With the NRL season starting in a few weeks, now might be a good time to refresh coaches on what is new to GDS Rugby League in 2024. In this blog we will cover what these changes mean when it comes to selecting your squad this season.
Scoring Changes
This season we have amended some of the existing scoring values and have also introduced some new stats that players will accumulate points through.
Try Assist - 5 points (Was worth 6 points in 2023)
Line Break Assist - 2 points (Was worth 3 points in 2023)
Error - (-3) points (Was worth -4 points in 2023)
Six Again Infringements - (-2) points (New in 2024)
Try Save - 6 points (2023 bug, fixed for 2024)
Forced Turnovers - 5 points (2023 bug, fixed for 2024)
Escape From In Goal - 3 points (New in 2024)
What impact will these scoring changes have on the players' ability to score points in 2024? Let's take a look at how each position would have feared if the new scoring system was in place for last season. Using the 2023 numbers, the average for every position throughout the round robin increased slightly. Here are the increases for each position.
Hooker - 1.7 points
Middle - 1.1 points
Edge - 2 points
Half - 1.3 points
Centre - 2.2
Wing - 3.1 points
Fullback - 2.3 points
The Bench
This is a new feature to GDS this season and it provides coaches with an additional five scoring positions. Two of these positions can be filled by forwards, one by a half and two by back. Please note that you won't be able to start two players of the same position in the forwards and backs bench spots. For example - two hookers can't start in the forward bench spots and two fullbacks can't start in the backs bench spots.
Positional Changes
This season we have split the Winger/Fullback (WFB) position and created individual positions for both Winger (WNG) and Fullback (FLB). In 2023 there were 3 WFB starting spots. In 2024 there will be 1 FLB and 2 WNG starting spots. This is a great change in my opinion as it adds another dimension to the GDS Rugby League experience.
Classic competition salary cap
In 2023 the salary cap was $12 million. This has now changed to $10 million for the 2024 season. This is quite a jump when you included the additional five scoring bench positions. With the new salary cap, bronze cards are now more important than ever if you want to start players like Cleary, Hynes, and Haas in a higher rarity of card. If you haven't already, check out your squad and see which players you might need to bolster your depth. If you are looking for any card, you can always check out the Transfer Market. You never know your luck; you might just find the players that you are after.
If you would like a full rundown of all the changes to GDS Rugby League, please check out New to 2024.
