"This ball here (the current NRL standard Steeden) is perfect for a day ball. You have a look at the dimples, these ones are quite small," Johns told Nine.<\/p>\n
"During the day you can catch it and throw it, which doesn't sound like much, bit it gives you that fraction of a second. As a halfback, you look up and you make your decisions, you're scanning.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
"When it's slippery at night, you catch it like this (with your chest), which doesn't give you enough time to look and scan, and you can't move the ball laterally.<\/p>\n
"My idea is to have a different ball at night with more pronounced dimples, where you can actually grab hold of the ball and it sticks to your hands more.<\/p>\n
"The downside of this would be the kickers would jump up and down – the goal kickers would say it's harder to kick. But does anyone go to games to watch people kick goals? No. I think we should challenge Steeden. <\/p>\n
"I remember looking at a Waterpolo ball – you can get hold of that ball, it doesn't matter how slippery it is. I think it's something we should look at and experiment with.<\/p>\n
"When it's raining, pouring down raining, it's not too bad [the current ball], it's quite sticky and tacky.<\/p>\n
"But at nights when it's dewy, that's when it gets really slippery, which we saw tonight. The second half when the rain came down, it didn't look too bad."<\/p>\n
![\"NRL](\"https:\/\/vms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/2021\/07\/367441\/pickerImage.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Hearing Johns' idea, NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler suggested improving the rubber on the current ball could also make an impact.<\/p>\n
"With the balls – you find with the best quality balls, it's the most-pure rubber and that's one way you can make the balls better," Fittler said.<\/p>\n
"It's a bit like car racing, where the best rubber doesn't last as long. At the moment, each ball they play with in an NRL game has a two-game lifespan.<\/p>\n
"I think you can get a more pure rubber. That would mean the ball has a one-game lifespan."<\/p>\n
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