NRL fans feel the game is leaning too far into the six-again rule with defence going out the window with the Parramatta Eels defeating the Brisbane Broncos 40-32 in a game played at breakneck speed. New Eels recruit Jonah Pezet bounced back from his lacklustre performance last week against the Storm to score a try and set-up four more to help the Eels rally from 20-6 down and win the game.
Reece Walsh endured a rollercoaster game for the Broncos with flashes of brilliance mixed with defensive errors. While Ezra Mam was called out for his defence. Michael Maguire is now under more pressure than last week with the Broncos in all sorts after three defeats in 2026 having also lost the World Club Challenge before the start of the season.
NRL fans feel the increased six-again rule is not creating a better produced after the Parramatta Eels defeated Michael Maguire’s (pictured left) Broncos outfit 40-32 in a game played at breakneck speed. (Images: Getty Images)
While there were points aplenty in the opening round and the first game of round two, NRL fans are not thrilled with the product. The increase in six-agains, due to the zone being extended where the referees can call the infringement, has resulted in an even faster tempo of game.
This could have compounded the blowouts in round one with two teams conceding 50 points or more with the average winning margin a little more than 20 points. That was the highest average winning margin since 2021.
The NRL doubled down ahead of round two and said the referees would continue to blow set restarts for ruck infringements and offsides between the two 20 metre lines. The Broncos conceded eight penalties and four ruck infringements against the Eels. Defence for both teams went out the window with 59 tackles missed throughout the contest.
While 12 tries were scored in a high-scoring game, most fans do not believe more four-pointers equal a better game. There have been nine games of NRL so far in 2026 and there has been an average of 52 points scored. The old adage: ‘Premierships are built on defence,’ could go out the window in 2026 with teams unable to defend due to exhaustion. Fans are urging the NRL to rein in the set restarts going forward with a faster game not necessarily meaning a better game.
Ezra Mam’s defence exposed in Eels defeat
While the extended six-again rule is wreaking havoc on games, Mam’s defence was also a concern for Maguire and could have compounded the scoreline. The Broncos coach opted not to start Mam against the Panthers last week, but the team failed to score a point in the 26-0 loss.
Maguire faced pressure to bring Mam back into the fold, but the Eels targeted his side and he was exposed on a number of occasions in defence. And Penrith great Alexander felt the edge defence for the Broncos was not good enough to start the season.
“They’ve got the edge defence absolutely rattled,” Greg Alexander said on Fox League. “Ezra Mam is a match-winner but boy he’s been found out defensively on that side. They really have struggled defensively on that left side, Brisbane. They’re all over the place.”
Ezra Mam (pictured) was called out for his defence in the 4-32 defeat against the Eels.
(Bradley Kanaris via Getty Images)
Regardless, Maguire said the team needed to review the performance as a whole after leading 20-6 in the first-half. “I’ll go back and watch the tape,” Maguire said in his press conference. “We performed for 20 minutes, we performed pretty well, but it takes 80 minutes to win a game of footy. So I’ll be having a look at each player in the squad.
“It takes a team to have a strong defensive line. We had a few issues there on the left, but as a group and as a team, they all help each other and that’s what a defensive line is. We’re just not hitting the mark there.”