For many years the debate has raged over whether the NRL needs to make changes to golden point.
After the controversial finish to the Wests Tigers versus Brisbane Broncos game, this debate has been reignited.
Both teams were on seven points at the end of regulation time, so the match was forced into golden point.
The Broncos won the match after they were awarded a penalty in front of goal after Robbie Rochow was penalised for not being square at marker.
Winger Jamayne Isaako was able to slot the goal to win the match for the Broncos.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, the penalty was deemed to have been “an error in judgment” by match referee Ashley Klein.
This was confirmed by NRL referees’ boss Bernard Sutton, who added that Rochow was square by the time the ball had been played.
Such a close loss would have been incredibly difficult to take for the Tigers, especially since the penalty that gave the Broncos the win was incorrect.
The entire incident demonstrates the flaws in the golden point system. A seemingly innocuous penalty can gift a team a victory, so referees typically do not blow penalties during added time.
In the case of the Tigers versus Broncos game, the penalty that was blown was a mistake and decided the game.
A golden try system would solve this problem and provide more entertainment for fans.
In golden try, a penalty would not automatically decide a game and therefore referees will be able to officiate properly in overtime.
This ensures a wrong decision does not rob a team of two points, which would make players, coaches and fans alike much happier.
Another advantage that comes with golden try is that it would be significantly more entertaining to watch.
Golden point almost always turns into a field goal shootout, which is not nearly as exciting as watching teams throw the football around in order to score.
Golden try does not negate the field goal though, as demonstrated by the recent Raiders versus Warriors game in which three field goals were kicked in regulation time.
There are also those that believe that regular season games should end in a draw should two teams be on the same score after 80 minutes.
While this is also a better option than golden point, it is less entertaining than golden try.
Additionally, the NRL has shown that they prefer not to have draws and would rather there be a result.