Gorden Tallis column: Wayne Bennett is right, time-wasting must be stopped

THIS might come as a surprise to some, but I agree with what Wayne Bennett had to say on Friday, writes Gorden Tallis.

Gorden Tallis says the NRL must cut time-wasting in the game.

THIS might come as a surprise to some, but I agree with what Wayne Bennett had to say on Friday.

A lot of the buzz this week in the rugby league world has been around the possibility of a reduced interchange.

On Friday, the NRL’s competition committee endorsed a review of the current system, with a view to changing it from eight interchanges to six.

But, as Wayne said, that’s not the biggest problem in the game right now.

When Wayne was asked about the possibility of a reduced interchange, he said what has to be fixed first is the amount of time being wasted in the game by players.

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Gorden Tallis says the NRL must cut time-wasting in the game.

And I know exactly what he’s talking about.

From the amount of time lost with scrums and dropouts, to the game being stopped for minor injuries, players and coaches together have found ways to bend the rules.

There are captains talking to referees and guys taking their sweet time getting off the field after they’ve been sin-binned or sent off.

It’s all just so players can catch their breath.

If you bring in a reduced interchange, coaches are only going to find more ways to exploit time wasting so they’re bigger forwards get more of a rest.

We can’t let them make the rules.

Tallis backs Wayne Bennett’s plea to cut time-wasting.

I know that the coaches are very important in our game but they can’t have a say on the rules, simply because there will be self-interest for the team that they’re in charge of.

If you’re coaching the biggest side in the competition at the moment, such as the Cowboys, Rabbitohs or Raiders, you don’t want the interchange to come down because there’s more fatigue for your bigger guys.

But some of the other clubs with a smaller pack, such as Brisbane or the Gold Coast, you want the interchange to come down because of the quality minutes your football side can play with the forwards you have.

If you put it to a vote, they’re just voting on what best suits their team and not what best suits the game.

Tallis also says the NRL must cut interchange from eight to six.

For me, it is a concern that there are current club coaches on the competition committee.

Paul Green and Ivan Cleary both get a say, but in my opinion they should only be heard through the media and not at the table where these decisions are made.

There are plenty of ex-coaches in the game who can help with these judgments and not have any self-interest.

Neil Henry, Des Hasler, Warren Ryan – they are just a few who spring to mind.

Even Michael Maguire. If Mal Meninga is on the committee, there’s no reason the New Zealand coach can’t be as well.

It’s time to take NRL coaches out of the decision-making process.

The NRL’s Indigenous Round has been a huge success. Picture. Phil Hillyard

NRL NAIL INDIGENOUS ROUND

HOW good is the NRL’s indigenous round?

I love everything they do it for it, from the indigenous national anthem to the special jerseys, to the recognition of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players.

One question I have been asked a lot this week is who is my favourite indigenous player?

But I have to say they all do something unique and different.

They tend to do stuff no other player can do.

From Arthur Beetson to Steve Renouf, to today’s players in Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston, they’re the best entertainers in the game.

It’s too hard to pick just one as my favourite.

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Originally published as Gorden Tallis column: Wayne Bennett is right, time-wasting must be stopped