An inaugural NRLW Magic Round was rocked by wet weather and injuries, but Ruan Sims was left most concerned by alarming trends creeping back into the game.
Hip drop and high tackles have been a major issue in both the men's and women's competitions, with the league working to stamp them out.
Despite a crackdown, Sims recognised that in some cases players are unable to move out of a troubling position before making contact.
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A number of stars were pinged for high contact and hip drop tackles in Newcastle as others were forced from the field due to injury or to undergo a head injury assessments.
Out of the 10 players cited by the match review committee, seven were pinged for careless high tackle charges, two for dangerous contact and one for a crusher tackle.
Dragons halfback Raecene McGregor was the most notable player to be charged and has copped a one-game suspension for a nasty tackle on Cassey Tohi-Hiku.
But Sims noted many of those cited were pinged in the early minutes of their matches.
"A lot of the high tackles and HIAs are happening quite early in the game so it is not so much a fatigue thing," Sims said on Wide World of Sports' NRLW Weekly.
"If I'm looking at that I'm thinking it is a technique thing … whether it was the defender getting knocked out or other things. It's really important where technique comes in.
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"A lot of teams are coached to tackle on the ball, which is absolutely perfect to stop the ball from moving but sometimes if you mistime it, you go a little high, you slip off the ball or you get your head in a poor position.
"A lot of that work needs to be done around the technical aspect and level changes. They need to level change late and sink.
"(Players) need to sink through their knees, like how an aeroplane takes off, it is in that 45 degree angled position."
Sims also noted that the cause of hip drop tackles is due to players failing to move their feet when making contact with a storming attacking player.
"Another concerning trend I've noticed in defence is the hip drop … they've got to keep their feet moving," she continued.
"When they make contact they can't stop moving those feet, they need to keep that drive to win that tackle."
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Despite Sims' concerns about the troubling technique of some players, the league great admitted she was impressed with how teams managed to overcome adversity.
"The completion rate was absolutely top shelf considering how poor the conditions were," Sims said.
"It is only going to get better. The more these girls are exposed to different conditions like this – playing at night, in the twilight, in the day when it's hot – they are just going to get better and better."
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