But one of the side effects of the NRL's zero tolerance on punching is it could actually bring it back.

Especially if the Penrith Panthers keep carrying on like they did against the Green Machine.

Imagine what would've happened if Joe Tapine didn't have the patience of an angel?

Well firstly, Penrith fullback Stephen Crichton would've been on the deserved end of a Tapine haymaker.

Then all hell would've broken loose.

And that's exactly what the NRL's hoping to avoid with their perfectly reasonable no-punching policy.

The problem is it opens the door for the nigglers.

Now the Crichton's of this world can taunt innocent bystanders like Tapine to their heart's content.

For those that don't know, Tapine was patiently standing on the sideline waiting to come on as the Panthers scored a try.

The Raiders lock barely even noticed the celebrations until Crichton bumped into him from behind and dragged him into the Penrith party.

Even then he tried to quietly slip away like a ship in the night only for Crichton to insist a melee form.

Then you had the ridiculous scenes of Crichton holding Tapine in the wrestle, while Tyrone May was yanking the Raiders No.13 jersey from behind to pull him out of it.

And the fallout? Crichton gets a slap on the wrist from the NRL in the form of a $1350 fine. And a whole heap of pats on the back from his Panthers teammates for being such a jolly old japester.

In the fallout, the Raiders get hit with a $10,000 fine after the Panthers dobbed in a Canberra physio to the NRL for his role in the melee.

The Panthers party also swallowed up the aforementioned physio, who touched a couple of Penrith players on the shoulder.

It's an age old problem in sport - the people who react always get harsher punishments than the instigators. Always.

It's why the instigators exist in the first place.

And don't expect the Panthers' behaviour to change anytime soon. Coach Ivan Cleary's already dismissed it as nothing but a storm in a teacup and tall-poppy syndrome.

But that's exactly why tall poppy syndrome exists in the first place Ivan. To stop success going to people's heads. It's all about keeping them grounded so they don't carry on like pork chops.

They weren't doing that last year. But there's certainly elements of it in 2021. After they've had the success of making last year's grand final.

There's the feeling around town that Crichton's not the head pork chop either. Jarome Luai also goes alright with a serving of apple sauce.

So what does the NRL do?

They obviously can't bring back punching as a deterrent. As much as the dinosaurs would like it. The most likely looks to be an increase in fines for players. ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys loves a good fine after all.

Another would be the introduction of a taunting rule. In the NFL it counts as a penalty.

They still encourage players to enjoy a good try celebration and have a bit of fun.

So the poor old Panthers players don't have to feel like they need to just stick to shaking hands (and thumbing their noses in Canberra's direction in the process). They can still jump around and carry on. They just can't be tools.

But in US college football, the taunting rule's even stricter. Not only is it a penalty, but the try would be ruled out as well. Might not be so many pats on the backs for Crichton then, eh champ.

It also means the dinosaurs will have to wait until Origin for their biff. Or at least calling for it anyways.

NRL ROUND SIX

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Raiders, 7.35pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Caleb Aekins, 2. Bailey Simonsson, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Curtis Scott, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. George Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Sia Soliola, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Joe Tapine. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 16. Siliva Havili, 17. Emre Guler. Reserves: 18. Sebastian Kris, 19. Matt Frawley, 20. Corey Harawira-Naera, 21. Dunamis Lui.

Eels squad: 1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Maika Sivo, 3. Tom Opacic, 4. Marata Niukore, 5. Blake Ferguson, 6. Will Smith, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun Lane, 12. Ryan Matterson, 13. Nathan Brown. Interchange: 14. Oregon Kaufusi, 15. Isaiah Papali'i, 16. Keegan Hipgrave, 17. Bryce Cartwright. Reserves: 18. Joey Lussick, 19. Haze Dunster, 20. Wiremu Greig, 21. Jordan Rankin.