Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart claims NRL officials have shifted their interpretation of ruck speed and says wrestling tactics are creeping back into the game and contributing to lower crowd numbers.
Having gone into this season with a plan to play up-tempo football, a frustrated Stuart said the Raiders would now have to change their approach and play "ugly" to combat slow-down tactics in the tackle.
Stuart said he had approached referees boss Tony Archer several times this season to voice his concern, but said he would not be wasting any more energy on the debate and he would instead be coaching Canberra's defence to push the limits further with stalling tactics.
Stuart claimed the ruck interpretation was even contributing to falling crowd numbers across the NRL, with fans frustrated by the wrestling.
"The interpretations at the ruck that we practised and were told about for months leading into the season were interpreted come game one and two, but It's a completely different game of football on the ground now," Stuart said.
"It's back to all the wrestling, it's back to all the ugly things the fans and supporters don't want to see.
"They [fans] made their point quite clear at the start of the season when [the NRL] went out and surveyed a number of fans in regards to what they thought would make a better game – the wrestle and the ugly collision on the ground was one of the main factors the fans didn't like. Unfortunately we've gone back to it.
"You look at why the crowds are down, that's probably a good reason to go back to the crowds and say, well, why are they down? ... They don't like what's happening on the ground.
"We're supposed to be playing a fast game of football but the speed of the ruck has taken the game back.
"We've gone back two or three years in regards to the untidiness of the ruck."
Stuart's staff placed a big emphasis on cutting player body fat to records low in the pre-season, looking to raise the tempo of play.
Asked if NRL officials had shifted the goalposts, Stuart said: "I know it.
"You tape tackles in the first one to two rounds and look at it now. There's not meant to be hands on ball; there's hands on ball everywhere. The odd hand on ball gets penalised but then the next three or four you get away with it. There's no consistency in it.
"I've spoken to Tony [Archer] about it once or twice over the last two or three weeks, but I try not to get into those debates because it's a waste of time and energy."
Stuart was particularly frustrated with referee interpretations in losses to the Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights, but said the only solution was "to be ugly with it".
"I won't go into the teams, but there's been a number of games where it's probably beaten us in those tight games. We weren't as good at it, we weren't practising it."
Raiders players mirrored the coach's frustration.
Shaun Fensom expressed his concerns after last weekend's loss to Newcastle.
"We like to play a fast tempo type of game, and they [Newcastle] were lying in there, hands on the ball, slowing it down every way possible. We have to deal with that and learn to play off the back of slow play-the-balls,'' Fensom said.
Raiders utility Josh McCrone said: "The rucks in the trials were a lot quicker than what they are now. I'm not too sure what the reason is behind it, but I've definitely noticed it's slowing down.
"I think we do have to get better at it. [The opposition] seem to be slowing us down a lot better than we are. It's something we have to look at, we have to work harder on getting those quick play-the-balls."
