In one of the most radical rule change ideas we’ve heard, the NRL will reportedly consider a proposal to punish defenders who concede penalties inside their own red zone, by placing them in ‘time out’ for the ensuing set of six.
According to AAP, the proposal is intended to deter players from deliberately conceding penalties when defending their own line – one of the more irritating recent trends of the modern game.
Under the proposal, the culprits would be made to spend the following set standing behind their own goalposts in ‘time out’.
Without seeing it in practice, it’s difficult to say what unintended consequences a change such as this could have on the game, but on the surface, it does seem to have some merit, and would surely be more effective than the current system (waiting until the defense has conceded about three penalties in a row, warning them, then doing absolutely nothing).
The competition committee will meet and consider the proposal in November.