Time to award sides for golden-point loss
Teams forced to play extra time should have something to show for it
THE end of the calendar year always brings on debate about the rules in our major competitions, and of course the NRL is in the centre of discussion.
This week, the conversation has been about golden point, and how competition points should be allocated in the event a regular season game goes into extra time.
It resurfaced this week after changes to England’s Championship and League 1, the tiers below the Super League, who will implement a new system for the season.
Teams who are level at the end of 80 minutes will each be awarded one competition point, with an additional point up for grabs should one of the teams win the game in the extra 10 minutes. The change won’t be adopted at Super League level just yet, but it has sparked more conversation about how the NRL operates.
Both the NRL and Super League have similar systems, which treats golden point games the same as a regular, 80-minute contest.
Two points goes to the winner, none to the loser, and it’s a point each if the scores are level after extra time.
The way points are distributed, and how games can be decided, came up earlier this season when the Broncos earned a golden-point win against Parramatta.
The Broncos nailed a field goal through Jamayne Isaako before the Eels even touched the ball, winning the game 17-16 and earning two valuable points (the Eels got their revenge in the finals).
The need for a result implored the NRL to introduce golden point in 2003.
The sudden-death nature of the extra 10 minutes has added a layer of excitement to regular competition games, and can make some losses all the more heartbreaking. But the system can be better.
When the NRL removed the draw, it essentially set up a different set of rules for teams who can’t be split after 80 minutes of rugby league.
It’s never been fair that a team forced to play for extra time walks away with nothing to show for it, and that’s why the NRL should look to the system being implemented in England’s lower tiers.
There is some discussion about changing the value of a win to four points, with three for a golden-point win, two each for a draw and one for a golden point loss, but that’s overcomplicating the system. Keep it simple.
If a game goes into golden point, both teams deserve to walk away with a point each, and if a team can find a winner in that extra period, they get a win’s full value.
It’s not hard, it doesn’t make some games worth more than others, and it justly rewards teams who, for the 90-plus years before golden point was introduced, would have walked away with a draw.
Should the NRL adopt a new golden point system? @CairnsSports