Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Dragons coach Flanagan's thoughts on NRL's high tackle crackdown
Charles Goodsir • April 2nd, 2025 12:14 pm
St George Illawarra Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has thrown his support behind the NRL’s clamp down on high tackles for the upcoming weekend.
The NRL confirmed there would be greater scrutiny on direct contact to the head in tackling situations after a slew of players were incorrectly spared from the sin bin.
Flanagan said his players were aware of the consequences for any high shots and believes the NRL have made the right call ahead of Round 5.
“I think it’s a great message,” Flanagan told SEN 1170.
“I was sitting back and asking how some incidents didn’t result in a sin bin.
“It’s just a tweak to the ruling from the NRL and players will hopefully take (it on board) and react to the message.
“The game is so fast and there’s no intention to hit people in the head. Sometimes it is an accident but we will get punished for it.
“We know that (if high contact) happens, it won’t just be a penalty but also a sin bin.
“I think it’s a good ruling but I hope it’s not a crackdown.
“We put it in our team meeting and discussed it. Player safety is crucial so it’s a step in the right direction.”
The Dragons travel to CommBank Stadium to take on the winless Parramatta Eels this weekend.
Current Dragons captain Clint Gutherson faces his old side while Parramatta's Zac Lomax takes on his former side.
Flanagan insisted that the ‘revenge game’ aspect to Saturday’s clash was not a motivating factor ahead of the contest.
“Gutherson knocked it on the head pretty quick and said there were no hard feelings with Parramatta,” Flanagan added.
“He is really enjoying his time at the Dragons. He didn’t want to make this match about him and we aren’t going to.
“He just wants to win. It’s typical of Clint that he’s thinking about the team first.”
The Dragons can improve to 2-2 with a win over Parramatta currently sit last on the NRL ladder.
