Football Leagues

-------AFL------ Culture index Crows Lions Blues Magpies Bombers Dockers Cats Hawks Kangaroos Demons Power Tigers Saints Swans Eagles Bulldogs

 

 

-------NRL----- Index Broncos Bulldogs Cowboys Eels Dragons Knights Panthers Rabbitohs Raiders Roosters Storm Sea Eagles Sharks Tigers Titans Warriors

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It was in the 1950s that Australians first gave their input into the shape of the game. At the time, coaches believed that possession was the key to victory. In order to minimise the chance of losing possession, most coaches instructed their players to run from dummy-half and take a tackle. Due to the unlimited tackle rule, it was a risk free way of wearing down the opposition. The winning team was generally the least daring team.

The negative style of play naturally bored Australians. To address the negative play, Bill Buckely, the president of the NSWRL, collaborated with officials in England to develop a limited tackle rule that would force teams to make some decent territory with each tackle. In 1967, field goals were limited to one point in order to stop people like Souths Sydney's Eric Simms winning matches single handed.

In 1971, the six-tackle rule was implemented. The six-tackle rule completely changed the rugby league. Instead of being a war of attrition with one side holding possession of the ball by minimizing risks, rugby league became a game of flair where teams took risks to set up attacking moves, and kicked for territory if the attacks didn't work.

In 1981, Australian rugby league introduced the sin bin. It allowed the referee to penalize defensive teams that intentionally committed fouls in order to counter attacks. The sin bin could be seen as a reflection of cultural mentality in Australia. For one reason or another, Australians disliked seeing points scored by penalties. Australian referees had always been reluctant to award penalty tries, and Australian crowds never liked players kicking for goals over going for a try. With a sin bin, the referee could inflict a severe penalty on a team that intentionally committed a foul, but do it in a way that would still allow the attacking team to score points off their own bat.

In 1983, teams were given more incentive to attack with the points awarded for a try increasing from three to four. In 1992, attacking teams were given more space to set up plays when the defensive line was required to start ten meters behind the play the ball instead of five. Initially it was implemented in Australia without global sanction, but it soon proved so effective at speeding up the play that it was embraced internationally.