Determining the Contextual Factors in a Decision-Making Framework for a Rugby League Ball Carrier: A Rapid Review and Delphi Study

Using a two-phase approach in the form of a rapid literature review and Delphi consensus, this study aimed to reach consensus on the terms, definitions and potential options to develop a framework that captures the contextual factors that can affect a rugby league ball carrier’s decision-making, whilst also determining the perceived importance of these contextual factors. Forty terms, their definitions and potential options were extracted from the rapid review. In a two-round Delphi survey, experts rated their level of agreement with each term, definition and potential options on a five-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined by ≥ 80% agreement (with ≤ 10% in disagreement). The experts then rated the level of importance to a ball carrier’s decision-making of each of the terms on a seven-point Likert scale. Eighteen experts participated in round one and 15 participated in round two (response rate 83%). Five additional terms were suggested by the experts and reached consensus in the second round of the Delphi survey. In total, consensus was reached on 45 terms, their definitions and potential options, which were grouped into five themes (match context, offensive context, defensive context, offensive ball carrier skill and attacking outcomes). Seventeen of the 45 terms were perceived to be important or very important. Nine of these factors were associated with offensive context and eight factors were associated with defensive context. The framework can be used by coaches, performance analysts and researchers to better understand player in-game decisions and to support the design of training interventions.