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<\/p>\n\u201cMy view is that the \u2018you score, we score\u2019 doesn\u2019t fool anyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
By the end of the season, however, statistics suggested the new rule didn\u2019t make that much difference.<\/p>\n
In 96 Super League fixtures, 692 tries were scored, or 7.2 a game. In 141 ARL games, 959 tries were scored (6.8 a game). The average score in Super League was 28-15. The average ARL scoreline was 25-13.<\/p>\n
So hindsight would suggest it evened itself out, yet when the two leagues reunited at the end of 1997 to form the NRL, tradition held sway, and scorer\u2019s kick was consigned to the dustbin.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
Barely a month before the first pre-season trials, scorer\u2019s kick is among four changes the NRL has asked clubs to consider. The others are an increase in game-day squad sizes from 17 to 19, set restarts instead of penalties outside the 20-metre line and six tackles instead of seven for the defending team if their opponents knock-on over the tryline.<\/p>\n
Of those changes, scorer\u2019s kick \u2013 recommended by a highly qualified committee of coaches comprising Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart, Ivan Cleary and Craig Fitzgibbon \u2013 appears the most significant and most likely to cause controversy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coaches Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart and Craig Fitzgibbon at NRL headquarters after last month\u2019s meeting to discuss possible rule changes. Credit: Sam Mooy<\/p>\n
In an email to clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo explained that scorer\u2019s kick would be optional, because the team that has conceded the try would also be given the choice of kicking off, instead of receiving the ball.<\/p>\n
Abdo said this would introduce \u201ca new tactical element to the game where the captain can decide whether possession or field position is more important based on game circumstances\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bennett, who coached Brisbane to the Super League title in 1997, is clearly a fan of the concept, arguing that in the modern game, especially since the advent of the interchange and, more recently, set restarts, momentum swings have become increasingly hard to counter.<\/p>\n
Scorer\u2019s kick, theoretically, would give teams some respite when they are on the back foot, keeping them in the contest and reducing the likelihood of blowout scorelines.<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cIt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/78621c1714e1efba97bac3ee32eb169c7181ed58.jpeg\")
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\u201cIt was a disaster\u201d: Phil Gould said changing the kick-off rule did not work for Super League and it won\u2019t work now.Credit: Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes it fair,\u201d the game\u2019s most experienced coach said last month. \u201cYou have equal opportunity with the ball. Ball control has always been important in the game, but it\u2019s distorted because you can score, then you go back and get the ball back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others are sceptical.<\/p>\n
Canterbury boss Phil Gould has been the most outspoken critic, stating on social media: \u201cWhoever it was that regurgitated the concept of the scoring team kicking off in the NRL should be publicly whipped. Please … they tried this rubbish years ago, and it was a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleary appears dubious, pointing out that Penrith (2023) and Brisbane (2025) won grand finals after launching mid-game comebacks. Such revivals hinge on getting the ball back from the kick-off.<\/p>\n
![\"Could](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/e4fcf3f862e9d30c9fc57521ea6cad13c242dee8.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Could Reece Walsh and the Broncos have produced their grand final comeback with a changed kick-off rule?Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Manly coach Anthony Seibold also has concerns. He played during the Super League era and has not forgotten that \u201cthere were still big scorelines and big momentum swings\u201d.<\/p>\n
He was wary of \u201cchange for change\u2019s sake\u201d, and recommended a trial period to assess the impact of scorer\u2019s kick.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome coaches and players see potential for an added tactical element, but others believe this change alters game momentum,\u201d Seibold says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel, tactically, short kick-off rules already provide a tactical option for the non-scoring team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur club\u2019s concern is built around how the tactic is communicated and what it does to the game, as this may increase stoppages if teams need to reset their positions once a decision is made.<\/p>\n
\u201cClubs also need further detail on the process and communication of the rule.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts are that the rule be trialled before being implemented. Therefore, we can see how the rule changes momentum of the game and\/or does it make the game better viewing and a better game for the players?\u201d<\/p>\n
Knights coach Justin Holbrook said he felt some of the proposed rule changes were \u201cterrific\u201d and would improve the game, but he was not convinced about scorer\u2019s kick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s going to be put in,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the moment, it\u2019s just a recommendation.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil it gets confirmed, I\u2019m not really going to look into it too much \u2026 if it does, we\u2019ll adapt to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf all of a sudden you\u2019ve got the choice [to kick off or receive the ball], it all depends on the position.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re behind, you want the ball back. If you\u2019re not, you\u2019ll kick long and things like that. It\u2019ll all be the game situation if that comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Almost three decades after his \u201cyou score, we score\u201d comment, Waite is still involved in rugby league, as chairman of Runaway Bay junior club on the Gold Coast, and as an advisor in Melbourne Storm\u2019s pathways system.<\/p>\n
He enjoys the modern game but insists it needs to maintain a \u201cbalance\u201d between attack and defence.<\/p>\n
He said scorer\u2019s kick could potentially \u201csway the seesaw a bit\u201d, but the NRL\u2019s best coaches will soon adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not against change and having a look at new ideas,\u201d Waite says. \u201cObviously the game is still about possession and field position. That\u2019s the war of attrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will add some fascination to see how coaches go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He predicted that most teams will opt to receive the ball after conceding a try, rather than kicking off.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough if they drop the kick-off, or turn the ball over on tackle two or three, they might be wishing they\u2019d made a different decision,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Warren Ryan, pictured with Greg Alexander and Andrew Johns, changed the game in the 1980s with his innovative coaching.Credit: NRL Photos<\/p>\n
He felt it was \u201creally healthy for the game\u201d that the NRL was willing to seek the advice of senior coaches to hopefully create an improved product.<\/p>\n