
NRL head of football Graham Annesley has dismissed suggestions the league treated hip-drop tackles more harshly in round five after three players were suspended after Sunday's matches.
Marata Niukore (Warriors), Dale Finucane (Sharks) and Jayden Okunbor (Bulldogs) were all sin-binned, placed on report and charged for committing the tackle, which is defined by a player dropping his weight onto the back of a ball-carrying opponent's legs.