A fine mess: players call for major off-field changes for 2023

Nine out of 10 players believe the game is faster under the NRL’s rule changes and now they want the match review and judiciary systems to keep pace, starting with the abolition of fines.

The NRL is in the process of completing a number of football reviews that will determine whether changes need to be made to the on-field rules or how players are cited for foul play. The 16 clubs have been consulted as part of the process and the players themselves were given a voice when their senior representatives met with head office.

The Rugby League Players Association conducted a survey of its club delegates, with the findings passed onto the NRL at a workshop with Player Advisory Group members Wade Graham, Daly Cherry-Evans and Kurt Capewell.

The majority of players felt it was time to stop tinkering with the on-field rules, a view consistent with that expressed by their clubs. The main findings of the player survey were:

• 91 per cent of players rated the speed of the game in 2021 as somewhat faster or much faster compared to previous seasons;
• 78 per cent of players rated the physical demands of being an NRL player in 2021 as somewhat higher or much higher than previous seasons;
• 90 per cent of players rated the threshold for grade-one charges in 2021 as somewhat harsher or much harsher compared to previous seasons;
• 84 per cent of players no longer support the current system of financial penalties for grade-one charges.

The players made a list of their own recommendations before the ARLC convenes early next month to decide which course of action to take. Most of their suggestions revolved around the judiciary/match review process, which included reviewing the appropriateness of carryover points and loadings, increasing the judiciary values points thresholds for major games such as Origins and finals and restoring the threshold for grade-one charges to a “more reasonable level”. However, perhaps the most contentious call is to eradicate the fines system, which was introduced to prevent players becoming suspended for relatively minor offences.

“Originally the fine system was brought in for a number of reasons, mainly to stop players from missing games with grade ones, especially for big games like Origins and finals,” said Cronulla captain Graham.

“But as we’ve seen this year, the scale of what a grade one is becoming much less, so there was a massive increase in those charges.

Wade Graham has voiced the players’ concerns about the judiciary and match-review systems.Credit:NRL Photos

“They were charging a lot more things as grade one than they had in the past. There’s no doubt that if they go off that basis for gradings, they need to look at it.

“There have been a lot of changes over the past 10 or 15 years in the game, but the judiciary and match review has always remained the same. It might be time to look at that, to find improvements and adjustments that match the current game.”

The NRL’s crackdown on head/neck contact that began in Magic Round led to a huge spike in citings. There were five times as many fines – a grade-one offence results in a $1500 hit to the hip pocket – as previous seasons.

“We can’t have guys on minimum wage losing half their pay due to an accident due to a grade one.”

“Things that weren’t a grade one before became a grade one,” Graham said.

“Since the review and crackdown came in, a slip of the arm or an incidental contact is being graded.

“We need a system that reflects that change.

“A lot of time grade ones are accidents and we can’t have guys on minimum wage losing half their pay due to an accident due to a grade one. If you get two grade ones in two weeks, that’s your pay packet gone, you could even be owing money out of your pocket for an accident.”

The players were also pushing for it to become easier to activate an 18th man. Under their proposal, the substitute could come on if two players fail a head-injury assessment or if a third player suffers a match-ending injury of any type.

They also want to have a genuine say on any issues affecting the game after they were kept out of the loop during fundamental changes such as the six-again and one-referee initiatives.

“It’s no secret that players want a genuine opportunity to provide their insights regarding the on-field product and rules,” said RLPA player operations manager Tom Symonds.

“Re-establishing a stakeholder committee that is tasked with debating various ideas and then providing recommendations would be a positive move for the game.”

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