They will continue that format into their under-7 year, although under-7s playing in 2019 will continue will a full-contact version of the game. Only when they reach U8s, having undergone a rigorous new TackleSafe program, will they begin to try and chop down their opponents in earnest. New era: The game will change for some of rugby league's youngest players, with the NRL convinced it is for the better. Credit:Rohan Thomson Gone are premiership tables and grand finals, with those only being introduced from under-13s and onwards. Part of the logic behind that move, which correlates with much of the modified junior sport across other sports and codes, is to adjust the thinking of overly competitive parents, rather than those actually taking part in the contest. "It’s a fundamental shift in thinking. If we think about the whole game, not just your backyard, we can create a bigger pool to feed an elite pathway, for those that want to and are able to pursue that," says James Hinchey, the NRL's senior manager of participation strategy, education and projects. "And it's a bigger pool for coaches, referees, trainers, volunteers. We want a deeper love of the sport so they stay around longer." But the move hasn't gone down well in all quarters. Many former players were quick to lambast it when it was announced in December last year, while a grassroots backlash was so fierce that one mother created a change.org petition rallying against the proposals.

By the end of last week, that had more than 7000 signatures, with many comments riffing along the lines of: "Stop wrapping our kids in bubble wrap" and "I'm sick of this softly, softly crap". A screenshot of one change.org petition on non-tackling juniors. Credit:Change.org That cynicism comes amid wider debate about the ongoing sanitisation of junior sport, a relatively recent revolution that rewards participation, takes the focus off winning and losing and tries to ensure everyone gets a go and has fun in the process. But are we creating a generation of pampered kids that haven't been able to heed the occasionally harsh life lessons that sport can hand out? How can they lose with grace if everyone gets a prize? Hinchey said the NRL fully expected some of the blowback but remains convinced families will soon be converted to the new formats. Nothing can take the competitive nature out of sport, he said, but it was impossible to sit back and watch the talent drain out of the code and do nothing in response.

Plus, many in the league community took pride in the toughness of a code that had six-year-olds playing a full-contact version, while other contact sports like rugby and AFL took a more gently, gently approach. "We certainly expected some pushback. It’s a change, and change is never easy in any walk of life. Then you add in the emotion of sports and particularly parents of kids in sport. That heightens it," Hinchey said. "The interesting thing about that change.org petition is we are doing exactly what they want. We are creating space in the game to teach kids how to get through the biggest barrier in the sport, which is tackle and be tackled. We have a version of the game that will be more appealing for families, then we guide everyone through that barrier. We certainly expected some pushback. It’s a change, and change is never easy in any walk of life. James Hinchey "We want parents, coaches, everyone associated with the sport, to focus less on the result and more on the kids in their group. Whether they are big, tall, short, fast, slow... we need to give everyone a good experience in the sport." There's little evidence to suggest that taking away premierships and introducing baby steps in contact sports has damaged athletes at the elite end of the spectrum. Part of rugby league's blueprint was New Zealand's Rippa Rugby program, which is the starting point for a nation that consistently produces the best players in the world.

And the gold standard for modified junior sport in Australia has been the AFL's wildly successful AusKick program, which has just undergone a revamp of its own. It works on the simple notion that the more kids play, the more fun they have, the more likely they will stick around in the sport later in life. Dr Lyndel Abbott, who was the lead sports psychologist for the Australian Olympic team at the Rio Games in 2016, said research was showing that changing the focus of junior sport only served to make young athletes more resilient, not less, once they graduated to higher levels. "Taking the competitive aspect out of sport involving young people allows them the opportunity to be process-driven rather than focused solely on goals," Dr Abbott told the Herald. "Research suggests that focusing on effort rather than results actually enhances mental toughness." Research suggests that focusing on effort rather than results actually enhances mental toughness. Dr Lyndel Abbott Rugby union already allows its youngest participants to learn the basics before moving into more complex techniques like tackling and scrummaging. As rugby league has started to find out, it's the parents, rather than the kids, that take issue with a perceived lack of competitive structure.