Having seen his son knocked senseless by a shoulder charge gone wrong, Dragons great Craig Young has swum against the tide to support a ban on the controversial tackle.
Young was on the sideline late last season when son Dean was hit in a sickening tackle by Souths fullback Greg Inglis.
The Dragons utility lay motionless on the turf for several minutes before being stretchered off in a neck brace, with Inglis later suspended for three weeks.
The incident prompted league officials to finally act on the shoulder charge and subsequently ban it amid great controversy, but Craig Young believes the ARLC has shown common sense.
"The players are the most important part of the game and their safety is paramount," he said on Wednesday.
"You've got to look after them.
"But I'm sure there will be no shortage of big hits in the future.
"It's the greatest game of all and will continue to be that way."
Centre Matt Cooper said of the Young tackle: "It's not a nice feeling seeing a mate lying there in that condition.
"It's a tough game but that sort of thing does shake you up a bit
"They obviously feel like they've done the right thing in banning it and we've just got to accept that and move on."
New St George Illawarra skipper Ben Creagh favoured heavier penalties for illegal shoulder charges rather than an outright ban, but still supports the ARLC's move.
That's despite peers at rival clubs expressing fear the game will lose some of its toughness.
Creagh said: "It's not good when you see anyone get concussed whatever way they get knocked out.
"If the NRL are taking steps for player protection then I think it's a good thing.
"I don't think it's soft, it's a smart thing to do.
"It's definitely not making it a softer game by looking after player welfare."
Prop Michael Weyman agreed, adding: "There are still going to be hard tackles. It's still a very physical game and there will still be plenty of big hits.
"Whether we like it or not it's in the rules now (the ban) and we've got to stick by it."