Richie Barnett: Illegal tackles need action

Johnathan Thurston. Photo / Getty Images

The lack of action over the illegal tackles on Johnathan Thurston last week has set a dangerous precedent.

The NRL says all the right things but is not backing it up with action.

League has always been a tough game but it felt like a line was crossed last Saturday in Townsville. Thurston was blatantly targeted in a fairly violent way yet the perpetrator has got off.

More needs to be done to protect playmakers and halves. Not only are they the ones who bring fans through the gates but they often tend to be the smaller players on the field. It's not about special treatment - it's just being logical.

Kickers also need to be protected. When you kick you are often off balance or in the air but it has become acceptable to hit the kicker late, which is a clever way of taking him out of the play momentarily - or longer.

And referees should use the sin bin more. If Beau Scott had spent 10 or 20 minutes off the field last week in Townsville the result might have been different. A subsequent suspension does nothing to benefit the team that was offended against.

Meanwhile, the Warriors' effort and intensity have been impressive but they continue to undo all their good work with errors at crucial times. It's impossible to build pressure when you make mistakes early in the tackle count, or keep taking the wrong options on fifth tackles. It keeps the other team in the game, as we saw against Canberra last week.

The return of Sam Tomkins has helped but in general the halves need to take more control; it's okay to think long term sometimes and push for the repeat set, rather than what is directly ahead of them. Go forward has never been an issue at this club and all that hard work needs to be capitalised on.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's match, one key for the Warriors is how their right edge defence copes against Parramatta's formidable attack down the left flank. Brad Takairangi, Corey Norman and Manu Ma'u have been excellent for the Eels so far this season. Norman already has four try assists, thanks to some spectacular passes and great vision.

The communication between Tui Lolohea, Shaun Johnson and Bodene Thompson needs to improve as they were quite passive in Canberra.