NRL players to be sent off for serious crusher tackles

Determined to rid this blight on the game, the NRL will crack down on crusher tackles starting this weekend, with players facing more than a month on the sidelines if sent directly to the judiciary.

• PEARCE: Maroons’ pain won’t stop Ponga

• CONTRACTS: Parra land Penrith’s Fijian flyer

Players who commit serious crusher tackles could be sent off and face being referred straight to the judiciary in a crackdown starting from this round.

The ARL Commission approved changes relating to serious crusher tackles and late tackles after a recommendation from the NRL competition committee last week. The changes will see players face at least five weeks on the sidelines if they are referred directly to the judiciary. The new rules would have meant Newcastle’s Mitch Barnett — who was banned for three games — sent off for his crusher tackle on Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes recently.

A Will Chambers tackle on Jarryd Hayne last year would also have potentially resulted in a send-off.

Less serious offences could mean a sin bin, or a minimal charge for players.

Cronulla's Andrew Fifita was charged for this tackle against Canberra. Image: Fox Sports

“These directives has been issued to try and improve the level of deterrent against these type of incidents in our game at the more serious end of the scale,” said NRL head of football Graham Annesley. “There will still be lesser incidents that will be dealt with in the way they’ve been dealt with through penalties and lower grading’s — grade one and two by match review committee

“These changes are intended to come down much more severely on the upper end of the scale. We want to see them eradicated from the game.”

Players will also be hit with tougher penalties for late tackles on kickers.

The match review committee have been told to forget precedents when it comes to deciding future punishments regarding late hits and crusher tackles.

“We went through a similar process with dangerous throws some years ago,” Annesley said. “Now thankfully we see very few of those. When we do see them they are not as serious as they once were.

“We hope this will have the same effect. In the case of late tackles the match rev will have to form a view the tackle was late.”