The NRL have confirmed there will be no rule changes for 2025, but interpretations to the way certain elements of the game will change.
Maybe the biggest change which will be trialed during the pre-season challenge, but is not yet a confirmed rule change for the regular season, is a change to the way the sin bin will be used for high tackles.
The rule change trial during the three weeks of pre-season matches will see players responsible for illegal high tackles sin binned for ten minutes if a tackle results in the opposing player being removed from the field as a Category 1 concussion, or fail a Category 2 HIA.
High tackles identified by match officials will continue to be penalised by the referee as per usual however, with players still able to be sin binned or sent off if the referee and bunker official come to that judgement.
The change in interpretations across the regular season will see the play the ball and offsides monitored more closely.
โAll of the indicators we measure across the season show that our on-field product is in very good shape and that the rule changes introduced by the Commission in recent years are having the desired impact," the NRL's head of football Graham Annesley said of the changes.
โThere are some areas of the game where standards have started to drop and other areas that required additional clarity around the way the game is officiated.
โThe play-the-ball by the attacking team was one area that we needed to address, as well as 10-metre compliance by the defending team. Last season we saw too many examples of players not making a genuine attempt to play-the-ball, so our match officials will be looking at that closely and we've also tweaked the way the referee will manage the 10 metres to ensure more consistency when defenders are allowed to advance.โ
The way obstructions will be officiated has also altered slightly, attempting to ensure a better balance between rewarding lead runners and protecting defenders, and to try to remove the milking epidemic which has gripped the sport.
โWe have provided clarity on some key principles in relation to the refereeing of obstruction as well as the considerations for match officials in applying those principles.โ