Template talk:Rugby league match squad

Improvements needed

I think having a separate template for matchday squads is a great idea, but the current format of it needs some improvements. I've listed a few recommendations:

The option to add concussion substitutes needs to be added.

Would also recommend adding abbreviated position names. Having the full position names makes the template look very bulky.

Maybe add a feature where sin bins and red cards can be noted against a player?

Also there needs to be an option to be able to center-justify the template. Having it also right-justified makes the template look very disorganised when imbedded in articles.

If I have any further reccomendations I will leave add them here. Djbolkas (talk) 01:45, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

@Djbolkas: thanks for the suggestions

1. Concussion substitutes - should cope with those already, just change |squadsize= to 18 and list the player as the 5th interchange for whichever side (the template will cope with anything from 13 to 26 players a side by setting |squadsize=). If you specifically want to label them as concussion substitutes then let's agree a label for it and work out how to display it. Possibly worth getting agreement that they only get listed if they play?
2. position names. I'll have a look, it only tends to get bulky where both hemisphere names are used. Just using |location=n or |location=s is more compact. I only set the World Cup ones to |location=ns because of the global reach. Abbreviated position names now working in sandbox, uses |abbr=.
3. Sin bins, red cards, interchanges, (even tries and goals :-) if you want, although I wouldn't recommend anything that duplicates what's in {{rugbyleaguebox}} if it's also there) all possible already; just add the relevant templates before or after the player's name, see User:Nthep/sandbox9 for examples. I haven't found a template for a green card (has the NRL introduced those or are they just a UK thing atm?) yet, perhaps one needs creating?
4. center or left justified. Should be possible I have it working in the module sandbox uses new |align= with required values of left, right, center. Will default to right aligned if not set, again see User:Nthep/sandbox9 for examples. Can easily change the default if that is wanted. The only rationale for right justified was to allow text commentary to be added.

Changes look good to me. Will look to change what had been used for 2022 NRL Grand Final and a few other 2022 rugby league articles to this revised template. Great work. Storm machine (talk) 22:48, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

it's still in the sandbox. If there's no issues reported I'll upgrade the template with the sandbox code tomorrow. Nthep (talk) 22:53, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

module now updated with sandbox code. Nthep (talk) 12:59, 29 November 2022 (UTC)

Having used the revised template just now on 2022 Queensland Cup, I agree with Djbolkas that a label for the concussion substitute/reserve would be a useful change. The 2022 NRL Grand Final team list used a tool tip to signify the difference for the extra player. Would it be possible to have a label "home/awayRES1-n" with "home/awayRES1-nNUM" for this purpose? I would leave them marked as "Reserve" as they would then have further utility for match squads where interchange players were not used in the past, prior to the greater use of interchange rather than reserve players coming on as a substitute. Storm machine (talk) 23:32, 29 November 2022 (UTC)

@Storm machine I'm thinking the easiest solution is to make all positions 14-26 capable of being renamed but leave the default value as "Interchange". So for a modern squad of four interchanges and a concussion sub you'd only have to specify Interchange 5 as having an alternative title. If we go back to pre SL/NRL and want to call them substitutes or reserves then Interchanges 1 & 2 need to have an alternative title defined (I can't recall any UK games with more than 2 subs but if there are any then it's just a question of defining Interchanges 3 onwards).

I've mocked it up for Interchanges 1-5 at the moment. Have a look at the first example at User:Nthep/sandbox9 and you can see how it works for Interchanges 1 & 2, the parameters are |titleIN1-n. Feel free to play around with that sandbox page. You can put anything; reserve, substitute, concussion substitute, 18th man, etc.

Two things that need considering:

1. abbreviated titles
2. links for the titles. The article Rugby league positions does have a section on Interchanges and although an additional interchange for HIA is talked about (but not cited), the term "concussion substitute" or "concussion interchange" is never actually mentioned. There's a bit in History of rugby league about substitutes being introduced (in the UK?) but again could do with expanding and sourcing.

The limitation with my suggested approach is that it applies the same to both teams. So if, for some reason, teams are playing with different numbers on the bench and a HIA sub then the HIA sub would need to be IN5 for both teams.

Have a play around and let me know what you think. Nthep (talk) 09:48, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

I've cited some references and made some reasonable (quick) changes to Rugby league positions#Concussion substitute so we could link the 18th man/reserve/substitute to that section. I'll see what I can source for the old-fashioned reserve so that there is a historical context for the pre-interchange days. With the abbreviated title, when describing the reserve player, could the abbreviation be contextual (ie if reserve is chosen then RES, if concussion substitute then CS)? The sandbox example works well by the way. Cheers Storm machine (talk) 03:05, 1 December 2022 (UTC)

@Storm machine Thanks for the additions to Rugby league positions. I've tinkered with the module to set |titleIN5= to Concussion substitute and make the abbreviation CS. As with the Interchange positions it can be overwritten. My thinking was that if 18 player squads become standard we may as well make the 18 positions default to the commonest usage. If we're listing, for example, a pre-season friendly where there are 20 players on each team the instructions just need to read "change |titleIN5= to Interchange" on the basis that there isn't a designated concussion sub. Nthep (talk) 12:51, 2 December 2022 (UTC)