Season Summary
Rugby league had been going through a period of declining popularity. Falling crowd numbers led to the NSWRFL making a substantial loss in 1925, forcing changes to be made.
The 1926 season saw the introduction of the finals series to determine the Premiership between the leading four teams. The "first past the post" method had resulted in a number of seasons where the premiership was decided before the end of scheduled matches, killing interest in the final rounds.
The rules concerning the play-the-ball were changed so that only two players could play at the ball, with one player from each side being allowed to stand immediately behind, and all other players having to stay behind that second man until the ball was heeled. Previously any number of players could play at the ball, and by 1925 play-the-balls had become a real mess.
The rules were changed so that when a ball was forced in goal by the defending side play restarted with a line drop-out rather than a scrum.
These changes combined with the use of multiple reserve balls made league a faster and much more attractive game to watch, and the fans returned.
Read more about this topic: 1926 NSWRFL Season
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