The National Rugby League's chief medical officer Ron Muratore has urged State of Origin league players to abandon any thoughts of fisticuffs which he warns can cause terrible injuries, if not death.
The timing of the caution coincides with a call by the respected Sydney Roosters doctor John Orchard for players suspended in Origin matches to serve their time in the marquee interstate games, rather than NRL rounds.
Punchups are again in the headlines following the Parramatta forward Mitchell Allgood's attack on Manly's Steve Matai which has cost Allgood a two-match suspension.
And New South Wales and Queensland players have refused to back off despite the fallout from on-field stoushes in the opening two games of the State of Origin series.
