The Golden Point Debate

 In a post match press conference Brisbane Bronco’s Coach Wayne Bennett reflected on his sides loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in Golden Point stating that the idea of losing a Grand Final in Golden point is “just unfair on everybody”, later stating that he would’ve been “happy to come back next week and play again.”

Bennett argues a divided point, is Golden Point the best way to decide a final? Something that both teams have fought the entire season for, just to be decided by the boot of one player. Although there is a level of bias involved in the comments, as Bennett would probably not of made the comments if his side was on the other end of the result, he does make a valid point. There are definitely other, fairer ways to end the biggest match of many players’ careers.

The best of these being the slight twinge to the idea of Golden Point, the idea of the “Golden Try’.  It is obviously a lot easier to make a field goal than to score a try and the idea of the Golden try, it allows for more of a contest to decide the match rather than giving the opportunity to win to the first team within 30 meters of the goal. Both teams have to instill that finishing touch or that extra bit of ‘magic” to win the game.

Unfortunately this is something that doesn’t look like it will be incorporated into the game anytime soon, especially with Wayne Bennett’s position on the Game’s rules committee in Jeopardy.