Footy legend Cameron Smith calls for major NRL rule change that he believes hurt the Queensland Maroons in Origin II at the MCG
- Cameron Smith has called on the NRL to abolish the ‘six-again’ rule
- Says the rule hurt the Maroons during the second match of State of Origin
- In 2024, there has been a 25 percent increase in the number of six-recalls
Rugby league legend Cameron Smith has called on the NRL to scrap the ‘six-again’ rule, just days after Raiders coach Ricky Stuart accused referees of ‘gambling’ when deciding when a team should be given a fixed restart.
The six-again rule had its teething problems when it was first introduced in 2020, with good teams able to break up struggling teams by playing multiple sets in a row on offense.
This led to uneven results and a lack of real competition, but over the years the directors have found the right balance.
However, there is a 25 per cent increase in the number of six second-chance games in 2024 as Smith has had enough of the rule which he believes hurt the Maroons in their second-game loss in Melbourne.
βI don’t really like them that much, to be honest,β Smith told SENQ.
‘Restarting a set is entirely dependent on the referees’ interpretation.
‘The back-to-back set starts that referee Ashley Klein gave in the second game of State of Origin, if they didn’t have an immediate defensive impact at that point (against Queensland) then they will later.
‘Queensland was forced to make the switch because of the sheer amount of work they had to do.
Cameron Smith (pictured) believes the ‘six-again’ rule should be scrapped from the game
Smith says the rule hurt the Maroons in their Game 2 loss in Melbourne (pictured left, captain Daly Cherry-Evans)
Smith says Queensland were forced to make a substitution because of the sheer amount of work they had to do to run the defence.
‘They’ve made 15 tackles in a row on their own try-line and nobody knows (what the penalty is for), so the referee doesn’t have to answer for anything.
‘You can’t tell me that in the second game, where the referee blocked the ball or let the ball go slowly in the first 15 minutes, something similar happened and they let it go again after 60 minutes.’
The Blues were handed two sets back to back in the eighth and ninth minutes of the second game, with Liam Martin eventually opening the scoring in the 11th minute on a drop-out from the line.
NSW did not get a restart of the set, the Maroons got two after 52 and 68 minutes, both of which resulted in tries.
βIt’s very important how the referees restart the set,β Smith said.
‘We should abolish them because then the emphasis is on referees blowing the whistle for things that are outright penalties.
‘That way everyone knows what’s going on.’