Gould weighs in on controversial refereeing

Phil Gould has voiced concerns about the growing number of six-again calls in the NRL, warning the rule may be having unintended consequences after a dramatic opening round of the season.

The comments come after the first eight games of the new campaign produced 72 set restarts, contributing to several high-scoring results across the competition. 

One of the most striking scorelines came when the Melbourne Storm dismantled the Parramatta Eels 52–4 last Thursday night.

The spike follows a rule tweak introduced this season, where certain infringements beyond the 20-metre line now result in a six-again restart rather than a penalty. 

Previously, those same infringements would only trigger a restart inside the 40-metre zone.

Gus Gould said the increase in set restarts was already noticeable.

"Statistically, there were a few more six-agains than is normally the case," Gould said on Wide World Of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus.

"I'm just concerned that the six-again penalty is an addition to our game. Originally, when they brought the six-again penalty in, it was to take away stopping the game for a kick for touch and slowing the game down, and teams deliberately giving away penalties.

"The six-again was to be a deterrent, and we've learned that it's not.

"It appears to me that these six agains are at most for very minor indirections, that under the old system, I don't think would have warranted a penalty.

"I find it very troublesome that if you give away three in the one set, it's an automatic sin bin. They can be very minor indiscretions, and all of a sudden, you do get a legitimate penalty, and someone's gotta go to the sin bin for it.

"I hope it settles down and I hope the referees rein it in a little bit."

The debate has intensified after the NRL reportedly sent an email to all 17 clubs this week, placing players and coaches on notice over behaviour toward referees. 

The message reportedly warned teams about ruck infringements, contact on kickers, disruptors and captain-only communication protocols.

Journalist Danny Weidler first revealed details of the email, which prompted discussion across the rugby league community. 

Former NRL player Josh Morris responded to the report on social media.

“Let's hope we don't see over-refereeing and blokes going to the bin constantly,” Morris posted.

For Gould, the main concern lies in how frequently and inconsistently the rule appears to be applied.

"My issue with the six-agains is that it's a little bit too pedantic at times, and both players and fans don't understand why they are being given, there's a lot of confusion," Gould said.

"There are teams that deliberately give them away in the first couple of tackles to try and get control of the defensive rhythm.

"There was a time where sides were deliberately giving them away on tackle one or two … but there are far too many in the game where coaches, players and fans are asking 'what was that for?' ... you only need two of those to change the course of the game."

As the season progresses, Gould is hopeful the balance between speed and clarity in the rule will improve.

"Hopefully it settles down," he said.