There’s a lot to like about rugby league at the moment – unless you are a Tigers fan of course - but there is one thing that the NRL hasn’t got right, and it was on show in all its glaring inadequacy on the weekend. I speak of course of Golden Point.

The way the Knights have battled away under a crippling injury and suspension toll that has seen them without the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Jayden Brailey and Jacob Saifiti, amongst others, has been one the of the feel-good stories of the season. On Saturday night they turned on an absolute belter with the Panthers and their five-eighth Tyson Gamble looked to have done enough to secure victory when he slotted a field goal with just over two minutes to play in regular time. To his credit, Penrith’s Nathan Cleary snapped a one-pointer of his own to send the match into Golden Point a minute later, and there is no argument about that. What isn’t right, is what happened next.

The Panthers were given first use of the Steeden in Golden Point and Cleary calmly kicked the winning field goal without the Knights ever touching the ball. Yes, it was clinically set up and expertly executed, but was it fair?

Seriously, how can a team lose a sudden-death match when they are not given an equal opportunity to score? I know there is also that possibility in the NFL (from where the NRL pinched the idea of Golden Point 20 years ago) but in my mind that doesn’t make it right. Can anyone (except maybe a Penrith supporter) in all honesty say that the Knights deserved to come away empty handed after their three tries to two, 80-minute performance against the back-to-back premiers? By the same token, was their effort against the Panthers any less deserving of at least one competition point than their draw with the Sea Eagles after a scoreless extra time in Round 5?

For years I have argued that the unfairness of Golden Point can be easily fixed with a very minor tweaking of the rules. Simply put, my solution is this: a game of NRL football goes for 80 minutes with two competition points up for grabs. If, at the end of the allotted time the scores are tied, the teams split the two points. They then play extra time, with the first team to score earning another point – a “Golden Point” if you like. If neither team can break the deadlock, no extra point is awarded, they each get one point for their troubles and everyone goes home happy.

Simple as that.