LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
'Giving me the irks': Matty Johns blows up over NRL jest
Matty Johns has come out swinging in support of a controversial rule after facing backlash from all corners of the rugby league world, cautioning that we could be in for "30 penalties a game" if it was to be axed.
The rule in question, which grants a reset of the tackle count to the attacking team for minor ruck infringements, was brought in midway through the 2020 season in an effort to ramp up the pace of the game and deter sneaky penalties in the ruck.
There has been a notable 25 per cent uptick in the number of reset tackles in 2024, with Melbourne Storm icon and current Queensland Maroons assistant Cameron Smith recently calling for the rule to be scrapped, citing its impact on the Maroons during their game 2 defeat in Melbourne.
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"I'm not a fan of them, to be honest," Smith told SENQ.
"These set restarts all depend on the interpretation of the referees.