Teams that score a try could be made to kick off to restart play in 2026 in one of the biggest rule changes that the NRL has contemplated recently to avoid lopsided results.
The governing body is in the process of sending out surveys to clubs and fans as part of an end-of-season review. That feedback, coupled with the NRL’s own analysis, will provide a framework for discussions that examine ways to make the game even more entertaining next year.
Manly star Reuben Garrick gets play under way.Credit: AP
Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality said a competition committee will look at potential rule tweaks, with the question of which team should kick off to be one of the top agenda items.
Currently, the team that concedes a try or goal restarts play by kicking off, meaning even more possession for that side that just scored points. That can lead to the scoring team gaining momentum that can be difficult to stop, sometimes resulting in an avalanche of points.
The competition committee will consider whether a change to the restart would result in a more even distribution of possession and closer contests. Should a change occur, it will follow the lead of the NFL, where the scoring team kicks off. It would also mark the most significant change to the way the game is played since the introduction of the six-again rule in 2021.
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The NRL is also keen to reduce the amount of time that trainers spend on the field. Currently, the blue-shirt trainer is allowed to run messages and water when their team has possession, until the fourth tackle, up to three times a half. Meanwhile, the orange trainer is allowed on the field to provide water when the side is in possession. The rules are considered complex and difficult to police, while the sight of trainers constantly on the field is a bugbear of fans.
There have also been several incidents in recent seasons where trainers have impacted on play. Penrith was fined $50,000 after a series of indiscretions, the latest also earning trainer Corey Bocking a suspension for running in front of Titan Jayden Campbell just before he took a crucial conversion attempt.
The NRL opted not to make any major rule changes last season, although there were some key interpretation tweaks. The competition committee – which comprised ARLC director Wayne Pearce and coaches Wayne Bennett, Ricky Stuart and Ivan Cleary at the time – provided a clearer framework for the obstruction rule, which has been credited for fewer contentious decisions in 2025.
