Punish long kick-offs? NRL’s radical rule change to reverse concussion trend

The NRL is set to introduce a radical rule change to alter the kick-offs after a rise in head knocks off restarts.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Mosese Suli.

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.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona missed the Grand Final for his hit on Lindsay Collins.

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 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.”

Mosese Suli was knocked out attempting a tackle on Mosese Suli.

NRL legend James Graham warned the NRL they can’t take all the danger out of rugby league.

“If you want the game to be (completely) safe, you’re playing the wrong game,” Graham said on NRL 360.

“You’re watching the wrong game. You cannot... If you view the game through the prism of safety and that’s all you view it through.

“Is there an unacceptable risk of injury (here)? I say no.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie — who strongly believes the game should explore the benefits of banning kick-offs — argued in response: “It doesn’t matter how it happens.

“It’s happening. It continues to happen. Whether a defender is nudged from left or the right-hand side, to me, isn’t a concern. It’s the fact that it is happening continuously.”

Mosese Suli was one of several players knocked out off the kick-off.

“These are people’s brains. And, Jimmy, you know this better than anybody.

“You had more than a hundred concussions and 18,000 collisions in your career, which is an unbelievably tough bloke you are.

“But you should know better than anybody the dangers of this kick-off.”

Graham responded: “Of course. I was attracted to the danger.”

NRL 360 host Braith Anasta was a vocal critic of banning the kick-off and questioned why other measures could not be explored first.

“The kick-off is such an integral part of our game,” Anasta said on NRL 360.

“It’s what brings the fans through the gates.

“It’s what we sell subscriptions on TV. It’s why a lot of people watch the game. Yes, it’s the collision, but it’s the build-up. It’s the hype. It’s something that is so unique to our game that other games do not have.

“Why are we just going, oh, listen, let’s just get rid of the kick-off? It’s an easy thing to say.”

Originally published as Punish long kick-offs? NRL’s radical rule change to reverse concussion trend