Daily Telegraph reporter Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield believes that the NRL’s recent crackdown on high shots could make State of Origin “unwatchable”.
With the crackdown producing instant sin-binnings for head and neck contact provoking high-profile players to allegedly plan a coup against ARL commision chairman Peter V’landys, there are fears that Origin could be severely affected too.
Rothfield, on NRL360 on Fox Sports, said: “It could potentially ruin the series, if games are refereed like the one in Newcastle yesterday the series will be unwatchable.
“It was inconsistent, there were some guys put on report. I’m saying it could potentially ruin the series.”
Ben Ikin also believed that the rules had to be implemented in the same way as they have been up until now.
“If concussion has been elevated to the pedestal we’ve seen over the last two weeks, you can’t step away from how the game is being policed at club level just because it’s Origin and it’s played differently.
“That would make a mockery of why the NRL put the crackdown in in the first place.”
