ARL Chairman Peter V'landys has responded to the criticism placed on the NRL of the increase in six-again calls during the start of the 2026 season.
It was made in a bid to speed up the product of the game, which is seeing some clubs suffer from the speed-up of the contest.
Reports provided by the Daily Telegraph showed that the number of set restarts has nearly doubled in comparison to the start of the 2025 season.
It was also revealed that there are 78 per cent more 'six again' calls at this time during the season than there were this time last year.
The influx of calls has been widely criticised across the NRL community, where blow-out scorelines have featured consistently in the opening two rounds of the season.
Although V'landys is standing firm on his decision to tighten infringements, saying it comes back to the teams and players who have to adapt and keep disciplined during the game.
“It's a lack of discipline,” V'landys said.
It is seeing a clear distinction in the ill-disciplined teams and the teams that are squeaky-clean, with blow-out scores highlighting their misconduct.
Penalties and infringements have increased 20 per cent since the end of last season, from 16.65 to 19.94 per game during the 2026 campaign, courtesy of Fox Sports data.
It is encouraged by V'landys that teams will have to adapt to the new jurisdictions; otherwise, teams will continue to be punished for their poor discipline.
