NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has come to defence of rookie Demitric Sifakula, after he was controversially sent off in just his second NRL game.
Sifakula was shown his marching orders by the referee after being adjudged to have struck Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary.
The incident occurred after the halfback nailed Josh Curran in a tackle, forcing the ball loose, which prompted a heated exchange.
It sparked a melee between both teams, with Sifakula appearing to try and grab Cleary's collar, but connecting with his chin instead.
The Warriors replacement forward was sent off for a "striking action", leaving his side a man down for the next 10 minutes.
The Panthers capitalised on the numerical advantage, scoring a try, to seal an 18-6 win, and hand the Warriors their third straight defeat.
But Webster believes the incident was an accident with Sifakula just trying to push Cleary away from Curran.
"I feel like Demetric's hand is open, he's pushing him in the face and you can see Nathan's face move, but he's gone to push him, and next thing he's in the bin," he said.
Sifakula was just one of two Warriors players to be sent to the sin bin, with Jackson Ford also receiving the same fate, but for a hip-drop tackle.
The game's most contentious issue continues to rear its ugly head, with growing uncertainty over the legality and attempts to stamp it out.
Ford landed on the legs of prop Spencer Leniu after he was adjudged to have rotated his hips in his tackle in the second half of the contest.
Webster insisted the tackle is not something any coach would want from his players, and is as confused as any about how best to eliminate it.
"The hip drops are tough at the moment, and I need to look at that one again," he said. "The biggest fear of a coach is losing a player to training because someone is careless against each other.
"We go opposed, 13 against 13, they tackle and there are so many opportunities. People think coaches in the NRL practice hip drops, it's actually the worst nightmare.
"For however long I can remember, for the past four or five years, there's been a duty of care by the players at training towards each other not to do it.
"We're actually practicing really good habits. When you get into a really good contest, and they poke their nose through your line, you get concerned. Do you let them go or do you try to take them down? Sometimes I don't know the answer.
"But for a long time now, it's been practiced to not do that at training."
