[ahartnet]

I think a key thing everyone here is missing is that the defender may not be focusing so much on blocking shots or messing up a robot trying to shot but preventing boulder pickup from the secret passage.

The team update made it very clear the rule is designed such that trying to get a boulder from the secret passage is going to be dangerous if there's an opposing robot over there. If there's not then if you have two boulder scoring robots you can pretty well guarantee a selection of boulders to choose from without leaving the enemy courtyard.