Fans have been left scratching their heads by the NRL’s latest rule changes with the crackdown on the disruptor tackle and the surge in six-again calls causing plenty of angst this year.

Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters: Rugby League star Corey Parker has even questioned why the disruptor rule was introduced altogether, saying the call “is proving to be as clear as mud”.

NRL head of football Graham Annesley has again defended the rule, telling The Agenda Setters on Monday night that it is all about a “fair contest for the ball when the ball goes in the air”.

According to the NRL website, the ruling of the penalty is characterised by three different infringements: if a player is arriving at the contest early, focusing on impeding the defensive player and not the ball or jumping through the contest, and making unnecessary contact.

“The disruptor is all about obstruction and interference with players who don’t have the ball,” Annesley said on The Agenda: Rugby League.

“We don’t want to go back to a situation where kick-chases have no intention to try and enter a contest,” he said.

“Their sole objective was to try and take a receiver out, so he would either spill the ball, or he’d be taken out before he had the chance to receive the ball.

“We can’t do that; we can’t go back to open season.

“If there is a genuine contest and a player spills the ball, that’s OK, but it needs to be a genuine contest.”

Annesley came out publicly on Sunday saying there would be no changes to the “disruptor” interpretation, confirming that players are still allowed to compete for kicks with a one-handed contest.