Theย NRLย is reportedly weighing up the return of the five-minute sin bin for the 2024 season.
However, one individual who is not a fan of the re-introduction of the five-minute sin bin is former NRL referee Gavin Badger.
This came afterย The Daily Telegraphย revealed that on Monday, the NRL sent a document to club bosses asking for feedback on a variety of issues, which included the return of the five-minute sin bin.
Badger admitted he was not a fan of the proposal, last seen in 1991, and hoped it would remain the same as last season - a ten-minute sin bin.
โIn the current game, five minutes is two sets, for the benefit you can get out of a professional foul, I don't think it's a big enough deterrent,โ Badger toldย SEN 1170 Mornings.
โI know that teams will manipulate that as much as they can in areas.โ
Speaking on the radio show, Gavin Badger also compared the current game of rugby league to a match in 1991, stating that the five-minute rule wouldn't have the same effect it did back them.
This is mainly due to the fast-paced nature of the game to go along with high-performance specialists and the athleticism of the players today.
โ(The difference in the game is) the fitness level and skill of the players, and defensive structures,โ Badger added.
โWith sin bin becoming more regular, teams do a lot of work defending with 12 players, so to only have to do it for two sets, and generally looking at professional fouls which are try-scoring situations, you're more than willing to give that up if that means you're saving your team a try.
โWe saw this when โsix again' first came in, particularly when teams were defending out of the โred zone' when teams were coming out of yardage, they were more likely to give away one because it only meant one more tackle.
โI reckon we'll be in a similar situation, I don't think the game needs any more changes, we keep talking about how great the game is, everyone we start talking about that we have an innovation committee that thinks we have to change it.
โI'm a bit old school and think we should leave it alone for a while.โ
The NRL Head of Football, Graham Annesley, has yet to comment on the sin bin rumours as of Thursday. But, Annesley did confirm that a document had been sent out to gather feedback on the sin bin and other issues surrounding the game of rugby league.
