BY KANE AUSTIN

New South Wales coach Brad Fittler has conceded an accidental high tackle could cost his team a game in this season’s State of Origin series starting in three weeks.

Fittler says his Blues will practise under fatigue with just 12 players at training in preparation for the NRL’s controversial crackdown which saw a long list of players sent from the field in last weekend’s Magic Round.

“I’m not worried about the crackdown, but at some stage we’ll train with 12 players – I’m resigned to there being sin-binnings,” Fittler told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“There will be accidents, but if you concede a sin-binning will cost you the game, you will lose.”

Several players in round 10 were sin-binned for what many fans and experts believed were conspicuously innocuous and couldn’t be stopped.

A perfect example was Brisbane’s Tyson Gamble against the Sea Eagles.

With Manly on the verge of scoring, Gamble desperately raced across field and was wrong-footed at high pace. The result saw Gamble make some contact with the Manly player’s head – without malice or intent.

Gamble was sent from the field.

It appears the NRL are happy to continue ruling the game as it if was black and white. The only issue with that is rugby league is riddled with grey area and players colliding with each other.

“We have an obligation to our players and their welfare. We want our players to leave the game with all their faculties,” ARLC chair Peter V’landys told NRL 360.

You can’t blame the NRL for wanting to clean up the game in regards to head knocks.

It’s the black and white ruling of it that is the problem.

V’landys has given himself no room for common sense.

Origin could be dead before we even get to it.