The opening few rounds of the 2025 NRL season have been electric, with some classic matchups and nail-biting finishes.
However, there have also been a few snooze-fests, and Immortal Andrew Johns has suggested a bizarre new rule to increase interest.
"Rugby league is flying. Ratings are up, crowds are up, but some games, especially at night when it's dewy, are bores," he said on Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour.
"Once they get into the arm wrestle of trading sets and ding-donging either side [it becomes boring]."
In a bid to combat this, 'Joey' has proposed a new five-point try, only to be used in certain circumstances.
"It's risk or reward. If you are coming out of trouble and make an error in those conditions, you can be punished. So, to encourage teams to move the ball coming out of trouble, a try from inside your own 40 is five points."
Johns believes that this would "encourage attacking footy," with teams playing a little less timid when the game is on the line. Whether they "offload the ball or [create] an early shift," it would spark a more exciting brand of football in otherwise dull matches.
He highlighted the introduction of the two-point field goal a few years ago as an example, pointing out the excitement that the rule brought to the game, even though he "hated" it initially.
While a five-point try does sound bizarre and unlikely, the NRL has proven that it is ever-changing, and anything is possible if it will improve the game.
