Stat Attack: NRL teams adapting to mass sin-binnings

Rugby league is breaking new, contentious ground when it comes to its use of the sin bin, with a player marched for 10 minutes in every game this round for the first time in the NRL era.

But as the officials use the sin bin like never before, teams and players are adapting better than ever as well, with defences in particularly tightening up when reduced to 12 men.

Round 11 saw 14 players sin binned and Melbourne's Curtis Scott sent off for punching Dylan Walker and fracturing his eye socket.

It's the first time since 1998 that we've seen a player marched in every game played across a round of football.

While the weekend saw players from both sides sin-binned in three matches, seven teams emerged as winners despite losing a man for 10 minutes.

Penrith, the Warriors, the Broncos, Gold Coast, South Sydney, Manly and the Sharks all prevailed with a player binned at some point – though Brisbane's Tevita Pangai jnr and Cronulla's Josh Dugan were both marched in the 80th minute.

With 49 sin-binnings so far in 2018, a team that has been reduced to 12 players has won 27 games and lost 18 (60% win percentage).

The four sin-binnings that aren't accounted for in the above breakdown came in games where teams had two or more men marched.

Overall teams are conceding an average of 3.35 points - less than one try - while down a defender, and scoring 1.67 points in return.

NRL Stats last crunched these numbers after round five, and in the six weeks since we've seen defences tighten even further.

After round five, teams were conceding 3.6 points and scoring 1.33 with a player binned.

In the last six weeks, those figures have jumped to 1.82 points scored during the same 10-minute periods, and just 3.24 conceded.

Round 11 sin-binnings
Trent Merrin (Penrith) 21st minute, Penrith won
Alex Twal (Tigers), 57th minute, Tigers lost
Dylan Napa (Roosters), 74th minute, Roosters lost
Tevita Pangai jnr (Broncos), 80th minute, Broncos won
Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans), 41st minute, Titans won
Jarrod Wallace (Titans), 51st minute, Titans won
Cody Walker (Rabbitohs), 6th minute, Rabbitohs won
Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), 37th minute, Sea Eagles won
Apisai Koroisau (Sea Eagles), 51st minute, Sea Eagles won
Dylan Walker (Sea Eagles), 51st minute, Sea Eagles won
Josh Addo-Carr (Storm), 75th minute, Storm lost
Jordan Rapana (Raiders), 59th minute, Raiders lost
Josh Dugan (Sharks), 80th minute, Sharks won