What's the difference?

I wonder why it was reduced to 1 point many moons ago?

My concern is we become more like Rugby Union in going for constant drop goals.

The game will then remind me of when Lee Briers drop goaled us to death at the boulevard.

Not a spectacle I'd like to see week in week out.

The difference with this rule change is that it only awards two points over 40m.

Not many players can drop goals even at short distances - Hull pre-Sneyd being a classic example. Don’t know the stats, but I’d imagine we averaged about one drop goal per season. For several seasons post Danny Brough, I never had any confidence of winning a game late on if the scores were level.

I’m not a huge fan of penalty goals or drop goals generally, unless the scores are close late on, however add some distance and then it can becomes entertainment.

For example, for those of us who can remember the late 70’s/early 80’s, the Threepenny Stand used to sing ‘Go for Goal’ to Sammy Lloyd every time we got a penalty on the half way line, because he was one of only a few kickers who could kick that far. One time, Joe Lydon won a semi final for Wigan with a late drop goal from inside his own half. Either of these examples happen 10m out from under the sticks and they’d hardly get a mention.

Anyway, I’m not suggesting the rules. However, if they change the rules, you have to adapt to them, because plenty of others will.

Penalty goals will be even less common - 'Six-again' to be called for 10-metre infringements.

So "offside" in a close game with a minute or two to go will be a new tactic, I'm sure.

Changed from 2-1 in Australia in 1971 mainly due to a Souths Aboriginal legend called Eric Simms who potted them over like shelling peas. I was at a game in 1969 when he kicked 5 in about 11 minutes. So 10 points at a time when tries were worth 3 points.He holds the Aus record for the number kicked in a career.

It is interesting to read Freddie Miller’s account of how it panned out in Australia.

Generally, I think, it’ll have been about encouraging attacking play and try-scoring, the same as us moving to four-point tries.

This seems fiddly to me, with the 40 metre rule. It also seems a solution to a non-existent problem. Like a 5% salary cap discount for players with sticky out ears or a non-fed exemption for Peruvians under the age of 24. If this came to SL, then as a fan of a team that has struggled to make metres and score points, with a non-fed place available I’d be scouring the globe for some cheap nomark specialist from either code. Is that what they want? cos that’s what’ll happen. Mind you, supply and demand means they wouldn’t stay cheap very long and the wealthier NRL will corner the market. Damn.

If they wanted tactical variety, they could have just adopted the speedball rule of having 5 stars at each the of side of the pitch that you can light up to score, with a bonus for lighting them all up. This would literally add a new tactical dimension - the horizontal. Ice cream!

(Sorry, some probably a narrow pop culture references there).

In the NRL the rule then allows the referee to give a penalty for repeated offences.

Why not increase the value of a try to 5 points thus ...
'Providing the opportunity for a 5 point play will give teams the incentive to make attacking plays to get over the try line, this will be worth five, 1 point drop goals, we are not snooze-fest union afterall'
'It will also ensure teams who are down by four or five points in the dying moments of a match have a better opportunity to win a game or go to golden point.'

This is yet more BS, why not just extend a match by 5 minutes if there's a few points between the teams if you are that desperate to change the outcome of a match, why not make that 10, no, make it 50 minute halves just so you can increase the excitement and give teams an 'opportunity'
Why not make it 7s in the last 5 minutes of each half, why not make the pitch 80m with 15m in goals, why not put a net between the lower part of the uprights and a kicked ball that goes between from outside 40m is worth 10 points, why not allow forward passes all the way downfield, why not allow blocking of would be tacklers.

Just change the sport completely if you want teams to have opportunities for attacking plays, aren't you entertained enough?

Just make use off a perfectly good rule we have already!!! The sin bin!! Not used nearly enough in my opinion, in the late stages of games, when nobody gets back the 10 or goal line, get em in the bin, give the attacking team the benefit of lazy defenders and more room

If they made use of several of the perfectly good rules we already have, and applied them consistently and even handedly there would be no need to tinker every year.