Expect more lop-sided NRL scorelines, Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has warned.
Few would have predicted the Roosters' record 59-0 rout of Brisbane on Thursday night - certainly a shell-shocked Broncos coach Anthony Seibold didn't see it coming.
But Robinson said fans should start getting used to blowouts for the rest of the season thanks to the new six-again rule.
Considered a controversial call at first, the NRL hailed the new rule as a success after it led to a more free-flowing game when introduced last round, the first week back from the coronavirus shutdown.
The trend continued on Thursday night in record fashion, with the Broncos suffering their worst loss in club history.
Seibold hoped it was an aberration due to the heavily depleted team they fielded after being ravaged by injury and suspension.
But Robinson predicted routs would become the norm.
"We are going to see less close scorelines. I think that is a given," he said.
"I don't think anyone is going to debate that.
"You are not going to see the closeness of the competition like it has been in the past.
"The most resilient teams will be in the game for 80 minutes and there will be teams who won't be in the game by the 70th minute mark with the new rules."
After the Roosters' 10 try romp, the average winning margin is almost 23 points in nine games played ahead of Friday night's matches.
Those nine games include last round's 14-all draw between Newcastle and Penrith.
Robinson said the new rule was providing an entertaining spectacle that the fans wanted to see but warned it would come at a hefty price on the scoreboard for some teams.
"The feedback after the first round was really positive," he said of the rule change.
"We are seeing things we really want to see.
"But the by product will be you are going to have to be very good at momentum changes as well as defending them and attacking them.
"And that has already caused some distance in scorelines.
"(But) I don't care about what the whole competition looks like, it's about what do we do about it."
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/more-nrl-blowouts-to-come-roosters-coach/8f249f35-9f97-43d5-a7ed-b37608ead3b1
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