Rugby League: Fears for little men after tackle ruling

Melbourne boss John Ribot fears the NRL's crackdown on spear tackles could drive little men out of the game.

A record eight players this week copped suspensions totalling 12 matches after the NRL's decision to come down hard on dangerous throwers.

Though Ribot believed "all clubs want dangerous throws out of the game," he said players were coached nowadays to lift the legs of bigger opponents off the ground to complete an effective tackle.

But, after having Storm forwards Cameron Smith and Mitchell Sargent rubbed out for their joint dangerous throw on New Zealand Warrior Jerry Seuseu, Ribot said clubs might be forced into a rethink.