NRL: Gap between teams widening

Sonny Bill Williams of the Roosters in action during the round two NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Sydney Roosters at Eden Park. Photo / Getty Images.

Statistics from the opening five rounds of the season show the gap between the haves and have nots of the NRL could be on the increase.

Last year, just seven games across 26 rounds ended with a team scoring no points.

But already in 2013, six teams have failed to trouble the scorers.

The average margin of victory has also risen from 10.2 in 2009 to 15 this year, with the likes of the big-spending Sydney Roosters, Manly, Gold Coast and a star-studded North Queensland side all recording shut outs.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary, whose team were beaten 30-0 by the Cowboys on Saturday night in Townsville, believes the season is too early to judge whether a pattern is emerging.

But he acknowledged that changes to the play-the-ball have quickened up the game and teams blessed with speed have taken advantage.

"I don't really have a definitive answer as to why it's been happening, but there are certainly some factors," Cleary said.

"Referees have been more strict on enforcing the hands on the ball at the play the ball and that speeds things up.

"Also, we've had a very hot summer and the tracks are faster at this time of year. That's why some teams have maybe got a roll on on opponents and got away."

Despite his Penrith side being very much in a year of transition after releasing stars Luke Lewis, Michael Gordon and Michael Jennings and lacking star quality, Cleary's not convinced that was the reason for the Cowboys blow out.

"We just got off to a bad start," he said.

"When you give up five tries in just over 40 minutes because you can't keep hold of the ball, it doesn't matter who you have in your team - you'll lose."

One former NRL coach said it was inevitable more points would be scored due to the faster play-the-balls and was unsure whether the trend was anything more than an anomaly so early in the season.

He also said the disparity in roster quality makes it difficult for sides who are unable to entice star players.

"There is certainly something to be said for how some teams have ways of getting around the salary cap," he told AAP.

"I am not saying for a minute clubs are doing anything illegal, but some are certainly in a better position to get legitimate third parties to top up players' salaries."

The former coach also believed the number of tries chalked off this year due to the obstruction rule could also be a factor.

"You need to see how many of the teams that have scored nil have had tries disallowed," he said.

"Decisions can change the momentum of a game as do penalties and these can certainly impact on the score."

The biggest comparison made between players who have played in the NRL and the English Super League is that the games are tighter and harder to predict and less high scoring.

Canterbury skipper Michael Ennis denied the competition has become any easier and said teams are still capable of coming back from heavy defeats to win the following week.

"It's hard to say why there have been so many high-scoring games, but each game is always different," Ennis said.

"From our perspective, we haven't conceded a blow out and are at the wrong end of the ladder.

"But the NRL is still a very tough league, and it is certainly not becoming any easier."

-AAP