NRL boss Peter V'landys promised the crackdown would spectacularly kick off tonight in Brisbane, and true to form the league's lawmaker kept his word.<\/p>\n
Four players, including Tex Hoy, Joe Ofahengaue, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Moses Mbye, were sent to the bin in the Tigers' win<\/a> over the Knights, while Tyson Gamble, Jordan Riki Josh Schuster and Lachlan Croker sat in the bin during Manly's comfortable victory over the Broncos.<\/a><\/p>\n The eight incidents' left Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns bemused, as he issued a warning over the new world order to the rest of the competition who are yet to play.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n "I can imagine all the other NRL players up here are watching Magic Round, you're on notice," Johns said. Any ill-discipline or any knocks around the head you're going to go to the bin."<\/p>\n "I know they're cracking down on it, but it just takes the contest out of it. We've got to be very careful because the game is so fast, tough and physical that there are going to be accidents.<\/p>\n "Gone are the days were the good old stiff arm, where blokes would smash each other in the face, that doesn't happen anymore. But understand, under fatigue, people in desperation trying to stop a try, naturally, an arm is going to come up. It's going to have some teething problems. Eight already after two games?"<\/p>\n Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston was particularly unimpressed by the new edict, arguing the essence of the game had been tampered with.<\/p>\n "Head-high tackles? A slap in the face and you're gone to the sin-bin, seriously," he said.<\/p>\n "It's just taken away from what the game has been built on, toughness.<\/p>\n "I understand swinging arms and a duty of care, but some of them were just ridiculous.<\/p>\n "Obviously, there's going to be teething problems, but please, c'mon, this is rugby league."<\/p>\n Queensland legend Paul Vautin was equally baffled by the strict rulings but conceded that clubs were amply warned.<\/p>\n "I don't know what to say. I mean, it was a fraction high, but seriously? 10 minutes in the bin?," league great Paul Vautin said after Gamble was sent for a seemingly innocuous tackle.<\/p>\n "This is the crackdown, this is what they're doing. All the clubs have been told, all the referees have been told."<\/p>\n Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater was concerned the new ruling could alter the outcomes of tight games with players yet to tweak their tackling styles.<\/p>\n "It could change the game, it could decide the game," he said.<\/p>\n "You can't have eight sin bins in two games\u2026it's hard for players to just flick a switch and automatically just change the way they defend.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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