EXCLUSIVE: Billy Slater acknowledges that the ‘over-regulated’ NRL crackdown concluded prior to Sunday’s matches

Billy Slater has expressed his belief that the NRL’s crackdown on head-high tackles concluded prematurely, following a series of incidents that did not result in any players being sent to the sin bin during Sunday’s matches.

In the encounter between Manly and the Storm, not a single player faced the sin bin, despite Corey Waddell being reported for a high tackle on Tyran Wishart. Waddell later received a two-match suspension.

Adam Elliott and Jacob Preston were also penalised for high shots in the game between the Knights and the Bulldogs, yet neither player was sin binned.

Leading up to Sunday’s matches, players such as Hudson Young, Reece Robson, Izack Tago, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Ray Stone, and Brendan Piakura were all sent for 10 minutes due to high tackles.

This wave of decisions followed the NRL’s acknowledgment that officials had made errors by not issuing sin bins the previous week.

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During an episode of Nine’s Billy Slater Podcast, the rugby league great remarked that the decisions made on Sunday aligned closely with those in prior rounds.

“It must’ve been a short-lived measure because it appeared to finish on Sunday,” he noted.

“There were numerous high contact incidents on Sunday that were addressed in a manner I believed to be appropriate. If it’s a penalty, it warrants being called; if it’s on report, it’s just that; for severe cases, a sin bin is fitting—I understand that.

“There weren’t any sin bins yesterday across both games, although there were instances of high contact, which were managed properly. I’m hopeful that we’ve struck a balance.”

“At the start of the weekend, the policing seemed somewhat excessive, which the NRL was trying to rectify after four incidents the preceding week that had been poorly managed.”

While the referees face mounting pressure to determine what constitutes a sin bin offence, Slater extended his understanding for their situation.

“I genuinely sympathise with the on-field officials,” he remarked.

“They are tasked with managing the game while also being expected to act as the match review committee on the spot, which is a challenging role. I believe they handled it well on Sunday, and I hope this approach continues.”