Steve Mortimer, who in 2007 was the catalyst for the formation of the Australian Rugby League Commission [ARLC] when he publicly campaigned for it, has identified a number issues the game's hierarchy must address at a time when the NRL is attempting to negotiate a broadcast deal worth up to $2 billion.
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Mortimer, who captained NSW to its first State of Origin series win over Queensland in 1985, said scrums, the 10-metre rule (calling for it to be dropped to six), using Origin as a vehicle to promote the game in the bush and referees were the burning issues the John Grant-led commission needed to address immediately to enhance the game as a spectacle and to reinforce its foundations.
The Bulldogs great, who spent last weekend in the NSW country town of Orange watching footy, said his suggestions also reflected the views of numerous rugby league fans who he spoke to on a daily basis.
"Origin is the jewel in the crown and there wouldn't be too many people around Australia who don't know about Origin," Mortimer said. "I think we should play them three weekends in a row and the NRL needs to tell the clubs that during that time they have to promote the game in regional Australia.
"The players can go to schools, they can conduct coaching clinics and then watch the Origin match – with fans – at a local club. It's a sure-fire winner for the game.
"I don't think the NRL is doing too much to promote the game in the rural regions. We need to put more people out there to help build the game and I think the Sydney-based NRL needs to appreciate a lot of the game's great players came from the country. The bush needs to be offered whatever assistance is needed to promote our game because we're at a stage where the bush is desperate and they're screaming for support."
On the field, the former Kangaroo said the game was suffering from "too many referees", calling for officials to properly police the scrum.
"I think we're over-cooking the game with too many referees," he said. "We have two in the middle, two in the sideline, more "upstairs" – and we have to get that right. We only need one referee out there.
"It's [the scrum] an important part of rugby league's DNA and the game needs to return to the days when the halfback fed the ball into the middle of the scrum and the hooker raked for it," he said. "If someone does something wrong, feeds the scrum incorrectly or whatever, then the referee awards a differential penalty meaning the team can kick for touch but not for goal. That will add to the interest for the spectator. The scrums are untidy and an absolute insult to the game, there's no competition there."
