Ex-dual international Mat Rogers has called for the NRL to change a significant rule in the wake of Joseph Suaalii's send-off in Game One of the 2024 State of Origin series.
Ashley Klein's dismissal of Suaalii from the field last Wednesday has led to many pundits and viewers debating whether the NRL should change the send-off rule.
While many agree that Suaalii deserved to be sent-off after a high-shot on Reece Walsh, the decision dramatically affected the outcome of the match, which ruined the viewing experience for the viewers and NSW Blues supporters.
Admitting that Klein made the correct call, Rogers has called the NRL to implement the 20-minute red card rule used in rugby union.
The 20-minute red card rule sees the player ruled out for the remainder of the match but the team is able to bring on a player after 20 minutes - similar to the sin-bin rule.
"He left the referee with no real choice – it was heavy contact to the head and knocked Reece Walsh out cold," Rogers said on Stan Sport's The Night Before Gameday.
"The onus is on the tackler to put himself in a good position – (he) didn't do that. He was just too upright.
"(The 20-minute red car) is something that rugby league needs to look at because the jewel in their crown was ruined."
Rogers isn't the only one who believes the new rule should be implemented.
Fellow Wallabies player Justin Harrison and former QLD Maroons and Brisbane Broncos forward Corey Parker agreed with his statement.
"There would have been multiple replays in the Bunker system to adjudicate whether it's upgraded to a red card," Harrison said.
"Therefore, Joseph Suaalii doesn't come back on but you can replace him after 20 minutes.
"If that's a Test match, that's probably what happens. Now, you still sanction the player, you still have integrity of result because Queensland still get rewarded with 20 minutes of one (player) over."
“I'm fine with that because Origin is a different beast. To those saying it should be refereed the same, it shouldn't because it's a completely different game," Corey Parker said on SENQ.
“We saw on Wednesday night that if a player leaves the field for the rest of the game, it's so difficult to win.
“I'm not convinced that it was a send off (and) I just have to stress that Origin is refereed differently because the moment Suaalii went off, the air went out of the game.”