Momentum. It’s great when you’ve got it, but can deal you a gut-punch when your opponent does.
Momentum swings have been the talk of rugby league this season after the off-season introduction of a rule that allows referees to call a set-restart, rather than a penalty, for ruck infringements and defenders being offside between the two 20-metre lines.
The result is that teams are getting numerous repeat sets in attack, while defending sides endures long periods of attrition without the ball in the defensive line. As the season enters its fourth round, teams are still coming to grips with the “double-edged sword” created by the new rule.
“When you’ve got the momentum you’re feeling good, but when you’re on the receiving end, and you’ve had a few go against [you], obviously you’re not feeling the best,” Sharks prop Addin Fonua-Blake explained on Tuesday.
“It’s just something that we’re going to have to tidy up in our game, and once we earn it, double down and make teams pay on the back.”
Round one saw the average number of set-restarts per game up 35 per cent from last year. Though ball-in-play time hasn’t increased significantly, the result of continuous “six-agains” in fatigue levels is plain to see.
Manly held possession for the first 10 minutes of their round one clash against the Raiders, with four set-restarts in that time. Similarly, the Tigers held possession for long periods in their commanding first-up victory over the Cowboys.
Set-restarts and the fatigue they cause has become such a prominent part of the game that Cronulla lock Jesse Colquhoun said the team had increased intensity at training.
“It’s certainly tough [but] it’s the way the game is going at the moment,” he said. “The speed is increasing, and you’re definitely noticing those six-agains. It’s only been brought in this year and I think teams are still figuring out how to combat that.”
Parramatta forward Sam Tuivaiti said the Eels had trained specifically with the rule change in mind during the pre-season.
“If we do get a six-again [go against us], we just need to reset and go again,” he said.
Tuivaiti said Eels coach Jason Ryles likes to play an up-tempo style of football, and the tailored training regime over the summer has helped the team adjust to the way the game is now being played.
“100 per cent it’s helped,” he said. “The middles do well for themselves. We move around quite well because we have slimmed [down] a bit in the pre-season.”
The best teams had been able to weather the storm, Cronulla second-rower Billy Burns said.
“When you’re playing, it doesn’t feel too much different to last year, but I guess it’s very influential,” Burns said. “The way that the six-agains are, it’s very tiring, but I think it’s just the way footy is at the moment, very momentum-based.
“But the teams that are doing it well, they’re knocking teams back. Like Penrith, if the momentum is the other way, they’re knocking it back. That’s what the good teams are doing at the moment, the Doggies are the same.
“So I don’t think it’s an excuse. I think the best teams are handling it the best.”
Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.