Is Rugby League as a spectacle ruined?

[NorfolkStreetKid]

The answer to your question is emphatically NO. The game will be improved once the players make the adjustment, and there will be more common sense from the officials, but for the first few weeks there will be errors on both sides. There is nothing entertaining about players getting hit in the head.

[roosterchook]

So now we are afraid to defend resulting in wooden spooners scoring 36 points against us. Clearly our defence is affected after so many players on report and sin bins. No notice, just a rushed crackdown in the middle of the season without giving players a chance to adapt. Very bad management by the NRL

[bondi paul]

I get the concussion contact scrutiny however the BIGGER problem for me is in the games management from top office to the refs. It’s engineering results in games for a business result. The way in which the ref adjudicated Brisbane last night was premeditated due to NRL and its broadcasters losing money last year with Friday night broncos abysmal 2020 season and to enable Queensland interest$ with the upcoming origin series. It’s all about the QLD $ and the outer west $. It’s where the NRL and partners profit.

[ccfc bondi]

Last night was a joke! The sin-binnings were a joke, and the joke was on us! The ref should've also have been given a number 19 jumper for the Broncos!

[King Salvo]

The blame for the loss is squarely on the shoulders of the players and coaching staff simple as that - the same issues not being addressed week after week - poor set completions / errors/ penalties and ill discipline.

Set completions - Chooks 23 out of 35 ( 9 out of 17 in the second half ) compared to the Broncos 37 out of 40 ( 22 out of 23 in the second half ) - 65 % completion rate wont win you many if any games.

Need to have 90% plus completion rates - which would also limit the amount of defence they have to do and lesson the fatigue and poot defence choices.

What is being done at training to fix this?

[Spirit of 66]

Trent Robinson on the future of the game: "It's going to have to be a lot softer on contacts now."

So there you have it. Be gentle in your tackles or you'll be sent off. This should have the fans flocking back to the games.

Maybe we can get to a point where we can merge the men's and women's competitions? Wouldn't that be great!

[player 1]

I had said weeks ago PVL would ruin the game but I never expected it would be this bad. The fact there are people still suggesting this is for the betterment of the game is unbelievable. THE GAME IS DEAD! Simple. There is no future. As I walked out of tonight’s game the anger was palpable. Not at losing, as we didn’t play well, but at the fact that these imposters have screwed our game. IT’S OVER! There is no future unless PVL and his clowns are removed. The fans are the only hope, as they were with the immediate demise of the ill fated English Champions League. I don’t know quite how but we’ve either got to recapture our game or leave it. There’s nothing in between. And at this stage the mood to leave it is strong. THE CARNIVAL IS OVER! Well done PVL, you moron.

I've come around to your way of thinking.

In answer to original poster's question. A big yes.

[BenCumminsIsACheat]

Not only is that clown V'landys ruining the playing of the game itself through his stupid rules, but the consequences of them are just as bad.
Major injuries are up more than 110% since the new rules and 4+ week suspensions for accidental acts are now through the roof.
The best players aren't even on the field anymore. Just have a look at the Storm v Canberra game last night. What should've been a marquee game was turned to a farce before kickoff
The game is now being played with sub-par rules and officiating and by sub-par players.

[dice]

Not only is that clown V'landys ruining the playing of the game itself through his stupid rules, but the consequences of them are just as bad.
Major injuries are up more than 110% since the new rules and 4+ week suspensions for accidental acts are now through the roof.
The best players aren't even on the field anymore. Just have a look at the Storm v Canberra game last night. What should've been a marquee game was turned to a farce before kickoff
The game is now being played with sub-par rules and officiating and by sub-par players.

Exactly. It is not about player welfare. It is about legal liabilities...and the egomaniac Peter V'lakas

[bondi.boy]

After watching the last two rounds I’m finding the game so frustrating and no fun to watch anymore. Instead of fast flowing footy it seems to be focused solely on sin bins, send offs, penalties and players put on report. It’s become such a negative game lately. Watching sides battle it out from end to end with hardly any intervention from the refs was what made Rugby League the greatest game of all. Only the very worst incidents should be penalised as this is a contact sport.

