The NRL is set to introduce a radical rule change to alter the kick-offs to protect players from high speed collisions in 2025 after a rise in head knocks off restarts.
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WWOS reported the NRL is set to punish teams for long kick-offs by giving the opposition a seven tackle set.
Under the rule change proposal any team that starts play with a kick-off that goes beyond the opposition’s 20-metre line on the full will concede a seven-tackle set.
Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona was rubbed out of a grand final for collecting Roosters counterpart Lindsay Collins high off a kick-off, while Dragons centre Moses Suli was knocked out off a kick-off last season.
They are just two of a number of injuries and suspensions that have resulted from kick-offs going wrong due to the high speed of both the attacking players and the defence off a long run-up.
Due to the rise in head injuries, the NRL has been forced to take drastic action to reverse the trend of concussions resulting from kick-offs.
The new rule will change the way teams start matches and restart play after points, with kickers set to either attempt to regain the ball 스포츠토토사이트 through a short or high kick, or ensure the ball bounces before the 20-metre line before momentum carries it over.
Suli being knocked out in an attempted tackle on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves on ANZAC Day sparked the concussion debate, with experts suggesting the potential for the kick-off to be banned in its current form in the future.
NRL head of elite football, Graham Annesley, said at the time, collisions “are a big part of our game” but that long kick-offs were not immune from change, despite their cherished place in rugby league.
“Never say never about anything, because the game evolves, and the game is a different game now than what it was 20 years ago or 100 years ago,” Annesley said.
“Player safety is a high priority for the [Australian Rugby League] Commission, it’s a high priority for the administration.”