Slater applauds NRL's 'perfect' hip-drop verdict

Billy Slater believes the decision from the NRL match review committee to fine Ryan Papenhuyzen for a hip-drop was the “perfect” outcome for the situation.

During the first half of Friday night’s round six clash between the Storm and Bulldogs, the speedster was placed on report for an incident with Josh Addo-Carr.

Papenhuyzen avoided further sanction on the night for that tackle, but did spend time in the sin-bin for a professional foul in the second-half of Melbourne’s 16-14 victory.

In the wake of the match, Papenhuyzen was hit with a grade one dangerous contact charge, incurring a $750 fine with an early guilty plea.

Speaking on Nine’s Billy Slater Podcast, the legendary Storm fullback claimed the heir to his No.1 jumper will look to rectify that type of tackle in the future.

“I think a fine is exactly where it sits,” Slater said.

“When you hand down penalties to players, it’s about bringing awareness to not do it again and try to draw focus towards that area of the game to try to clean it up.

“I think a fine is perfect in this one because there was no malice in it, he was travelling at high speed, which is uncommon for a hip-drop. There was no injury in it, which is great for Josh Addo-Carr, and there was a lot of momentum in it.

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“But at the same time, we do need to be conscious of our body position when making tackles. It can be a really dangerous tackle and we have seen injuries in the past with twisting your body and coming down on your hips.

“It was a $750 fine, that is totally sufficient and I’m sure Ryan Papenhuyzen probably doesn’t even need a fine to realise he needs to be more cautious in that area.”

Papenhuyzen’s clean record with the judiciary also worked in his favour, but the grading continued the uncertainty and confusion over what constitutes a sin-bin, fine or suspension for similar incidents.

Jack Wighton escaped sanction entirely for a nasty hip-drop in South Sydney’s Good Friday win over the Dogs, while rookie Tigers playmaker Lachlan Galvin received a two-game suspension for his tackle on Easter Monday against the Eels.