So does it work in a way that say if a player accumulated 8 points up to May last year, then come June this year those points will 'drop off' effectively meaning the player is now on zero points.

If so then I suspect a player could cop a ban say in May this year if they get a three point penalty, but then in June they will reduce to three points so any further points wont result in an instant ban but just start to accumulate on the ladder again and so on.

Is that how it is supposed to work?

Yeah, I think so. If a player had charges in Feb, May and July 2024 for example, they would drop off, one by one, in Feb, May and July 2025.

Looking at Byrne from Good Friday last year, if he has any sort of charge early in the season, he'll cop at least 3 matches. If he stays clean until 31st March 2025, he will have 12 points drop off his record and go down to just 3 points and then have some leeway. His 3 points will drop off around the 11th May 2025, which was the date of his second and last charge in 2024.

Harry Smith is actually the biggest concern looking at the disciplinary site. He only has 1 point against him for that Yellow card on the opening night at Cas but he has 12 points for that incident at Leeds on August 10th, so he is any sort of charge away from at least a 2 match ban from the first game, right through until August 10th 2025. I don't mind it in a way with Smith. He needs to improve that silliness that crept in last year and it should concentrate his mind a little.

Fenton Rogers may miss the whole season if he puts a foot wrong, it's a crazy situation when the rules are being applied retrospectively..

Sounds like another half baked RFL scheme to me. 1 rule for some and 1 rule for the rest.

Everyone should start with a clean slate otherwise it seems biased

On the plus side, they've put in a rule to stop the constant appeals from certain clubs, with a failed appeal now resulting in 5 points on a players record.

I feel for the garage that Mike Rush and Paul Wellens get their diesel from.

Personally Luke Thompsons is the most difficult for me in a stranger way
Most if not all his 5pts won't come off until next years GF
That means as soon as he picks up ANY kind of points even for a NFA (think thats 2pts?) or something that wouldn't even normally be a ban (6pts or over) he'll cop a ban every time !
Hes walking a tightrope every game until 2026!
And all for something that was IMO F*** All
At least Byrnes/Smiths drop off April/May/June etc.

10 of us in pub tonight discussing and 4 or 5 hadn't heard this was coming in
When we explained they virtually all said how can you punish people this year at a higher level than what it should be I.e Byrne get 4 games this year for a 1/2 game offence based on previous offences from the last year, when they were punished last year based on the system in place at that time.

And when You weigh up NRL players come with Zero

Anyway

I can't work out how he's on 5 points looking at the RFL disciplinary site. That has him receiving 4 grade B charges in 2024, so that should be a point each and put him on 4. They come off a point at a time in early March, mid may, early July and then a point from the GF comes off in October. He can probably get away with a game ban for anything under a Grade D for most of the season but it's frustrating that you only come in to this season with a poor disciplinary history if you did anything wrong in 2024 and are punished on the timing of it and also that new overseas players are free as a bird.

We'll be reet anyway. It'll at least open up some good opportunities for young lads and fringe players.

The RFL seem to have been thrust in to action after Sam Burgess criticised players carrying points over from 2024 and are going to look at some tweaks, before communicating the final version before the season starts.

Someone should make some tweaks to the RFL ... like replacing them all with people who can actually do the job.

Their response to people asking why they've not released official communication about these amendments was to just say 'we told the club's in December'. That's ok then, just ignore everyone else across the game who might want to know.

It's some number being in the top brass at the RFL, especially when you decide to pay a company to help do your job. I mean, it seems like IMG have seen them coming but they're at least taking some the RFL's flak nowadays.