The NRL proposed a shock rule change ahead of the 2026 season, which would allow teams that conceded a try to make a decision whether they would like to kick off or receive in the continuation of play.
It was met with some hesitation from club officials, who believed that the rules were unnecessarily being tampered with and diluting the product of the NRL.
Following the NRL holding off on making a call on the kick-off change, it was decided that it would be implemented in a non-finals-bearing game to decide whether they will push forward permanently.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting the date for the initiative trial is approaching soon, and will give NRL head honchos an opportunity to see if the rule change benefits the game before making a final decision, most likely in the offseason.
The captain's challenge was introduced in similar circumstances, which has come into the game and is a critical feature in the modern-day NRL.
Other rule changes that were introduced at the start of 2026 have dramatically sped up the pace of the game.
It includes the set-restart activation areas pushed from the 40-metre line back to the 20-metre line.
The slight change has made a world of difference, and blow-out scores have been more prevalent than ever in the NRL, including the Sydney Roosters' record demolition of 82-12 against the North Queensland Cowboys on Thursday night.
The kick-off rule gives an opportunity to balance out blow-out scorelines, as the game has shown that once a team has momentum, it is increasingly more difficult to wrangle it back.
Being able to receive the steeden following a concession of a try gives a layer of balance back into the play.
Although when it was proposed back in November, most NRL clubs agreed that it wasn't the right move.
However, now that clubs have witnessed the one-sided scorelines dominate the league, it may change their minds.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports Parramatta vs St George looms as a potential candidate, with both teams well and truly out of the finals race.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett believes the rule could benefit the game and says it isn't as intrusive as it may seem.
“You've got an option, so if it offends you, and you don't like it, do what you've always done and kick off ... It doesn't change,” Bennett told the Sydney Morning Herald earlier in the year.
“I'm a fan of the flexibility of it even more because now you've got the option to kick off, or you don't want to kick off.
“This is a new rule of the game where you can determine whether you want the ball back. Who is to stop the team kicking off to you going short? Nobody.
“If you like the old rule, and you don't like the new rule, stick with the old rule … If you listen to some of these guys [complaining], we'd still be playing with unlimited tackles, and players would still be wearing black boots with white laces.”
The NRL has been active in adopting new rules into the game, including the six-again rule introduced in 2020, which plays a major role in the modern-day game.
