looking foolish in rolling back the changes or worse and more likely, he will double down. For example, the suggestion that next season the scoring team will kick-off to prevent teams from getting a roll on is a dire sign but we’ll see what actually comes to pass. The slippery slope argument is that if he chooses to double down, V’Landys will apply band-aid gimmick after band-aid gimmick until the sport is barely recognisable or enjoyable to watch, satisfying no one and leaving everyone wondering how we got here.

 

[Organix]

Just read this article regarding the 6-Again statistics. Unfortunately, the stats are not sorted by teams, but instead as an overall metric.

I found this passage very interesting and I agree with what they said, particularly those items in bold:

**** it, I would say that this article is recommended reading for any league fan. This guy does away with the hype and spin of the NRL media and IMO says it as he sees it. It's analytical and critical and not as subjective as most of the Fox and NewsMedia reports seem to be. Too often I see written here some version of what I heard in commentary from the game. This should at least offer an alternative viewpoint, which is important for an objective response.

 

[Kooly87]

**** it, I would say that this article is recommended reading for any league fan. This guy does away with the hype and spin of the NRL media and IMO says it as he sees it. It's analytical and critical and not as subjective as most of the Fox and NewsMedia reports seem to be. Too often I see written here some version of what I heard in commentary from the game. This should at least offer an alternative viewpoint, which is important for an objective response.

You really shouldn't be surprised. V'Landy's was famous in racing circles for ruling the media and public communications with an absolute iron fist to ensure only positive coverage saw the light of day. Helping Fox achieve a no doubt very lucrative broadcast arrangement behind closed doors recently has no doubt been used as a very sweet carrot indeed to ensure that their drone reporters only provide glowing coverage of everything that now happens under V'Landy's watch.

Fox used to absolutely THRIVE on ripping on the NRL management incompetence, financial mismanagement, declining crowds, the Referee incompetence and general running down of the game. Think about this: When was the last time you saw Fox coverage doing anything like that? Apparently overnight V'Landy's has ensured the NRL only has great ideas, fan engagement has never been better and the Referees are just brilliant at their jobs all of a sudden?

 

[rnabokov]

**** it, I would say that this article is recommended reading for any league fan. This guy does away with the hype and spin of the NRL media and IMO says it as he sees it. It's analytical and critical and not as subjective as most of the Fox and NewsMedia reports seem to be. Too often I see written here some version of what I heard in commentary from the game. This should at least offer an alternative viewpoint, which is important for an objective response.

He's a Broncs supporter too. Makes some interesting observations in there about our senior players. I like his style

 

[BRC088]

6 again is way too much of an advantage for minor infringements, maybe a +1. It also doesn't help that 99% of the time I have NFI why the 6 again was called.

 

[Kooly87]

6 again is way too much of an advantage for minor infringements, maybe a +1. It also doesn't help that 99% of the time I have NFI why the 6 again was called.

The +1 tacklet has issues as well though. If you're laying in the play the ball on the last tackle and the team gets another last tackle it often doesn't help them as their attacking line is generally set for a kick and the extra tackle would likely be very hard to take advantage of.

 

[Galah]

If it’s early in the count it should be 6 again if it’s late maybe +3? But then it’s complicated.

I hate the rule purely on the fact that the refs can just do it and no one knows what it was for, makes it open for manipulation “tin foil hat”.

 

[Kooly87]

If it’s early in the count it should be 6 again if it’s late maybe +3? But then it’s complicated.

I hate the rule purely on the fact that the refs can just do it and no one knows what it was for, makes it open for manipulation “tin foil hat”.

Too hard to put that on the Referees who are already barely handling things right now. If the whole point is speeding the game up then complicating the Referee awarding the restart only slows it down.

Not that I agree with needing to speed it up in the first place. Penalties were fine for more than a century and all of a sudden a horse racing guy felt the need to reinvent the wheel and because Fox owe him significantly for their latest broadcast deal, he's ensured the media trip over themselves to make sure they only say good things about it.

 

[Galah]

Too hard to put that on the Referees who are already barely handling things right now. If the whole point is speeding the game up then complicating the Referee awarding the restart only slows it down.

Not that I agree with needing to speed it up in the first place. Penalties were fine for more than a century and all of a sudden a horse racing guy felt the need to reinvent the wheel and because Fox owe him significantly for their latest broadcast deal, he's ensured the media trip over themselves to make sure they only say good things about it.

Agreed, I was just trying to make something of a shit rule. On the refs, taking one away was fucking stupid considering the players these days are very adept at taking advantage of a rule. One for ten meters, one for the ruck, sounds simple right?

 

[DigitalDaz]

This thread started with the hint of "conspiracy".

Of course the "six again rule" is the worst rule ever introduced into the game, for a number of reasons.

And yes, I believe it has been used against the Broncos to manage game results.

Why do I say this confidentally?

Here's a few basic facts:

* The "six again" rule penalty is grossly disproportionate to the "crime"
* It puts incredible power in the hands of the referee with virtually no scrutiny (no TV replays, and no statistics published by the NRL)
* Calls are never questioned by commentators
* Calls can't be challenged with the "captain's challenge"
* Even if statistics were published, they don't tell the story because the true influence of "six again" is WHEN it is given (in the defending teams 20 or on tackle 5)
* The law can easily be used to sway games
* The current political climate is anti-private enterprise. Broncos is the big fish in the Australian sporting world - take the Broncos down and NRL will go down with it. Why was this incredibly flawed and dangerous rule introduced right after the lockdown?

To sum up - this is a highly influential rule, with virtually no checks-and-balances. And I don't believe the above risks are cancelled out by any perceived increase in the quality or speed of the game.

 

[Morkel]

The 6-again call has merit in that it is supposed to prevent the wrestling and slow-down tactics of certain teams. It all falls over though when the calls are used to "manage" the game, and are not called on their individual merit.

How far down the conspiracy hole do you want to go? Think about going from one to two refs. Was it really about saving money? Consider what I've been claiming for a long time - the video ref holds an unprecedented sway over the game, as they are constantly guiding the refs, yet are hidden away and only scrutinised when asked to officially adjudicate something. We don't hear what they are saying the other 98% of the time.

The two ref system had one dedicated to the ruck, which in my opinion would work far better with the 6-again rule, as the rule itself is there to discourage ruck infringements. So who is monitoring these infringements? We saw evidence last night when Deardon was supposedly the victim of an attempted strip - the call came from the video ref, the on-field ref had no idea. So by switching to one ref, the game is able to be managed even further by the video ref - if, like last night, the tacklers are being held down by their shirts in order to milk a 6-again, the on-field ref can only see a slow ruck and calls a 6-again, and us viewers are expected to believe it. Yet, we know the video ref is watching it, and can see exactly what is happening, and does nothing about it.