The NRL world has been left scratching its head after the controversial kick off rule change was tested for the first time during the Broncos and Storm match on Thursday night.
Under the proposed change, the team conceding a try got the choice of whether to receive the kick-off or kick it themselves.
During the Round 26 clash the decision to ‘receive’ – which aims to prevent blowout scores – was only chosen three times as the Storm smashed the Broncos 46-20.
In the first half the teams appeared to boycott the rule entirely, despite Melbourne blowing Brisbane away 28-10 in the opening 40 minutes.
With the game all-but-over the decision was made twice more and it left Fox League’s Jake Duke questioning whether either side wanted it to work.
“Maybe these two teams (are) not happy to be playing in a rule-change game. Maybe they’re protesting, who knows?” Duke said at half-time.
But after Broncos half Ben Hunt crossed in the 50th-minute, history was made when the Storm opted to receive the ball.
Neither coach was particularly thrilled by being guinea pigs either.
“It’s something that someone thinks might be a good idea,” Bellamy said.
“I’ve got to see something happen before I can picture it but I suppose both teams can’t make the finals so it’s the game to do it.”
Broncos coach Michael Maguire also didn’t want to see it introduced.
“I do like the game the way it is. It’s a great game so you don’t need to tinker to far especially the way the game’s going at the moment,” he said.
While Storm captain Harry Grant bluntly called for the NRL not to change the kick off or any core rules.
“Personally I love the game. I’ve loved the game for so many years since I was four years old,” Grant said.
“I think it’s part of the fabric of the game and we don’t need to change it. We’re bringing in a rule to counteract the rules we’ve brought it.
“Maybe we can have a deep hard look at going back on a few rules if that’s where we sit with it.
“If it’s a draw and a team choose to kick-off or receive and then they go and kick the two points, your decision might be void.
“There’s no real reward for it and I’m pretty strong on that.
“I think they are a lot of people in the game strong on it and maybe it’s time to stay with what it is.”
He then doubled down back in the sheds talking to Nine’s Cameron Smith.
“If we need a rule to counteract a rule, maybe we should look at going back on that rule.”
His teammate Cameron Munster echoed a similar message.
“I’m not a fan, to be fair,” Munster told Nine.
“I know what they’re trying to do with the game, but it’s not going to stop those momentum swings.
“Sometimes you need to talk to the players as well, we’re not robots. We’re all about growing the game and developing it, but it would be nice if we sometimes talk to the players’ association.
“Maybe in trials next year you could experiment with it. It hurts and it stings a little bit because we’re not playing finals, we’re pretty much [lab] rats tonight.”
While Jahrome Hughes added: “I like our game the way it is at the moment.”
Post-match Cooper Cronk said the change would also make it harder for NRL games to have the type of epic comebacks that rugby league fans love.
“The argument against it is we wouldn’t have seen what Brisbane did in the run to the finals because they caught fire down 16 points, ten minutes to go,” Cronk said.
“What Penrith would’ve done was, I want to receive the ball.”
Fans also were overwhelmingly against the rule change, if comments on the NRL’s video of the new trial kick off rule being used for the first time and the announcement of the rule being used on Thursday night, is anything to go by.
While commentator Andrew Voss noted that the fact you have to make the decision before the kick for goal is flawed.
“I think there’s a flaw already,” Voss said on Fox League.
“It’s our understanding after the try if scored you have to inform the referee what you’re doing not after the shot at goal.
“That could have a bearing of whether you want the ball back.”
The kick-off rule change will also be trialled when the Dragons take on the Eels next week.
And the NRL hasn’t ruled out doing so in any other “dead rubber” game that emerges before the end of the regular season.
Like with any change, new rules take time to get used to and it could grow on the NRL world.
But the NRL faces an uphill battle to get fans, pundits and players on board if Thursday night is anything to go by.
Originally published as NRL world fumes over new kick off rule as Broncos v Storm match used to test controversial change