Canberra Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart has teed off on the NRL yet again, with players seemingly confused by where the line between aggression and promotion of the sport sits.
The Raiders might have picked up the win on Sunday afternoon in Auckland with a gutsy performance, but it didn't come without its issues.
Captain Joseph Tapine was penalised and placed on report twice, including for a crusher tackle early in the game which Stuart took exception to, suggesting the NRL uses aggressive plays to promote the game, but then clamps down on players for providing the footage.
โJoe released the player's head. That's what we practice to do, we practise releasing the head,โ Stuart said during his post-match press conference in Auckland on Sunday.
โWe keep getting told this game is about entertainment and that was an entertaining game tonight. But we can't discipline aggression because our game and our broadcasters promote aggression.
โWe have to be careful that we don't go and want to scrutinise aggressive actions in a game that is moulded on pure aggression and passion."
Stuart said State of Origin was at risk, and had only been created through aggression.
โOn Wednesday night, we've got one of the most special games in our calendar happening and it has created its profile and culture and passion, Origin, through aggression," he said.
โAnd I'm not at all promoting foul play, I'm dead against foul play. I've said before you will get a lot of accidental high shots with the speed and intensity of our game and that's a part of it now, penalty given, I get that, that's fine.
โI'm not promoting foul play but don't go penalising, and I don't mean penalising out there but with match review committees, we can't just go willy-nilly bashing players for aggression because you need them in our game.
โWe can't keep calling ourselves an entertaining game and get the broadcasters money, well aggression is a big part of it.โ
The Raiders, who will also face a nervous wait over Tom Starling's late high shot that was sin binned, have moved to second spot on the ladder with the win over the Warriors.
That is despite not having a bye yet, and having one of the trickier fixture lists in the first half of the season with plenty of travel.
The Green Machine have another fortnight of action with games against the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs before their first bye in Round 15, with their other byes to follow in Round 19 and Round 24.
