National Rugby League attendance figures have "alarmingly slumped to their lowest level in 12 years in the opening three rounds of the premiership as disenchanted fans walk away from the game," according to Phil Rothfield of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. A combination of "terrible refereeing blunders, exorbitant ticket prices, fans being locked out of a game, the inconsistency of the match-review committee and a lack of confidence in the game's administration" are being blamed for the "dramatic slump." Not since "way back" in '03 have average attendances been "so poor to start a season." The saturation TV coverage "cannot be blamed" because ratings are down more than 15% on pay-TV and Channel Nine's free-to-air Friday night ratings over the same period are down 3% in Brisbane, "but up slightly in Sydney." Since '11, crowds have fallen by more than 2,000 per game for the opening three rounds, a slide of almost 12%. The NRL's strategic plan revealed by the independent commission back in '12 "predicted a growth in average crowds" to 20,000 over a full season. They have gone backward since (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 3/25).
BENCH SHAKE-UP: In Sydney, Stuart Honeysett reported the NRL is moving toward its "biggest bench shake-up in 25 years with the NRL considering the reintroduction of substitute players to accompany plans to cut the number of interchanges from next season." The NRL was expected to officially unveil its plans on Wednesday with a university professor from South Australia, Kevin Norton, "being commissioned to conduct a review of the interchange rules with a view to making the game safer and more exciting for fans." Norton has already conducted "extensive research on injuries and fitness conditioning in other sports, including Australian football" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/25). In Sydney, Michael Chammas reported there is "growing concern among NRL players and officials that some clubs are exploiting the NRL's crackdown on concussions to increase the number of interchanges at their disposal." The NRL is keeping a "close eye on clubs" that are potentially encouraging players and training staff to exaggerate the impact of any head knocks in order to trigger the free interchange for coming from the field for a concussion test (SCAT). Most of the talk surrounding concussions has centered on players returning to the paddock when they should not, but there is an "increasing fear of a potential risk of coaches rorting the system to gain a substantial advantage from the use of additional interchanges" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/24).
VIDEO REFEREE BUNKER: In Sydney, Brad Walter reported the NRL is set to trial an "NHL-style video referee bunker midway through the season to determine whether it produces better and faster decisions." NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said the video referees "would operate from a central command centre with access to every available camera angle, but the current video refereeing system would remain in use for the selected games and to provide a genuine comparison." Greenberg said it was hoped that the bunker system would provide "greater accuracy and consistency by video referees in quicker time." Greenberg: "A video referee sits in a box with one screen and he only sees what the producer from the broadcast gives him. Sitting in a central command area you would have a screen for every camera at every opportunity in the game in real time" (SMH, 3/24).
