Tariq Sims knows better than most the risks of a tackle going wrong.
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An enforcer instructed to intimidate opposing halves, the forward has found himself on the NRL judiciary report more than once.
The intention, he says, is never to injure opposing players, but in a sport as brutal as rugby league, it's a fine line between a game-changing hit and a tackle ending in suspension.
"If you're thinking about the tackle going wrong, you're probably going to find yourself injuring yourself or injuring someone else," Sims said. "That's definitely not what you want to do.
"It's hard, it's a thin line. You saw on the weekend, you go a couple of centimetres too high and it'll glance off the shoulder and into their chin. If you go a couple of centimetres too low, you can put your shoulder out and miss your tackle.
"It's a thin line, the game's adapted and changed so much with the speed of the game what it is now. You have to do your best to try and overcome the challenges and get used to the style and speed that the game has become, because it's not changing anytime soon."
It's the position Sims' Dragons teammate Jordan Pereira currently finds himself in. The winger, rushing out of the line to shutdown Roosters star James Tedesco.
The tackle went wrong, the fullback suffering a concussion and Pereira sent to the sin bin. He's now facing a stint on the sidelines, three weeks with an early guilty plea, five if he unsuccessfully fights a grade three careless high tackle charge.
The winger was one of three players cited in Sunday's loss, Tyrell Fuimaono hit with a grade one careless high tackle charge and Mikaele Ravalawa a grade two shoulder charge.
The Dragons are leaning towards early guilty pleas for Pereira and Ravalawa, however it is understood they are considering their options regarding Ravalawa.
Statistics unveiled on Monday by NRL head of football Graham Annesley showed judiciary charges for incidents involving the head and neck have skyrocketed in recent years. The trend only accelerating this season.
For Sims, the rise in high tackles is the result of new rules that have increased the pace of the game.
"Fatigue plays a huge factor in it," Sims said. "The game's super fast it's at a speed where you're going to get those blokes who are making 15-20 tackles and 10 hit ups.
"They're going to be exhausted and hang the arm out because no one wants to miss a tackle, no one wants to let their team down.
"It's just a muscle reaction to do that, unfortunately penalties come from it. You know people don't go out there to maim and hurt other players."
In highlighting the increase in high tackles, Annesley reiterated the league's view that contact with the head will not be tolerated.
While not committing to more send offs, the senior official made it clear to players that high tackles will continue to attract punishment and it is up to them to change the way they play to avoid suspensions.
"The penny has to drop here," Annesley said. "Players can't play with an attitude where 'I don't have to worry about the consequences of my actions.'
"I'm not saying they do that deliberately, I'm saying they have to take more responsibility for the consequences of their actions."