Robinson eager to protect props in rapidly changing game

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has called for a greater focus on tackle technique to improve player safety while ensuring rugby league does not lose its gladiatorial nature.

Speaking amid a wider debate about how to reduce the risk of concussions during kick offs, Robinson launched a defence of the prop forward in a rapidly changing game. 

The increased pace of play since the introduction of set restarts in 2020 has seen a rise in mobile lock forwards who can play significant minutes at the expense of powerful props who can only provide an impact over a short space of time. 

The shift has seen Isaah Yeo, Pat Carrigan and Reuben Cotter develop into some of the most important players in the game. 

There have been calls from some quarters for wholesale changes to kick offs to reduce the likelihood of concussions during the high-impact collisions. While determined to ensure player safety improves, Robinson hopes changes don't come at the expense of props.

"One of my things is that the six again rule has been really, really good for us, but it’s also cost front-rowers," Robinson said. "Front-rowers are worth a lot, but bench front-rowers are obsolete.

"We’re all playing with locks and we’re all playing with guys that are going to run a long distance. We want front-rowers in our game. We want taps, we want long dropouts and we want kick offs to stamp that authority on the game.

"We don’t want a team of back-rowers and locks, so we’ve got to think about our rule changes and the positions that we have and love in the game. I think we should start on how we adjudicate foul play off the kick-offs, rather than take away the kick-off."

Robinson was speaking at the unveiling of a new five-year multimillion dollar sponsorship deal between the Roosters and electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. 

The partnership will see BYD become the primary front of jersey sponsor for both the NRL and NRLW teams, with the organisations set to launch a range of grassroots initiatives over the coming months. 

Robinson and the Roosters have a particular interest in potential changes to kick offs after forward Lindsay Collins was knocked out of the 2024 preliminary final in the opening play of the game.

Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona was sent to the sin bin for the high shot and later suspended for five games, forcing him to miss the grand final and New Zealand's Pacific Championships campaign. 

The ban, however, came after he returned to the field and played a key role in Melbourne's victory over the Roosters. 

For Robinson, a send-off would have made a bigger impact in ensuring defenders improve their tackle technique in such a high-stakes moment.

"I feel like it’s a really big part of the game," he said. "Our last game was with Lindsay (getting hurt) off the kick-off, and if that was a send-off then people would have changed their view on how they go and attack that.

"If that’s 10 minutes at the start of a game then it doesn’t really create change, but if that was a send-off then anybody going down there who has got 40 metres would have to change their (technique) because they could affect their team quite significantly.

"I think that’s a start with getting your technique better rather than changing (the rule) because we can’t get our techniques good enough. I feel that could have been the first step to creating change. That keeps the fabric of the game, that keeps front-rowers."

Collins bounced back from the preliminary final head knock to play a key role in Australia's Pacific Championships campaign. 

The prop set the tone up front as the Kangaroos surged past Tonga in Sunday's final at a sold-out CommBank Stadium. 

Kick offs remain one of his favourite areas of the game, however Collins said the equation is pretty simple for defensive players looking to make a statement from the opening tackle. 

"It's pretty simple, you just can't hit the head. You can't do it in a normal carry, so what's the difference in a kick-off carry? 

"That's what I get paid to do, that's my job, and I am going to do it regardless. Whatever the rules are, we just have to adapt to it. It would be a bit of a shame, because it is a big part of the game.

"As a front-rower, that sets the tone of the game. When you see another front-rower do it, it's a big part of the game and it has a big impact on how things get set up with attack and defence."