League curbs tackles to lure kids

NEW tackling rules for junior rugby league players will be expanded across Queensland this year.

Under the changes, under-7s will be banned from tackling for the first 10 rounds of the year before moving into full contact at the end of the season through a Tackle Safe Program to teach them the correct techniques.

Officials say participation in the code is in decline and changes are necessary to attract more players and give parents confidence in the safety of the game.

CONTROVERSIAL new tackling changes will be expanded across Queensland’s junior rugby league competitions following a year-long trial in the state’s southeast.

Under the new rules, under-7s will be banned from tackling for the first 10 rounds of the year before moving into full contact at the end of the season.

Queensland Rugby League board member and former Maroons great Ben Ikin has backed the changes to the junior rugby league competitions.

“There’s going to be some opposition to it but the game is no stranger to that,” Ikin said.

“We need to be conscious of the fact that the game we have been taking to market at various age groups is suffering a decline in participation.

“We need to understand why and make changes.”

The decision follows last year’s radical shake-up of the sport, which saw southeast Queensland a testing ground for a no-premierships and notackle program trial.

Last year, under-6s in junior rugby league competitions across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast were outlawed from tackling – instead playing a non-contact version called Tag League.

As part of the changes for this year, competition points will also be scrapped for under-13s after they were removed from the under-6 to under-12 divisions last year.

Results from the trial revealed the rule changes made players and parents more confident to participate, which has prompted the no-tackling expansion into the under-7 age group this year.

A Tackle Safe Program will also be implemented for the under-7s to teach them the correct techniques to ease them into full contact sport.

Townsville District Junior Rugby League president Bert Petersen said a six-week development program would be held for under-6s and under-7s to teach them the basic ball skills before they played.

Ikin is also on the NRL Player Development Framework committee, which has been tasked with finding ways to get kids back into the game.

“The NRL, through this committee, embarked on a heap of research,” Ikin said.

“The whole idea around the slow introduction to contact is that we needed parents to feel safe and that kids were getting the proper education.”

The NRL’S Retention Survey, conducted in 2017, found that “injury or fear of injury” was a key reason for junior rugby league players to avoid playing the game.

The decision has received mixed feedback from clubs.