Stuart said fans ultimately had a decision to make around the controversial tackle restarts which have at-times overshadowed a blockbuster start to the NRL season.<\/p>\n
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Almost 12 months ago to the day, a ropeable Stuart was the centre of a media storm around tackle restarts after his side was on the wrong end of a 7-1 set restart count in an early-season loss to Manly.<\/p>\n
Speaking with media on Tuesday ahead of the Canberra\u2019s important home game against the Bulldogs on Thursday night, the Raiders great said he had embraced changes to the ruling for 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter V\u2019landys has made it very clear to us all that the business we are in is an entertainment business, and you can see that the [NRL] commission want it to be fast, you can see the commission want it to be attractive for our fans and they want tries scored,\u201d Stuart said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeeding up the game is one way of doing that. Eliminating the penalties from the 20-metre to the 40-metre zone is going to speed the game up and have more ball in play. You can see the nature of what the commission want. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith the six-agains, you\u2019ve got to make a decision yourself as a fan: do you want a referee to keep penalising wrestle, or would you rather it just be play-on with the six-again? <\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like to be a fan of an opposition team where you\u2019ve got a team that just wants to keep on wrestling and wrestling, and wear the referee out to the stage where the referee just doesn\u2019t give any more penalties? <\/p>\n
\u201cYou make the decision yourself as a fan. I know what I want. I want to eliminate wrestle, I want to have speed in the game, and if the six-again is the way to go then that is the way to go. We\u2019ve got to have that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hannay: ‘Got to roll with the punches!’ | 07:48<\/p>\n
High instances of tackle restarts were particularly topical across the first round of the NRL, with more than 60 six-again decisions across eight games. <\/p>\n
Confusion reigned at different points in the second round, as captains and even coaches said they were unaware of what infringements their side was committing to provoke a set restart. <\/p>\n
Stuart said he was satisfied with the rulings so far, but urged the NRL and its referees to exercise consistency across all players and teams. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we want to see the wrestle and the ugliness on the ground. I think that\u2019s a blight on our game,\u201d Stuart commented. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t enjoy getting six-agains against our team but we\u2019re doing everything we can to have a cleaner ground and get the execution correct so we\u2019re not giving it away. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a coach, as a concern, it\u2019s as long as the referees are consistent with the six-agains, as long as the referees are also coming down on high-profile players in regards to six-agains, I\u2019m comfortable with it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Stuart\u2019s comments echoed that of Fox League\u2019s Kevin Walters, who said teams needed to embrace the NRL\u2019s new blitz with both their discipline and defence.<\/p>\n
The six-again rule has a new fan.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
PERTH BEARS CONFIRM NEWEST ARRIVAL<\/p>\n
The Perth Bears have confirmed their newest and 16th signing with the arrival of English international Mikolaj Oledzki.<\/p>\n
The third English international to sign with the club, Oledzki will link up with the Bears on a three-year contract until the end of 2029, subsequently ending his stint in the Super League with the Leeds Rhinos.<\/p>\n
An explosive ball-runner, the 27-year-old plays in the forward pack and has made nine international appearances for England, with the latest being during the 2025 Ashes Series against Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cMik is a dynamic player who has established himself as one of the consistent prop forwards in the Super League competition,\u201d Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve admired his game for a long time, and I am thrilled to welcome Mik and his young family to Western Australia in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Poland, he will join Rhinos teammates Harry Newman and James McDonnell in the club\u2019s inaugural Top 30 roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an ambition of mine to test myself in the NRL and I am delighted to have the opportunity to do it with Mal Meninga and the Perth Bears,\u201d Oldezki said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe roster is starting to take shape and it\u2019s exciting to think about playing in front of our fans in Perth. I\u2019ve been told they are a loyal and passionate group. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of all, I\u2019m excited about the opportunity to bring my family over to Western Australia. <\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in Poland I would never have thought I\u2019d have the opportunity to live in Perth, but rugby league has given me that chance. I love this game and will be giving it my all for the Bears in 2027 and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who will be the Bears next signing?Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
