by Brendan Bradford – Rule Changes: The Good – ‘How quick is it?!?’ That was the common refrain amoung players, coaches and fans alike after every game this weekend. Even the water runners were spent. The Rugby Shorts bumped into North Harbour assistant Damien ‘Turtle’ Cummins after the Rays went down to the Rising in a high-scoring encounter. The long-time Manly Marlin was just sitting on the floor and looked knackered after his near non-stop shuttle-run between the sideline and the pitch. With 238 points and 35 tries in a high-tempo, action-packed opening round, there aren’t many complaints. While Melbourne Rising halfback Nic Stirzaker joked he was keen to see his stats on the GPS, Rays scrummie Matt Lucas said the collective decision to shun penalty attempts in favour of lineouts was just one rule change that sped the game up. “The conversions are taken so quickly now,” he said of the restricted time to add the extras. “The boys were only just getting b