Why it’s time for the NRL to scrap the sin bin for foul play

More people are watching the NRL than ever before, but it has been unwatchable in recent weeks. It’s time to get rid of the sin bin for foul play, writes BRENT READ.

The quickest way the NRL can solve the current sin bin saga that has blighted a month of rugby league? Get rid of the sin bin for foul play.

Leave it to the match review committee and judiciary to decide whether a high shot has moderate, severe or any force at all.

Let them decide whether a player should spend a week on the sidelines or a month. Keep the sin bin for professional fouls and persistent penalties but let the match review committee and judiciary decide the level of mitigation in a tackle.

There was a time when that was exactly what happened. It feels like a lifetime ago. Yet, maybe the sin bin has served its purpose. Perhaps it has run its course.

It’s time for the NRL to get rid of the sin bin for foul play, writes Brent Read. Picture: NRL Photos

The AFL doesn’t use a sin bin and it seems just fine. Nor does football, which is the biggest sport on the planet. Meanwhile, rugby league has seen the bunker dominate games and the sin bin decide them in recent weeks.

Sure, the players need to take more responsibility. Too many shots have crept into the danger zone. But even the NRL has conceded that the bunker has interfered too much and the sin bin has become a crutch for the match officials.

When in doubt, give them 10. It’s killing the game and sending fans into a frenzy. Some of the most powerful figures in rugby league are of the belief that the sin bin has worn out its welcome.

They believe rugby league may be better off leaving it in the hands of the match review committee, that is if the referee doesn’t believe it warrants a send-off.

They need to be listened to because rugby league has been unwatchable at times in recent weeks. When was the last time you could say that?

The game has become a juggernaut under Peter V'landys and Andrew Abdo, but fans are turning the game off in recent weeks. Picture: Getty Images

The code has been a juggernaut under ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo. The NRL has soared towards the billion-dollar mark in terms of revenue. More people are watching than ever before.

That just means in recent weeks more people have turned off more than ever. No doubt some of them have become disillusioned thanks to the bunker and the sin bin.

The easiest way to win them back may be to get rid of the sin bin for high shots. Just leave it in the hands of the match review committee and the judiciary, and move on.

Originally published as Why it’s time for the NRL to scrap the sin bin for foul play