![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ee71cb37d4c9fcd432bc0a75a0130cfa154694ad.png\")
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April 17, 2026 \u2014 3:49pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Wayne Bennett has defended the NRL\u2019s radical shift to clean up the ruck as clubs and coaches raise questions about the controversial six-again rule amid a pattern of blowout scores and injuries blamed on fatigue.<\/p>\n This season\u2019s increased deployment of set restarts has accelerated the speed of games and increased the number of points scored to an average of 50 per match.<\/p>\n The changes have been implemented as the code attempts to present the most attractive product it can to broadcasters in an effort to secure a record-breaking fee<\/a> for the next five-year rights cycle.<\/p>\n They have been a point of contention, though, with some clubs left frustrated and Canberra coach Ricky Stuart voicing his concerns this week, saying \u201cwe\u2019ve lost the fabric of the game\u201d.<\/p>\n Club chief executives have sought a meeting with NRL head of football Graham Annesley on the issue, but South Sydney coach Bennett maintains the game cannot return to an era of the ruck being disrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no doubt it\u2019s a game changer,\u201d he said before Souths\u2019 game against Shane Flanagan\u2019s St George Illawarra at Accor Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019ve got a game that\u2019s full of entertainment right now. There are some wonderful tries being scored, great ball movement. Do we go back where we had grapples and all the other terms for different types of tackles that we were making to hold players down?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back to that. We suffered for over a decade with that, and I don\u2019t want to go back there.\u201d<\/p>\n Some clubs have adapted better than others to this year\u2019s six-again interpretations and their use from an attacking team\u2019s 20-metre line rather than from their 40-metre line.<\/p>\n They include the Raiders, with Stuart, previously a supporter of tackle count resets replacing penalties for particular infringements, claiming the policy had gone too far.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Stuart, whose side beat the Rabbitohs 36-34 in Perth last weekend, said on Thursday: \u201cMaking the game faster doesn\u2019t necessarily make it more attractive because the score line is 50 to 30. I don\u2019t believe that is more attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n Parramatta coach Jason Ryles earlier this season warned that greater fatigue among players would cause more injuries from hip-drop tackles such as the one that ended the season of Eels representative forward J\u2019maine Hopgood<\/a> in round three.<\/p>\n Bennett, whose team sits fifth on the ladder, said he would be happy if an alternative was found that didn\u2019t necessitate set-restarts but believes \u201cthe onus is back on the players\u201d.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThe players are always playing on the edge of the rules, and this is one they really can\u2019t play on the edge with because it really hurts your team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got to become more conscious about being more compliant and making better efforts to give the referee what he wants. They want a cleaner, better play-the-ball situation than we\u2019ve had in the past, and I don\u2019t want that to change, personally.\u201d<\/p>\n Clubs are also seeking clarity about when future amendments to rules and interpretations will be made, with some unhappy at how little notice was provided about this year\u2019s round of changes before they were put into action.<\/p>\n The NRL announced the updated version of the six-again rule on February 4, less than a month before the season began with a double-header in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Wayne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/efd1d46d7e2a4cfd2547a3a0e9019dc74c0e6ccd.jpeg\")
Wayne Bennett supports the direction of the game. Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Isaah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/83d7779d162a6cf13098fe4aa9068cd1332b97c7.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769322851_66_ee71cb37d4c9fcd432bc0a75a0130cfa154694ad.png\")
Chris Barrett<\/a> is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 17, 2026 \u2014 3:49pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-612401","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\/612401","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=612401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}