{"id":71025,"date":"2021-05-14T01:56:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T01:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=71025"},"modified":"2021-05-14T05:05:25","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T05:05:25","slug":"nrl-launches-unprecedented-rules-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=71025","title":{"rendered":"NRL launches unprecedented rules 'crackdown'"},"content":{"rendered":"

NRL boss Peter V'landys<\/a> has promised a wholesale crackdown on foul play will begin with tonight's Magic Round<\/a> opener at Suncorp Stadium between Wests Tigers and Newcastle.<\/p>\n

In a response aimed at the worrying rise in players suffering concussion after head knocks, the ARLC has directed referees to come down hard on any contact with the head or neck.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Radio 2GB's Ben Fordham, V'landys promised a zero tolerance approach to high shots.<\/p>\n

"Absolutely, the crackdown should have happened last week, but it will definitely happen tonight," V'landys said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"We will not tolerate any hit above the shoulder, on the neck or the head region.<\/p>\n

"Any foul play will be penalised heavily, we're going to get all that out of the game."<\/p>\n

V'landys likened the crackdown to moves to rid the game of punching, which became an automatic sin-bin offence in 2013.<\/p>\n

"We did that many years ago with punching, by using the sin-bin, you don't see punches anymore, you don't see spear tackles anymore, you don't see many shoulder charges anymore," he explained.<\/p>\n

"We're just as determined to get rid of any knock around the head.<\/p>\n

"(It's) never been allowed to hit anyone in the head or the neck. Never, in the game's history.<\/p>\n

"All we need to do now is enforce it, and we will."<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There was widespread uproar last week<\/a> after Parramatta's Dylan Brown escaped on-field punishment for kneeing Roosters half Drew Hutchison in the back, a move that left Hutchison with broken ribs and a punctured lung.<\/a><\/p>\n

Brown was subsequently suspended for three weeks by the judiciary.<\/a><\/p>\n

V'landys indicated the crackdown should have begun last week.<\/p>\n

"That was the Commission's decision, that we wanted to eliminate, and penalise heavily, anyone that did, even if it was accidental or reckless, and definitely intentional around the head.<\/p>\n

"We wanted them to be sin-binned or sent off. That's the policy of the board.<\/p>\n

"I'm sure the referees will implement it, just like they have everything else.<\/p>\n

"The referees have been fantastic this year, it was a shame last week with that hiccup."<\/p>\n

Video referee Steve Chiddy was axed after failing to take action against Brown, despite having ample time to review the incident while Hutchison received treatment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"I think it was a communication breakdown on the night, but everyone makes mistakes. I make 10 mistakes a day, but they're not as high profile as when you're in the bunker," V'landys said.<\/p>\n

"You have to appreciate that 99 per cent of the time they get it right, and there's been a lot of errors that have been rectified by the bunker.<\/p>\n

"But it's the clanger that really hurts them, because all the good work of the 99 per cent is forgotten.<\/p>\n

"They're human, and I feel sorry for the bunker official because he didn't wilfully do it, it was a mistake."<\/p>\n

V'landys noted that cleaning up the game is important in giving parents the confidence to introduce their children to the sport at a young age.<\/p>\n

"We'll be very tough on it, we don't want our players to suffer concussion, we don't want our players to be out for weeks on end because of foul play or reckless play," he said.<\/p>\n

"You do not hit around the neck or the head, and it's not going to be tolerated."<\/p>\n

"We want mothers and parents to know that when their children play rugby league it's absolutely safe and it's played in the right spirit.<\/p>\n

"It's not out there to hurt or injure somebody."<\/p>\n

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NRL boss Peter V'landys has promised a wholesale crackdown on foul play will begin with tonight's Magic Round opener at Suncorp Stadium between Wests Tigers […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71025"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71025"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71027,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71025\/revisions\/71027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}