Posted September 23, 2018 08:51:10In a bid to combat the issue of concussion, the NRL has rolled out a new rule to limit penalties and penalties-free games in the 2018 and 2019 World Cups.
The NRL has already instituted a 10-point penalty and 10-points-penalty-free format for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 tournaments, and the rules have been widely embraced by the game’s elite players.
But while some teams may feel it is too lenient in the face of the concussion issues, others have been adamant that it is unfair.
What is a penalty?
The penalty is an infringement on the rules of the game, such as a tackle or foul.
The aim of the penalty is to prevent an infringement of the rules or penalties and/or the integrity of the competition.
In the past, penalty points were awarded to teams that received a hit on the head, with a further 10 points awarded for a shoulder charge, a blow to the head or a shoulder to the jaw.
However, the rule change announced on Tuesday will make penalty points a single point for each infringement.
In short, the 10 points-for-every-infraction threshold will be increased to 10, the same as a 10 point penalty.
Penalties for every infraction will be awarded to the offending team at a rate of 10 per cent of the infringement rate.
This will mean that for every hit on a player or a tackle that the offending player or team commits, a penalty point will be assessed.
The change also means that penalties for an off-the-ball tackle will now be awarded in the same proportion as penalties for a tackle, and a 10 per-cent penalty for a knock will now also be awarded.
This means that teams will now only be awarded a penalty if they commit a hit to the body of the opponent in the process of committing an infringement.
This could be seen as unfair to teams, given the high-profile incidents of head injuries, and to the teams that have suffered such injuries, such a rule could put them in the position of having to pay a penalty for an injury that has been sustained by them.
How do the rules apply?
Players and teams will be able to receive up to three points per infringement, based on the rate of infringement, the time elapsed between the offending and the penalty points being awarded, and whether the offence was deliberate or accidental.
This is the same amount of points that a player receives if he is charged with an offence in a game, and also the same number that the opposition gets for a hit or tackle in a match.
It will be a single penalty for every offence, and will be reduced for any offence that is a deliberate or unintentional offence.
So if a player commits a hit against a player that is on the field of play and it is a defensive play, the offence will be given no points and the offender will not receive any penalty points.
But if the offence is a foul, then the offence that was committed will be dealt with at a 10 to 15 per cent penalty rate.
What does this mean for the game?
A penalty will be applied for every incident that the offender commits on the pitch of the World Cup, which is set by the governing body of Rugby League.
The new system is expected to see a dramatic reduction in penalties for off-field incidents, as well as for infractions committed on the ground of play.
This would help reduce the amount of time players have to recover from injuries.
For instance, if a teammate hits a player in a tackle during a game and he has to be stretchered off, the penalty point awarded for that incident will be the same that a penalty would have been awarded if he had not been injured.
So, the impact of the new rules will be felt more acutely by players and teams, as they will be required to recover much faster from injuries in a World Cup.
But even if the new system proves to be an improvement, there is still the issue that the system could result in an imbalance in the penalties handed out.
So what is the NRL doing about it?
A change to the rules is expected at the end of the year, and it could see the average number of penalty points awarded per offence drop to five.
The changes are expected to be announced at the start of the 2019 World Cup in October, with the changes to take effect in 2020.
But some will feel that the rule changes are too leniency in the faces of the issue.
A number of teams, including the Dragons, Rabbitohs, Titans and Roosters, have voiced their concerns about the change, with NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg confirming that the NRL is taking the issue seriously.
“This is a matter that the game has had for some time now and the players and their union are working hard on it,” Greenberg said.
“We are taking it very seriously.
This year we have seen a