Abstract
ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between evasive skill and developmental level in a rugby league (RL) talent pathway. An observational and cross-sectional research design was used with a total sample of 90 male participants (under 18, n = 30; under 20, n = 30; and state league, n = 30) performing an attack play task, requiring three attackers to compete against two defenders to successfully generate a “line-break”. Assessment criteria of the task included start position, type of evasive manoeuvre and task outcome (successful line-break or not), with relationships determined using the Fischer’s exact test (Crosstabs Command) with adjusted residuals (AR) and the multinomial logistic regression. Outcome scores for the task did not significantly differ between development levels, but the relationship between development level and evasive manoeuvres was significant (χ2 = 35.916; df = 26; P = 0.026; ES = 0.27). State league players had a greater frequency of “angled run”, “all square run” and combinations of evasive manoeuvres compared to the other levels. This study demonstrated that variation and type of evasive manoeuvre used by players differed across developmental level. These results could support the design of training activities intended to develop evasive skill in talented junior RL players.
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