The NRL will trial technology to get clearer adjudication on forward passes ahead of the 2022 season.
League bosses are considering implementing ball tracking technology this year, if the results of the trials this month go smoothly in the men’s and women’s competitions.
The NRL secretly trialled forward pass technology at the end of last season and the results were kept secret by the governing body.
The NRL was encouraged by its accuracy, and will use it again in the lead up to the season before making a final call on introducing it to premiership games.
“We have been quietly working on different types of technology with a couple of companies for the past 12 months or so,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
“It’s not an easy solution due to the physics of the forward pass rule and the location of cameras at venues.
“We’ve been exploring two very different possible solutions and we trialled one of them behind the scenes in a number of games late last year.
“The alternate proposal will also be blind-tested in several pre-season matches over the next month.
“This will allow us to properly assess the capability and accuracy of both technologies against each other.
“After the trials we will discuss the results with the Commission and seek further direction on next steps.
“While I’m not sure of the outcome at this stage, the potential to finally crack one of the great frustrations of our game is very exciting.”
Former premiership-winning and Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens introduced the Sportable technology to NRL officials.
“It’s a bit like a ball hitting a line in tennis or a football crossing the line for the goal, you need technology,” Sheens told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“If it works, I think it would be great. As long as the decision is made quickly, everyone will be happy enough.
“The touchie gets it wrong often [and calls ‘forward’] because the ball is thrown and lands in front of the guy who threw it [even though it left the hands backwards].
“Hopefully they come up with a system that works. We can’t be living in the ’50s or ’60s or ’70s. We’re in the 2020s and technology is part of our life.”
The ARL Commission will need to approve the technology which could become part of the game within a matter of months, while league bosses have left open the possibility of delaying its introduction until next season.
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