Do you recall a time when scoring 30 points was celebrated as a winning achievement in the NRL, with rare instances each year where it didn't hold true?
You know those matches.
Games where defense seemed abandoned, with points racked up like it was effortless. They were simply enjoyable.
Yet, within a round of eight matches and a typical season of roughly 200 games, more often than not, battles of endurance prevailed.
In recent seasons, points per game have been gradually increasing, a trend fueled by the implementation of the six-again rule.
This rule had its highlights but has dramatically shifted the balance this year, leading to 80-point games in each of the last two rounds.
Initially, the North Queensland Cowboys triumphed over the Cronulla Sharks in Townsville with a score of 48-36. Following that, an exhilarating match saw the South Sydney Rabbitohs narrowly lose to the Newcastle Knights 42-38 over the weekend.
However, the six-again rule isn't the sole factor contributing to these high scores. In the recent Newcastle game, only four six-agains were awarded, yet the game's pace, regulatory changes, and enforcement have transformed defense into a vanishing skill.
There's a significant emphasis now on faster, more agile players, with noticeably less focus being placed on defensive strategies than ever before.