Let the two teams fight it out and the best team win. That’s what fans want to see. All the focus has been on the knee jerk reactions of the refs instead of the footy. Where has the footy gone to?

Back in the good old days players used to be tackled high in vicious attacks.
Broken jaws everywhere...ask the Big Marn, he was a victim.
Concussions everywhere.

The footy is still here...it's just that attacks to the head have been banned seriously.
Slow to get the message players are still whacking other players in the head with arms and shoulders.
On report and into the bin they go.

[OMR]

The blame for the loss is squarely on the shoulders of the players and coaching staff simple as that - the same issues not being addressed week after week - poor set completions / errors/ penalties and ill discipline.

Set completions - Chooks 23 out of 35 ( 9 out of 17 in the second half ) compared to the Broncos 37 out of 40 ( 22 out of 23 in the second half ) - 65 % completion rate wont win you many if any games.

Need to have 90% plus completion rates - which would also limit the amount of defence they have to do and lesson the fatigue and poot defence choices.

What is being done at training to fix this?

You’ve repeated this several times and you seem quite happy to point out our shortfalls, which are undeniably true, however don’t you think if the ref did his job and pulled up the forward passes by the broncos we would’ve had more possessions and we would’ve been less fatigued from making extra tackles in our 20 that eventually led to tries, which led to us kicking off giving the broncos more possession? Just a hypothetical in response to your constant criticism of our players.

[dice]

Let's revisit the 2010 "hit of the decade". Remember the ref, video ref, and MRC saw nothing wrong with this tackle at all. We have gone from that crap to completely OTT officiating which is destroying the game. All we needed was the bs like that video, and like what happened in the Eels' game, to be properly dealt with on-field.

Meanwhile the indirect (and possibly imagined) head contact with Radley's shoulder see him out for 4 weeks. fmd.

[roosterchook]

Let's revisit the 2010 "hit of the decade". Remember the ref, video ref, and MRC saw nothing wrong with this tackle at all. We have gone from that crap to completely OTT officiating which is destroying the game. All we needed was the bs like that video, and like what happened in the Eels' game, to be properly dealt with on-field.

Meanwhile the indirect (and possibly imagined) head contact with Radley's shoulder see him out for 4 weeks. fmd.

They need to only sanction the very worst hits not like the rubbish we are seeing now. Rugby League is dead.

[Bruce Pickett]

2 rules in RU I will never understand- the deliberate knock on rule and the video ref sticking his big beak into on field decisions including over ruling on field refs try decision and reviewing general play for foul play even if it happened over a minute ago? Where do you draw the line then? One minute? 2 minutes? 15 minutes? 75 minutes? Last weeks game????

The video ref is now used like RU. Something I hate with a passion. NRL introduced 6 agains to decrease stoppages, but have now done this which increases stoppages. What's it to be? An absolute brain dead decision imo.

Vlandys was the right man at the right time when Covid hit. I am now having doubts about him.

[BUDDY]

2 rules in RU I will never understand- the deliberate knock on rule and the video ref sticking his big beak into on field decisions including over ruling on field refs try decision and reviewing general play for foul play even if it happened over a minute ago? Where do you draw the line then? One minute? 2 minutes? 15 minutes? 75 minutes? Last weeks game????

The video ref is now used like RU. Something I hate with a passion. NRL introduced 6 agains to decrease stoppages, but have now done this which increases stoppages. What's it to be? An absolute brain dead decision imo.

Vlandys was the right man at the right time when Covid hit. I am now having doubts about him.

When those who have interests is the horse racing industries heard PVL was taking over the NRL all I heard was fcuk why. He absolutely destroyed harness racing, has fcuked up thoroughbred racing and now it's the NRLs turn. His arrogance to admit when he has done something wrong and fix it is second to none.

Not even Uncle Nick can do anything about this FDC.
#bringbacktodd