The NRL will consider beefing up penalties for the dreaded crusher tackle after being alarmed by a spate of recent incidents.
The powerful competition committee, which features some of the game’s brightest minds, will meet at Rugby League Central on Tuesday to consider making a number of recommendations.
High on the agenda will be the crusher tackle, after NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and the ARL Commission became concerned by several examples over the last few months.
Newcastle forward Mitchell Barnett is set to spend three weeks on the sideline after he pleaded guilty to a dangerous contact charge for a tackle on Jahrome Hughes.
Cronulla forward Andrew Fifita is in danger of missing Tonga’s Test against New Zealand because of a crusher tackle on Canberra’s Ryan Sutton.
He is facing two to three weeks out and will argue for a downgrade at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night.
After Will Chambers was last year rubbed out for three weeks for a crusher tackle on Jarryd Hayne, the NRL amended the judiciary code so that the offence carried a greater suspension.
Previously a grade one resulted in a one-game suspension, a grade two was two weeks and a grade three resulted in three weeks out.
Under the current rules, a grade two carries a three-week ban and a grade three is equivalent to five weeks out.
But after Penrith great Greg Alexander warned it could result in a broken neck and suggested a 10-week ban, the NRL will consider further increasing the severity of penalties.
“There have been things that have happened in our game where we have made particular policy decisions to try to ensure the game is as safe as possible,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
“High tackles are a classic example, dangerous throws are another example where penalties have had to have been beefed up and we’ve needed to create a greater deterrent.
“The risk of injury is our primary concern.”
The competition committee features former players such as Darren Lockyer, coaches Paul Green, Ivan Cleary and Mal Meninga, Greenberg, ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie, commissioner Wayne Pearce and Annesley.
Should the committee endorse greater penalties, it would then be forwarded to the independent commission for approval.
Annesley also confirmed the group will discuss reducing the interchange from 10 to eight and they will be presented with data from the opening 14 rounds.
“We want to present those findings and have that conversations about whether it is appropriate at the moment,” Annesley said.
“Whether it needs refinement, when that might happen. It could be there’s no change needed.”