ANGRY rugby league coaches are threatening to boycott their next conference with the NRL in protest of a late rule change they fear will cause confusion at the start of the 2015 season.

The Daily Telegraph has learned coaches are furious that the NRL rushed through a change to the “interpretation” of the release of the tackle player rule just two days before Christmas — and without their collective consultation.

Coaches say the new interpretation will speed up the ruck like it was during Super League, promoting more dummy half running but reduce offloads and destroy the type of attacking football fans love to watch.

THE NRL’S $15 MILLION BATTLEGROUND

Basically, the new interpretation states that “the player in possession shall be immediately released ... by all defenders”.

This simultaneous release will be expected even when three defenders are involved in the tackle.

Coaches say while the NRL will sell this as only an “interpretation” change, it is in fact a significant rule change and it will be impossible to police consistently.

media_camera The play the ball is set to speed up in 2015 as tacklers are forced to quickly roll away. Pic: Gregg Porteous

Some coaches are also questioning if Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson were allowed inside knowledge before the change was released to other coaches, given Bennett and Robinson’s positions on the NRL’s Competition Committee.

Coaches on Sunday were reluctant to speak publicly about their concerns given the heavy-handed fines the NRL dished out last year.

But they were adamant it was a waste of time going to last December’s coaches conference in Sydney, which ironically was the first time in recent history every NRL coach was in attendance.

As one coach told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday about next month’s upcoming conference: “The NRL stressed how important it was for all of us to attend the last one.

“They told us there would be no changes this year. Then a couple of days before Christmas we get an email telling us this.

“That was a big thing about last year. They changed the rules two weeks before the trials and we all blew up then.

“If you are going to change things, change it early so we can all get used to it but here it is again.”

Another coach explained: “The difference last year was if you had three guys in a tackle they could release separately.

“For instance, the legs man could get up and go and then the other two blokes would let go. Or you could have two blokes let go up top and the other hold on.

“Now all three have to release at the same time. If you put three into a tackle on a big man they will more or less all be laying on the ground when the ball is played, which goes back to the old Super League — big man for scoot.

media_camera Todd Greenberg has taken a risk by tweaking the rules against the wishes of the coaches. Pic: Luke Marsden.

“There will be heaps of dummy half running and less offloads which is the type of footy people want to watch.”

It’s significant to note that last year the Roosters and Rabbitohs, minor premiers and premiers respectively, finished 14th and 16th in the league for offloads.

“The other thing is, how will they consistently police this” a coach said.

“There are 220-odd tackles in a game. Let’s say 50 have three men in it and for both teams that’s 100. There’s 100 tackles that the referee is supposed to adjudicate on where the penalty can be discretionary, not mandatory.”

The Daily Telegraph understands even referees are confused how they will monitor this change, consistently.

“It’s a waste of time going to that coaches meetings,” a coach said.

“They have all the coaches there and they don’t talk about it. Then they throw this at you two days before Christmas and no one gets to talk about it.

“The last thing the game needed was another rule that wasn’t black and white.

“Once upon a time everything in the game was black and white.

“Now they keep bringing in all these rules where you could have 10 blokes sitting in a room and they would come up with 10 different reasons why it is a penalty or not a penalty.

“It just makes it harder for everyone and more inconsistent.”