Roosters coach John Strange reignites six-again debate, refereeing, state of the women’s game

Round 1 gave us plenty to talk about: big score lines, sin bins, fast, physical football. It also reignited one of the biggest questions surrounding the NRLW at the moment. Is it finally time for the six again rule?

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The debate was reignited after Round 1, with Sydney Roosters’ coach John Strange raising the prospect of bringing the rule into the NRLW following his side’s emphatic win. And it is a conversation worth having.

Strange has earned enormous respect for the role he has played in the growth of the women’s game and the success he has achieved as a coach. His perspective comes from a position of genuine experience and a deep understanding of where the competition is heading.

Fundamentally, I’m not against six again. But changing the rules because they already exist in the men’s competition, or simply because one respected voice has raised the idea, isn’t reason enough.

The conversation needs to be bigger than one opinion and broader than the pursuit of rule parity. The NRL has to make decisions that are right for all 12 clubs and for the long-term growth of the competition, not just where its benchmark teams are today.

Before introducing a rule designed to increase speed, fatigue and reward sustained momentum, we need to consider what it would mean for the team still building towards that standard.

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CASE FOR PROFESSIONAL ALIGNMENT

‘Six Again’ shouldn’t happen because the NRL does it. It should happen because the women’s competition is ready for it. These are two very different conversations.

I don’t want to see the NRLW take a backward step; far from it. I’ve been one of the strongest advocates for the women’s game, having the same opportunities, expectations, and respect as the men’s competition.

But equality and parity are not about simply copying every element of the men’s game at the same time. They are about creating the conditions for the women’s game to thrive. Sometimes the most important progress is not the fastest change but the right change.

There is an absolute expectation that the women’s game should be treated with the same respect and standard as the men’s. However, we must also acknowledge the reality of the sport’s timeline.

While the men’s game has been a full-time professional endeavour for many decades, the NRLW is still technically in its transition toward that status and players are not yet full time professional athletes.

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DISCIPLINE FACTOR AND BLOWOUT RISK

One of the most compelling arguments for the ‘Six Again’ is that it might offer struggling teams a chance to build pressure and slip through elite defences.

However, the reality of Round 1 suggests a different outcome.

Strong, highly disciplined sides like the Sydney Roosters are exactly the kind of teams that thrive under continuous play.

Instead of closing the gap, many fear the ‘Six Again’ would cause scoreline blowouts to become even wider.

We already saw dominant displays in the opening round, such as the Brisbane Broncos’ 50-4 win over the Cowboys.

If you add a rule designed to reward momentum and punish a tiring defence, the advantage for top-tier, disciplined squads could become insurmountable for teams still building their rosters.

WEEKEND OF WARNING SIGNS

The disciplinary trends of Round 1 provide a necessary cautionary tale.

This weekend saw an unprecedented seven sin-bins, more than double the previous record of three in a single round. Every single game in the round featured a sin-bin, pushing the competition almost halfway to last season’s total of 16 after just one weekend.

Seven sin bins in one round was remarkable. Last season, there were only 16 all year. That’s not necessarily a problem.

It might simply be evidence of a competition becoming faster and more physical, but it does tell us something: fatigue is already influencing technique.

WHY FATIGUE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

‘Six Again’ was designed to reward attacking teams and remove the opportunity for defenders to slow momentum through deliberate stoppages.

It has achieved that in the NRL, but fatigue is a double-edged sword. It creates attacking opportunities while also challenging technique, decision making and defensive systems. That is where the ‘Six Again’ discussion becomes more complex for the NRLW.

Round 1 showed the competition is already demanding more physically from its athletes than ever before, raising the question of whether increasing the tempo further could amplify those challenges.

Fatigue has consequences. If the NRLW is already seeing technique-based errors such as hip drops, often occurring when tired defenders struggle to keep their feet and body position in check, then increasing the tempo of the game requires careful consideration.

In a 12-team competition where depth is still evolving, injuries don’t just affect individual players but can significantly alter the trajectory of a team’s season.

However, the counter-argument is that the rule would demand a heavy focus on discipline. It would force coaches to prioritise tackling technique under extreme pressure and reward players who can maintain their clinical execution, even when their lungs are burning.

The point of this discussion isn’t to say the NRLW “isn’t ready” but to highlight that the game is undergoing a significant physical transformation. The women’s game has always lived under intense scrutiny, often facing a level of controversy or criticism that the men’s game avoids as a default.

Introducing the ‘Six Again’ would be a major step toward rule parity, but it must be done with an eye on the unique developmental stage of the competition.

The record-breaking sin-bins of Round 1 are “teething pains” of a sport that is rapidly outgrowing its old boundaries. Whether through ‘Six Again’ or simply through the natural progression of the game, the NRLW is demanding more of its athletes than ever before. The game isn’t just getting faster; it’s growing up.