SHOULD DALLY M SYSTEM TO BE OVERHAULED?<\/p>\n
The NRL\u2019s Dally M voting system has once again come under the spotlight after a broadside from Fox League commentator Andrew Voss this week.<\/p>\n
The current Dally M system has drawn its share of critics since being introduced at the beginning of the 2023 season. <\/p>\n
Under it, two judges hand out 3-2-1 votes in each round match, allowing a player to earn a maximum of six points per game.<\/p>\n
On his daily SEN Radio show, Voss implored the NRL to \u201cblow up\u201d the current Dally M voting system following the release of Round 2 votes on Tuesday, which he labelled as \u201cembarrassing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Of most intrigue from the weekend, according to Voss, was the decision to award Dylan Brown (four points) and Tyson Frizell (three votes) top honours in the Knights win over Manly \u2013 despite both playing limited minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlow up the Dally Ms, blow them up,\u201d Voss said on SEN 1170 Mornings. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe system is broken\u2026 the system does not work. Tyson Frizell against his own fellow forwards had 10 runs for 92 metres, and he\u2019s voted the best player on the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrey Mooney had the best game of his career the other day: 17 runs, had 5 offloads in his 50 minutes and 26 tackles. That\u2019s superb figures for a front-rower.<\/p>\n
Has Seibs run his course at Manly? | 01:36<\/p>\n
\u201cDylan Lucas on the edge, 14 runs for 124 metres, three tackle busts, 30 tackles, played all 80 minutes. Jermaine McEwen, this young back rower, 14 runs, 104 metres, played all 80 (minutes), 28 tackles.<\/p>\n
\u201cJacob Saifiti went well, 12 runs, 122 metres, 27 tackles. Mat Croker, who started the game, 14 runs, 24 tackles, played 60 minutes of the match. How out of order can I get? What are you smoking? What do I say to that?\u201d.<\/p>\n
Warriors\u2019 prop Jackson Ford currently leads the Dally M voting after two rounds, earning the maximum possible 12 votes.<\/p>\n
But there are others on the tally count who probably shouldn\u2019t be, according to Voss.<\/p>\n
Bronson Xerri almost walks out at Dogs | 09:31<\/p>\n
In the same highlighted match, Manly\u2019s Haumole Olakau\u2019atu was awarded two points by the Dally M panel, despite limited figures in a losing side.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s Haumole Olakau\u2019atu\u2019s stats. Seven runs for 67 metres, two touches of the ball in the second half, one was a dropped ball, three tackle busts, 28 tackles,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he\u2019s voted the 2nd best player on the field\u2026 five of the Newcastle forwards more than doubled that tally of involvement. Doubled the metre running, had the equivalent or more tackle busts, and had more tackles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Olakau\u2019atu one, it\u2019s not a fair go to Newcastle. It\u2019s not a fair go to rugby league fans. We\u2019re being treated like absolute mushrooms if we just stand by this voting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is embarrassing. Blow it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
DRAGONS YOUNG GUN LANDS UPGRADE<\/p>\n
The St George Illawarra Dragons have handed a contract upgrade to one of their most impressive youngsters coming through the ranks.<\/p>\n
Entering this season on a development contract, centre Hayden Buchanan has been upgraded to the club\u2019s Top 30 roster for the 2026 and 2027 seasons as he looks to rack up more NRL appearances under his belt.<\/p>\n
A member of the 2023 Australian Schoolboys side and Under-19s NSW Blues representative, he made his debut in Round 23 last year before adding a further four first-grade games to his resume.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m stoked to be extending my time here at the Dragons,\u201d Buchanan said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up here, played junior footy here, junior reps. Making my debut last year was really special and I\u2019m looking forward to building on it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a great group of players and staff here and we\u2019re on a really exciting journey together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coach Shane Flanagan added, \u201cHayden\u2019s worked really hard throughout the preseason and deserves this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of our local juniors who has been in our system for a while. He played some NRL towards the back end of last season and showed he has what it takes to compete at that level. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a good trainer and a good teammate. We\u2019re looking forward to seeing his continued development over the next few seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
The centre is a former Under-19s NSW Blues representative.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NRL\u2019s controversial six-again scourge has found a surprising fan in Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who says he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547551,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,85,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-547550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547550","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=547550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}