Cameron Munster is demanding more clarity from the NRL and its officials after an explosion of set-restarts in the opening rounds of the 2026 season. Munster and the Melbourne Storm were unable to get revenge over the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night, falling 18-14 in the grand final rematch.
While not blaming the officials for Melbourne’s loss, Munster was left exasperated and calling for an explanation over a number of six-again calls that left the players in the dark. In a bid to keep the ball in play more, the NRL tweaked the six-again rule in 2026 to make infringements outside the 20m zone a set-restart rather than penalty.
Cameron Munster (L) was left highly frustrated after the Storm’s loss to the Broncos. Image: AAP
Last year it was a penalty if an infringement occurred within a team’s defensive 40m zone, but that zone has been reduced by half in 2026. Before Round 3 started on Thursday night, referees had awarded 9.8 set-restarts per game – a 78 per cent increase compared to this time last year (5.5 per game).
On Friday night in the Storm-Broncos game there were 12 set-restarts awarded (six per team). Fans have flooded social media to claim the situation has gone way too far, and Munster was quick to point out that a lot of the time the players don’t even know what they’re being pinged for.
Cameron Munster reckons the changes have gone too far.
(AAPIMAGE)
“I love watching rugby league, I watch every team play and sometimes I just scratch my head watching some of the decisions in the bunker,” he told AAP after the game. “I’m sitting here frustrated, I’m sure there’s a lot of other people in the game frustrated, but they probably won’t come out and say it.
“I’m going to put my balls on the line and say, ‘We just want more clarity’ – that’s all I need. If we can get more clarity, then I’m sure a lot of people won’t be whingeing and moaning about the decisions that were made.”
Cameron Munster says NRL players are frustrated
Munster claimed other NRL players are just as frustrated than him. “You just don’t know sometimes as a player what the six-agains are about … I’ve spoken to a lot of players in the last three weeks and they shake their heads too,” he added.
“We sit down after games and talk about some of the decisions that are made for both teams and some of the moments we had tonight probably shouldn’t have got and vice-versa. You see the six-again compared to last year in the first three rounds, it’s chalk and cheese.”