Great decision.

Its bugged me for years

No, the defender would be penalised for ungentlemanly conduct.



It eliminates an element of skill in wingers having to bend their body around the corner post and get the ball down without dropping it.

In my opinion, it seems to be a way of making scoring a try easier, which im wary about. Scoring a try should be difficult and involve skill in order to be rewarded with 4 points. We have to be careful in RL not to turn the game into try-fests. There should always be a balance between "entertainment" and the integrity of the game and over the years we've done away with competitive play the balls and competitive scrums to make the game more entertaining but we're in danger of losing sight of the point of the game.



Also the NRL should be currently much more concerned over the off-field discipline and conduct of their clubs and players rather than making bizarre mid-season rule changes.

We don't. Any object that is in contact with the ground touch is also in touch. A player in contact with said object would also be in touch. The only thing that is special about the corner flags is that they are the only object that tends to be close enough to the field of play for this to matter. To say touching the corner flags does not put the player into touch would be an (unnecessary) exception to the normal rules regarding being in touch.

Exactly my thoughts tbh.



As an aside, I'm pleased to see JonM needs a sense of perspective. "Cancer on the game"

So why have that exceptional item in the corner and only the corner? Why there and not anywhere else on the touchline? Or the dead ball line?

Of course we could just move them a metre back like we do with the flags on the halfway line.

If it ain't broke....

I think their main purpose is to help judge whether the ball or player has gone in touch in goal or not.

We could move them. Or we could just leave them where they are. They would be less helpful elsewhere.

If that's their main purpose, it changes the nature of touch in goal in that specific area of the field. Why would we do that?

We'd be playing 15 a side with lineouts if we took that attitude.

Besides, what makes you think it isn't broke?

Good rule change, my only concern is that others needed sorting first.

Yep, seen so many otherwise great matches utterly ruined by corner posts. Typical northern luddite thinking, "we've managed ok with them for the last 100 years", "shouldn't you wait for a new season to change the rules"... Next up, decisive NRL action the plague of slight variation in post protector thickness that is spoiling our sport.