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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The NRL is poised to trial a controversial change to the kick-off rule in matches with no bearing on the finals to determine whether a permanent switch should be introduced for the 2027 season.<\/p>\n Head office had considered implementing the initiative, which allows a team that has conceded a try the option to either kick-off or receive the ball<\/a> from a restart of play, in the months before this season.<\/p>\n While the proposal passed its first test \u2013 at a committee meeting of top coaches Wayne Bennett, Ivan Cleary, Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart and Craig Fitzgibbon \u2013 the clubs felt the game was being unnecessarily tampered with.<\/p>\n To placate the clubs, who wanted more time to digest the potential ramifications of the rule, the NRL put the initiative on hold. But in doing so, the governing body kept the door ajar on the prospect of road-testing the rule in matches that wouldn\u2019t have finals implications.<\/p>\n The trial of the initiative is weeks away, sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, said. It will give stakeholders a chance to witness the rule being tested under match conditions, and then determine whether it adds value to the game. It\u2019s the same avenue by which another big shake-up, the captain\u2019s challenge, was introduced.<\/p>\n Proponents for the change feel it could reduce blowout scorelines, as the team that has just scored regains possession, making momentum difficult to stop.<\/p>\n Given the team that just conceded a try under the proposed alteration would have the choice of either kicking or receiving the ball, it also adds a tactical element to the game.<\/p>\n There have been a raft of rule changes recently, most notably the introduction of the six-again after the resumption in May 2020 of the premiership following the COVID pandemic break.<\/p>\n Related Article![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dd9bb96330d6f89755694194c745ee7992110a79.jpeg\")
A proposed new kick-off rule is about to be trialled.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"South](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/195e9460be50bbbc188931e0e6937657e9aaa537.jpeg\")
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has expressed support for a proposed new kick-off rule.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Daly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785445881_674_13ddbac836a989746dc70dbafe3f343ff997f2bb.jpeg\")
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