Peter V’landys claims it’s on the NRL’s struggling teams to learn to adapt to the faster rules after the most lopsided round of football in almost 20 years.
Saturday night’s one-sided affairs left the average margin in games this weekend at 26.75, the highest since round 18, 2001.
Five games were decided by 30 points or more, with the average margin in games this year now sitting at 19 compared to 13 in 2019 and 12 in 2018. .
But V’landys won’t cop the narrative that it means the six-again rule needs to change.
The ARL Commission boss points to the fact the game was described as more entertaining last year, and that the rule tweaks this year have not created significantly more set restarts.
Instead, he argues it has merely taken away the ability of struggling teams to stifle the better opponents, meaning they must find a way to rise to the top.
“I think there are multiple factors, there is not just one (behind the blowouts),” V’landys told AAP.
“I do concede and acknowledge the six-again has caused a shift in momentum because the teams can no longer slow down the ruck or have a stop-start game.
“Clubs were hiring jujitsu coaches to slow down the ruck and do the wrestle, which is not what rugby league is.
“The good teams have certainly adapted to the new rules. They have adapted to them and the coaches have.
“The ones who were relying on slowing down the ruck, they can’t rely on that any more. … like everything, it will take time for the others to adapt.”
The difference between the competition’s best and worst teams was abundantly clear at the weekend.
Manly’s 66-0 win over Canterbury was the biggest win in the Sea Eagles’ history and the Bulldogs’ biggest loss since 1935.
Des Hasler’s men also became the fourth team in history to post 50 points in three straight games.
Melbourne’s 46-0 win over the Sydney Roosters made them the first side in history to post 40 points or more 10 times in a season.
And 62 per cent of matches this year have been decided by 13 points or more.
But in turn, V’landys is also adamant that the rules have and will make for a better game going forward once the competition.
“We have to take into account this week the Roosters had six or seven players out and the Bulldogs had five players out through biosecurity,” V’landys said.
“The rugby league is very exciting in the sense the brilliant players that were being held up before are now coming to the fore.
“So you have to look at the positives the six-again has done, not just the negatives.”
AAP
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