{"id":407671,"date":"2026-01-12T05:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T05:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/407671\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T05:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T05:32:08","slug":"johns-slams-nrl-for-shock-rule-change-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/407671\/","title":{"rendered":"Johns slams NRL for shock rule change – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newcastle Knights<\/a> legend Matty Johns has launched a blunt takedown of the NRL’s proposed kick-off rule change, arguing coaches should stop looking for shortcuts and start fixing their defensive systems instead.<\/p>\n

The NRL<\/a> is considering reintroducing an option that would allow teams to either kick off or receive after conceding points, a concept last used during the Super League<\/a> era, as part of a broader package of proposed rule tweaks set to be discussed with clubs this week.<\/p>\n

Under the current system, the team that concedes points automatically kicks off, handing possession back to the opposition.<\/p>\n

\"NRLSYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 23: Hugo Savala kicking a conversion in the NRL match between Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters at CommBank Stadium, on August 23, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Joshua Davis\/Zero Digital Sports)<\/p>\n

The proposed amendment would fundamentally shift that balance, particularly in one-sided contests.<\/p>\n

Johns, now a part-owner of the Gold Coast Titans<\/a>, says the idea feels like an artificial attempt to flatten scorelines rather than addressing the real issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don’t want to have 10 per cent possession, defend well,\u201d Johns said on Backstage with Cooper and Matty Johns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis rule almost tries to square things up artificially, if there’s a blowout, there’s a blowout.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t whinge because you haven’t had the ball, teach your f***ing players how to tackle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johns explained the origins of the rule during the Super League<\/a> period, revealing former league boss John Ribot consulted coaches at the time for potential changes to the game.<\/p>\n

One of those voices, then-Warriors coach John Monie, argued the scoring team should kick off after experiencing games where his side struggled for possession because the opposition kept crossing the line.<\/p>\n

But Johns believes that logic doesn’t hold up in the modern game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they score and you’re kicking off, they shouldn’t score again off that set,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou practice all year to stop a team going 100 metres and scoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they do it anyway, that’s on you.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn’t need to be fixed with a rule change, that means you’re not a good defensive team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments come amid growing pushback from clubs, who have raised concerns over the speed at which the proposed changes are being fast-tracked, as well as potential increases in injury and concussion risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newcastle Knights legend Matty Johns has launched a blunt takedown of the NRL’s proposed kick-off rule change, arguing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-407671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}