V'landys' emphatic denial of NRL blowout theory

NRL boss Peter V'landys has hit back at criticism around the growing number of blow-out scorelines encroaching on the modern game.

There's a school of thought that the new rules brought in under V'landys reign, namely the six-again, designed to speed the game up, are largely responsible for a number of one-sided affairs marring weekly fixtures.

There were three blow-out scorelines across Magic Round, with the Sea Eagles' 50-8 thumping of the Broncos the most lopsided of the bunch.

But V'landys assured the faster game had no impact on the widening gulf between the competition's heavyweights and its strugglers, instead pointing to poor roster management on behalf of certain clubs.

"I've got to say, even with the blow-outs the games are entertaining," V'landys told Phil Gould in a special sit-down interview on Nine's 100% Footy.

"Before they were robotic, they were predictable. Now, they're entertaining. Even the blowouts over the weekend were entertaining. For the viewer.

"I'll put this to you, Phil, every club has the same amount of money. Every club has the right to pick players and rosters. That's what you've got to look at. It's not the change in the rules, it's what players you have on your roster.

"So, don't blame the rule changes. All they've done have made the game more entertaining. The six-again has made the game less predictable. The blow-outs aren't all to do with the six-again, the blowouts are to do with the rosters of the teams.

"If I give you $15 million and someone else $15 million, you're in the same field."

Echoing the sentiments of Gould, V'landys pinpointed the eradication of the under 21's national competitions as one of the biggest factors in un-even roster talent.

"I've only been here a short time and I can't solve all the ills of the game, but one that I'm focussing on is the development of the player and the vertical integration," V'landys said.

"The biggest mistake rugby league made was taking away the 21's and the reserve grade. That's a mistake. And they said it was going to save us money, it's actually costing us more now but not having them. Where are the savings?

"And you're robbing the fan of watching the journey of the player, but I don't think you can honestly say that the blow-outs are down to the rule changes. The blowouts are due to the fact you need better roster management."

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