Ben Hunt says NRL’s illegal contact crackdown is ‘all over the shop’

The NRL’s crackdown on illegal contact is here to stay but players and fans alike are feeling frustrated at its perceived inconsistencies.

Hunt has returned to form under new Dragons coach Anthony Griffin. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Dragons skipper Ben Hunt says the new high tackle crackdown is struggling for consistency as the Red V count the cost of a brutal local derby that has seen their already depleted squad take another massive hit.

The Sharks left Kogarah with a gripping 13-12 win in golden point, but all the talk was on the head-high blitz as three more players were sent to the sin bin, while another eight were placed on report.

Paul Vaughan was the only Dragon sent to the bin for a glancing blow on Sharks centre Will Chambers, while Cronulla duo Josh Dugan and Mawene Hiroti spent 10 minutes off the field even though their tackles appeared more forceful.

The stop-start nature of the contest frustrated the players, but Hunt was more concerned with the high tackle interpretations as the NRL tries to enforce black and white rules for a very grey area.

“You hear the ref and you think ‘geez, what now?’” he told NCA NewsWire.

“It’s a bit confusing out there because you’re guessing half the time.

“You hear a whistle and you don’t know if someone is going to be sent for 10 minutes, sent off or not sent at all. It’s pretty hard at the moment and I don’t actually know what to say about it because it’s pretty confusing for everyone.

“They are really enforcing these rules, and it’s up to the NRL to find consistency because we’re not there yet. They have to find a way to make it more consistent because to me, it feels like it’s all over the shop.”

Josh Dugan was one of three given marching orders in Friday night’s derby. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Dragons coach Anthony Griffin fired up at the fact Hiroti wasn’t marched for his shot that knocked Cody Ramsey out of the game, saying the hit would have been a send off under the interpretations at Magic Round.

And as Hunt says, simply putting a label on a tackle won’t clear up the confusion when every hit should be judged on its merits.

“As far as I know, if it’s a direct shot to the head then it’s 10, and then if they deem it’s direct with force then I think it’s meant to be sent for the game,” he replied when asked if he understood what constituted a sin bin.

“But how are any of our tackles not with force? You’re using force in every tackle you make and there were a few shots that seemed pretty forceful and direct to the head (against Cronulla).

“We lost Cody for the game but their player only spent 10 in the bin. It’s confusing.”

The crackdown has already seen the Red V hit hard with Josh McGuire, Mikaele Ravalawa, Tyrell Fuimaono and Tariq Sims suspended last week, and they have more concerns with three more players placed on report on Friday.

That’s on top of a shoulder injury to Matt Dufty, who could be joined in the casualty ward after St George Illawarra had three players fail their HIAs.

The setbacks come at a horrible time for the club who would have been banking on six competition points given they face the bottom three teams over the next three weeks.

“The first thing we’ve got to do is work out who’s available and then try to assemble a team. We’ve got to get on with life because this is rugby league and we’ve got to do a job, no matter who gets picked,” Hunt said.

“It’s frustrating, but we can’t make excuses because everyone has injuries and suspensions, so we just have to get on with life. Everyone who comes in just has to do their job.”