The story of the season and Alex McKinnon’s vision for the game

In the latest episode of the Kenty Blitz, kenty and Woz explored the defining narratives of the current NRL campaign and discussed a series of radical proposals designed to reshape the sport. 

Reflecting on the romanticism of sporting history, Kent noted that the NRL is only as strong as its stories. He highlighted several clubs that have defied expectations, including the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Canberra Raiders, but reserved particular praise for the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers.

The fairytale stories of the season

The discussion opened with an analysis of the season’s most compelling arcs. Kent suggested that the turnaround at Belmore was a significant highlight, given where the club sat only a few seasons ago. He observed that Canterbury have had a pretty special year. Four years ago they were running last, they finished the season last place and in four years they have turned over their roster.

However, the conversation quickly turned to the Canberra Raiders, whom many critics had written off before a ball was kicked. Kent noted that everybody had Canberra in their bottom four, some had Canberra running last at the beginning of this season. Here they are with four rounds to go, they are leading the competition. If they have lost four games all season, you think Canberra probably they are the fairytale story of the season.

The hosts also marvelled at the Penrith Panthers, who managed to climb from the bottom of the ladder in May to become genuine premiership contenders. Kent described their nine match winning streak as phenomenal, suggesting that of all their five premierships this will be the one if they win this year of the five that they will have won in a row this will be the one that everyone will go that was just unbelievable.

Ruthless professionalism at Canterbury

A significant portion of the episode focused on the coaching decisions of Cameron Ciraldo at the Bulldogs. The hosts discussed the recent changes to key spine positions, particularly the benching of Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton. Kent admitted to feeling for Mahoney, who was originally brought to the club as a change agent.

He remarked that I really feel for Reed Mahoney. He was brought into Canterbury as a change maker. He helped Canterbury get to where they are and now they are where they are they want him to be there. I can't imagine he is taking it well certainly deep down inside. He further explained that these moves demonstrate the cold heart of professionalism, stating that I don't think it shows he has really any doubts about how ruthless Cameron Ciraldo is about winning and his approach to winning.

Alex McKinnon’s tips to make the game better

The second half of the podcast was dedicated to an article by Alex McKinnon, which proposed several rule changes to improve the spectator experience. The central theme of McKinnon’s suggestions was a return to a more traditional running game by reducing the reliance on tactical kicking.

Kent agreed with the sentiment of the proposals, particularly the need to reintroduce fatigue into the contest. He argued that the modern game has lost the majesty that comes when players are exhausted. He noted that we are becoming too much of a kick happy game. Alex has brought in a few rule changes essentially to try and lessen the value of kicking in the game. He wants to return the game essentially, the whole essence of his rule change suggestions are he wants to return the game to more of a running game.

One of the most debated points was the reduction of the interchange. Kent suggested that lowering the number of replacements would allow different body types to flourish again. I think the game really needs at some point to look to try and bring back that fatigue factor. I think it is a strong part of the game. It will allow a different, not a different, it will add other different body types to come into the game too,” he said. 

Ask Kenty

To conclude the episode, Kent answered a series of listener questions, covering everything from the state of the South Sydney Rabbitohs to the best grand final entertainment he had ever witnessed. When asked for one change he would make to the sport, he reiterated his desire for a more authentic contest. He said that I would get rid of the six again rules and I would get rid of a lot of these new rules to try and make the game more flowing and I would bring back, don't want to necessarily say bring back scrums, but we need to bring back contested possessions.

Watch the full episode on Fanatics TV.