Rule Change - Try Scoring Team to Kick Off!

[Bansai Pipeline]

Apparently the NRL is going to implement a new rule where the defensive team will elect whether to kick or receive after the opposition has scored.

In other words, if you score a try you won't be getting the ball back.

It's designed to curb the un-stoppable momentum attacking teams had in 2025.

I like it.

So many games last year were 2 completely different halves of footy, each one dominated by the team in possession.

Endless 6 agains and ruck penalties also favoured the attacking team.

Weight of possession fatigued the team without the pill, lopsided tackle counts yadda yadda yadda.

The only thing that broke momentum seemed to be half time.

I noticed it a lot. Even the GF was weird in terms of rhythm.

Anyway, massive rule change.

Huge.

[Steggles]

An better fix would be to scrap the 6-again rule and biased refereeing. I hate that we need to keep changing the rules to lessen the impact of other rule changes. Go back to the rules from the early 80’s I say, including contested scrums.

[ism22]

This rule woulda helped my school's rugby team because we always got cricket scores put on us and ended up getting zero possession. This was entirely our fault, not a fundamental flaw in the rules.

Can we please just leave the rules alone?

[gragra]

There is the downside that a team that is up and there is a potential comeback from the team chasing the comeback, the come back team gets thwarted the ball then being denied for back to back tries. A close finish 18-6, team behind scores , then 18-12, and 3 minutes to go and denied the chance to score again!

[Andrew Walker]

Another completely unnecessary rule change

[David Sutherland]

NRL Continue changing rules to speed the game up and now to equalise teams with this proposed kick off option rule change.

Teams conceding will have the option of either kicking off or receiving - It's not clear if it's only conceding tries that this proposed kick off option comes into play or it's for any points conceded - i.e Penalty Goal and or Field Goal.

No guarantee that this will result in more even games as far as points scored by either team though as the better defensive and attacking teams will still limit points their opponents score and score more points as well.

It's rewarding poor defence

You see games when teams have come back and won when 12 or more behind so this proposed kick off rule change could see that as a thing of the past.

Not sure if this proposed kick off rule change will result in more short kick offs or teams kicking off to find touch and the team that scored obtaining possession back in any case if they kick off

Other proposed rule changes


Seven tackle set

The third change would ensure players who drop the ball over the try line are not punished with a seven-tackle set, instead the defending team would receive a fresh six tackle set at the 20-metre mark, starting with a play-the-ball.

Abdo confirmed the only seven tackle set restart from the 20-metre line will now be from kicks that go dead in-goal.

I would scrap the 7 tackle set completely especially when they moved the bar on the Six-Again

Six-Agains

The NRL is also proposing changes to six-agains that would see them awarded once the attacking team is outside their own 20m line, as opposed to their 40-metre line as it currently stands.

This would be brought in in an effort to speed the game up. Teams would still be awarded penalties for ruck infringements or offsides within their own 20m zone.


Interchange

The league is also proposing expanding the bench to six players however, teams would still only be able to use four players.

The change would provide more options for coaches in the event of concussions and injuries and offer more flexibility than the 18th man rule. It also opens new tactical considerations for coaches.

Not sure why the proposed change doesn't incorporate teams being able to use all 6 interchange players 8 times as this will give them additional players to cover game ending injuries when an 18th player is not activated.

If you can only use 4 players as interchanges and you have 2 game ending injuries to players - non concussion - they you are down to 2 interchanges - 18th and 19th are then sitting on the bench unable to be used unless one is activated as the 18th player.


https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/12/...anges-for-2026

[BTRD]

Tackle. Tackle. Tackle.

[Tennessee Tornado]

There is the downside that a team that is up and there is a potential comeback from the team chasing the comeback, the come back team gets thwarted the ball then being denied for back to back tries. A close finish 18-6, team behind scores , then 18-12, and 3 minutes to go and denied the chance to score again!

Nah. Now the team that just scored is going to do a short kick off and get the ball back 40m out from the opps try line rather than work it back from their own try line.

Dumb rule made by people who don’t think very deeply.

[Bates]

NRL Continue changing rules to speed the game up and now to equalise teams with this proposed kick off option rule change.

