Rugby League can sometimes be a dour and boring game to watch as the big guys smash into each other in a grinding show of strength and power. But the game is cyclical and sometimes new trends emerge which reward speed, agility, skill and athleticism – providing a much more entertaining spectacle for lovers of the sport. In Australia the NRL Finals Series has just gotten underway and it’s normally a great time to see the best the sport has to offer, but this year something special is happening that is really worth taking a look at for even the casual observer.
In Week 1 of this years Finals Series a new record has been set for the number of points scored. 235 points spread across just 4 games as the best 8 teams in the competition put on a show with some of the most entertaining attacking rugby league you’ll see. Not since 2005 have we seen attacking sides dominate in this way. I’ve been following this sport for over 30 years and I think that we are in for a real treat this year as it’s shaping up as great spectacle in the weeks to come. Let me explain 3 big reasons why.
We’ve had COVID-19 providing a lot of setbacks and obstructions for all sorts of sports this year and the NRL was no exception. The rescheduling of the competition has pushed the finals series out by 3 weeks. That does not sound like much, but in Australia the Springtime comes on pretty quick and so the games will played in hotter, drier conditions than normal. That means the big strong guys who sometimes dominate the sport will be getting worn down faster while the fast, agile and skilful players are going to get more of a free hand to exploit the defensive holes the big guys leave.
The NRL administrators have been trying to speed up the game for a few years now and one of the big changes this year has been the “Repeat Set”. Previously when one team did something wrong in the ruck there would be a “Penalty” blown, which would cause a stoppage to the game and let players catch their breath to reset their defence. With the “Repeat Set” the attacking team just gets to keep playing with more tackles and this puts the defensive team right on the back foot, needing to really scramble to hold the attackers off.
Normally the State of Origin (a representative series) is scheduled right in the middle of the NRL competition. The best players are usually pulled out of the NRL competition to play and this causes a lot of disruption to many teams as well as adds fatigue to the elite players. This year the State of Origin has been moved to post-season and in combination with a shorter season overall, the elite players are in much better condition and fresher for the Finals Series. PLUS they’ve had the entire season to get their attacking systems in order with no disruption to the club teams.
There are only 6 teams left in the competition with 3 weekends of games to be played and all 6 of those teams are capable of putting on a great show and scoring lots of points. My personal view is that we are not only going to see lots of points scored in those 3 weeks, but the best attacking team will go on to win the competition. My money is on South Sydney, who are still paying about 12.00 even though they put 60 points on last years Premiers in the final week of the regular season and just put up another 46 points in Week 1 of the Finals.
South Sydney are a long price because no team has won from outside the Top 4 in recent times and the market has Recency Bias, but this year is a bit different and I think it can be done. Either way it’s going to be a great series to watch, so if you are interested in atheticism in sport take a look at the NRL Finals this year. It’ll be fun to watch for sure.