The NRL’s six again rule has come under criticism after a series of lopsided results in Round 1 as teams struggle to counter momentum swings during games.
In the off-season, the NRL announced a tweaking of the six again rule for this season — for certain infringements beyond the 20-metre line, the tackle count restarts, replacing the current 40-metre threshold.
The change was aimed at encouraging more time with the ball in play and to reduce stoppages from full penalties.
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There’s only been one round of action but there was a noticeable increase set restarts on last year.
In Round 1 last year there was an average of 4.63 set restarts and an average of 5.87 restarts per game across the season. There was an average of eight restarts and 11.5 penalties per game in the opening round this year.
The six again rule was introduced for the Covid affected 2020 season and has contributed to the modern trend of games being played at a lightning pace.
But the sight of referees calling six again, and the accompanying ‘ding ding’ sound, has become a frequent occurrence throughout games teams are penalised for ruck infringements and defenders being offside.
Getting to keep attacking on consecutive sets of six is creating a different style of rugby league, contrasting the traditional back-and-forth nature of teams swapping possession every couple of minutes.
There were 10 set restarts in the Roosters vs Warriors game, with the Roosters conceding three infringements in 60 seconds at one stage, which you can watch in the video above.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart was not exactly happy after his side made more than 60 tackles before touching the ball in their golden point win over Manly.
The Raiders didn’t touch the ball until the 12th minute and had to defend nine consecutive sets from Manly.
“It was always about possession and I think they had 65 tackles in a row in the first 15 minutes with six infringements, that we gave away apparently,” Stuart said post-game.
The average winning margin Round 1 was 20 points, even accounting for two golden point games.
The Storm (52-4), Sharks (50-10), Panthers (26-0) and Warriors (42-18) had blowout wins, while the Raiders’ 29-28 win over the Sea Eagles and the Rabbitohs’ 40-30 victory over the Dolphins were both punctuated by massive momentum swings from both teams.
News.com.au has contacted the NRL comment about the increase in six again calls.
Fans have lamented the knock-on effect the six again rule has had on lopsided scorelines caused by momentum swings that prove difficult to absorb.
The WePlayLeague accounrt wrote on social media: “There is still going to be close games but a lot more blow outs this year in the NRL.
“Similar to 2021, more six agains, more tries, less competitive games. They had the balance closer to right last year. I am not sure why they changed it.”
Another fan said: “Been saying it since it came in. It’s completely destroyed the very fabric of what rugby league was about.”
A second said: “The NRL has created a rod for its own back. Teams are pushing the envelope with the referee. Bin the stupid rule immediately.”
Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould said in response to a fan on social media “6 again is now just another layer of penalty”.
“It was initially supposed to be given as a tackle restart, instead of stopping the game for a penalty,” he wrote.
“Now it’s more an additional layer of penalty for a minor indiscretion … In the majority of cases, fans (and players), have no idea why it was awarded.
“The majority of “6 against” do not need to be given, and in the previous system, a penalty would not have been given.
“The fact that these 6 against can accrue to produce a sin bin for supposedly repeated offences, is indeed troublesome …
“A couple of “6 again” rulings in a row can completely change the momentum of a game … It can result in 12-18 tackle sets to the attacking team. Very hard to contain and takes a lot of energy out of the defending side.”
The six again trend was noticed by rugby league greats Laurie Daley and Kevin Walters, who said it had influenced how games were being played and teams would need to adjust.
“What about the momentum shifts during the first week of the competition and last year Round 1 set restarts were at four and a half and this year they were at eight,” Daley said on The Big Sports Breakfast.
“We saw it in most games it was momentum shifts. It makes a bit of a difference.
“When you had momentum you looked good and when you didn’t have momentum you looked not so good and that is what we are seeing in the first week of the comp.
“I think we will see that in the next few weeks, while the referees adjust to six-agains and the players adjust to six-agains.
“I think this will happen until we all get a greater understanding of how it is going to be adopted and the players fit in to what the referees are doing and the referees find their way with it a little bit as well.
“I can see this continuing at least for the first month until everyone finds the flow of the game.”
In the off-season, the NRL floated a rule change allowing the non-scoring team having the option of kicking off or receiving the ball after a try.
After consultation with teams, the ‘scorer’s kick’ rule was not adopted, but it will be trialled in games with no bearing on the finals at the back end of the 2026 season before further consideration.
Panthers great Greg Alexander believes the league was counting on ‘scorer’s kick’ being introduced to counter the fast pace momentum swings in games accentuated by the six-again rule.
Greg Alexander said on SEN: “Is the circuit breaker from what we’re looking at the moment … scorer’s kick?
“I’m just throwing it out there. I was against that. The rule changes we made over the summer, why? Did we think the game was too slow last year? Too many stoppages?
“Their circuit breaker after discussing all that was the scorer’s kick. Everything else remained the same, they brought in everything else but they didn’t bring in the kick-off.”
Co-host Jimmy Smith said: “The unintended consequence is blowout scorelines.”
Walters said players would need to become more disciplined to avoid giving away six-agains, which he said were easier for referees to call than a penalty.
“They have extended the boundaries for the six-agains, so it does fatigue players in defence, particularly when the six-again is given,” Walters said.
“If it is given early in the tackle count it is not as bad, but when you get to four and five and last tackle and you get to the kick and all of a sudden you have got another set of six, it does change the way the game is played.
“Defensively it changes the way you defend as well, so we will see how that develops over the next couple of weeks, but it was a big thing of note in Round 1 and the importance it has on the game.
“I think players more than anything have got to keep their discipline and not give away those six-agains and rather than give away a six-again, give away an extra five or 10 metres in the next play-the-ball.”
“We saw the Storm, Sharks, Raiders, Sea Eagles and Dolphins score a lot of points in a few minutes and most teams have the ability to do that,” Walters added,
“I’m not having a go at the referees, but it is hard when they are adjudicating some of those play-the-ball infringements. It is probably not a six-again, but it is easier to give a six-again than a penalty.
“I’m not having a crack at the referees, but it is an easier option for them than a penalty, so it is tough for the men in the middle. I certainly respect what they are doing for our game.
“Lets put the onus back on the players to get their game right and get their fundamentals right around the play-the-ball and knowing what you can and can’t get away with and problem solved.”