Teams conceding will have the option of either kicking off or receiving - It's not clear if it's only conceding tries that this proposed kick off option comes into play or it's for any points conceded - i.e Penalty Goal and or Field Goal.

No guarantee that this will result in more even games as far as points scored by either team though as the better defensive and attacking teams will still limit points their opponents score and score more points as well.

It's rewarding poor defence

You see games when teams have come back and won when 12 or more behind so this proposed kick off rule change could see that as a thing of the past.

Not sure if this proposed kick off rule change will result in more short kick offs or teams kicking off to find touch and the team that scored obtaining possession back in any case if they kick off

Other proposed rule changes


Seven tackle set

The third change would ensure players who drop the ball over the try line are not punished with a seven-tackle set, instead the defending team would receive a fresh six tackle set at the 20-metre mark, starting with a play-the-ball.

Abdo confirmed the only seven tackle set restart from the 20-metre line will now be from kicks that go dead in-goal.

I would scrap the 7 tackle set completely especially when they moved the bar on the Six-Again

Six-Agains

The NRL is also proposing changes to six-agains that would see them awarded once the attacking team is outside their own 20m line, as opposed to their 40-metre line as it currently stands.

This would be brought in in an effort to speed the game up. Teams would still be awarded penalties for ruck infringements or offsides within their own 20m zone.


Interchange

The league is also proposing expanding the bench to six players however, teams would still only be able to use four players.

The change would provide more options for coaches in the event of concussions and injuries and offer more flexibility than the 18th man rule. It also opens new tactical considerations for coaches.

Not sure why the proposed change doesn't incorporate teams being able to use all 6 interchange players 8 times as this will give them additional players to cover game ending injuries when an 18th player is not activated.

If you can only use 4 players as interchanges and you have 2 game ending injuries to players - non concussion - they you are down to 2 interchanges - 18th and 19th are then sitting on the bench unable to be used unless one is activated as the 18th player.


https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/12/...anges-for-2026

Are there any new rules in the Major League Baseball?

[Thirteen]

So a team 12 behind scores to come within 6 points with 2 minutes remaining yet they don’t get the ball back. Silly.

[dice]

If you introduce a really dumb rule like six-again which destroys the energy levels of the defensive team, then the only way to save face is to compliment it with other gimmick rule changes like this one, and the other recent one where dropkicking out on the full is no longer penalised.

[caz]

i think they tried this in super league and it didn't last. a team that scored a try has kind of earned the right to build momentum. maybe this makes games closer but it won't make them fairer. it rewards poor defence

[Batemans Bay Rooster]

So a team 12 behind scores to come within 6 points with 2 minutes remaining yet they don’t get the ball back. Silly.

It is silly. Why should the team who has just conceded points have any say in deciding how the game is re-started? Even though Abdo bangs on about it bringing a new "tactical element", the only reason they're doing it is to keep matches closer.

On the other hand, not giving the defending side a 7 tackle set when the attacking team drops the ball over the line is a good fix, and having the 2 extra players on the bench as backup - ie a specialist half - is a good change, even if only 4 of them can be used. If a half goes off injured early, you can replace him with a half. But if your half does not go off injured, you haven't wasted a bench spot by having a half in the 17, or more to the point, you don't have to play the rest of the game without 2 specialist halves.

[Steggles]

Are there any new rules in the Major League Baseball?

David Suntherland might well be THE David (Goofy) Sutherland who played professional baseball for the Brisbane Bandits. If anyone on here would know of a MBL rule change, it would be him.

Is that you Goofy?

Here’s some fine Googling that I did.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_...land_(baseball)

[Bates]

So a team 12 behind scores to come within 6 points with 2 minutes remaining yet they don’t get the ball back. Silly.

It's the perfect rule for when you're looking at expanding the competition and there's not enough talent to go around. Call it the 'Perth Bears Rule'.

This should help the blow out score lines and keep their fans engaged for longer whilst they find their feet.

It's all about TV ratings at the end of the day! Close games = maximum eyeballs for longer periods which transcends to more revenue.

There's only one god and it's the god dollar