‘Gone too far’: More Super League coaches unite against tackle laws

More Super League coaches have taken a united stand against the punishments seen for high tackles in Super League in recent weeks: with Daryl Powell and Danny McGuire the latest to hit out.

There has been a spate of cards in the last fortnight after a relatively quiet opening few weeks to 2025. For a good while, the approach to high tackles felt a long way removed from the controversy surrounding the start of last year: but it has now returned emphatically.

Multiple players were shown cards last weekend, with Leeds’ Ash Handley and Hull KR’s Sauaso Sue sent off for tackles that were deemed dangerous enough to pass the threshold for a red card.

Sue then escaped a charge from the Match Review Panel. Wakefield’s Mason Lino was also carded in their defeat to Catalans, as was Leeds’ Jack Sinfield.

Leeds coach Brad Arthur and Hull KR boss Willie Peters both took a joint stand post-match last Friday to hit out at the laws being too harsh – and they now have more allies in Powell and McGuire.

Trinity coach Powell insisted ‘something has got to change’ in regards to both high tackles and the amount of stoppages within games.

He said: “Some of them (the high tackles) are pretty hard to stop. For me it’s gone too far. The NRL are saying it’s gone too far.

“They’re where we were last year and ours has escalated again. Something has got to change with the game because they’re going on too long, everyone is talking about video referees and we’ve got a great game we should be focussing on.

“We don’t want swinging arms but there’s a lot of things happening in the game. We’ve got to create positive stories.”

When asked about the game between Leeds and Hull KR, McGuire said: “I don’t think any of the tackles you’re talking about there were on purpose – they were accidents.

“The game is so quick and fast and things change so quick you can make a tackle in one position and the player moves. There needs to be a bit more understanding around that.

“If someone runs in with a forearm looking to hit someone, I want that suspended. But there’s got to be an understanding of change of body positions.

“I can’t worry about it too much, there’s too many things that take up a coach’s time. Worrying about things you can’t control, the points you look at players getting in the disciplinary – they’re out of our control. You’ll get some calls that go for you and some that go against you.”

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