LEADING NRL coaches believe players should be sin-binned for grapple tackles and threatened with lengthy suspensions after the Storm's wrestling tactics again stole the focus in the second weekend of finals action.

Melbourne trio Cam Smith, Jeremy Smith and Michael Crocker face nervous waits today to learn whether they have been charged from Saturday's night's stunning 16-14 comeback defeat of Brisbane. The issue is set to continue to dominate headlines after the Broncos adapted the Warriors ploy of the previous week by complaining to match officials about illegal wrestling holds.

While Storm coach Craig Bellamy yesterday questioned whether critics of the tackle by the Smiths on Broncos forward Sam Thaiday preferred them to "get hold of his balls", the 58th minute incident has divided opinion about whether the pair were effecting simultaneous grapple and chicken wing moves.

After pleading guilty to a grapple tackle on Warriors centre Brent Tate in round four, Cam Smith has 93 carry-over points to be added to any suspension and the Melbourne captain is in danger of missing the grand final unless he successfully defends any charge.

Jeremy Smith's judiciary record may also come back to haunt him, while Crocker's NRL career could be over if the UK-bound back-rower is suspended for a high shot on Brisbane speedster Denan Kemp.

Despite risking a $10,000 fine to speak out against the Storm's wrestling tactics after his side's 26-0 round 19 loss on July 21, St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown last night spoke out in support for the Smiths.

But Brown was among a group of NRL coaches who yesterday told the Herald they believed tougher action is needed to eliminate grapple tackles and other illegal wrestling holds from the game.

Among them were Penrith's Matthew Elliott (the first coach to publicly raise the issue five years ago), Parramatta's Michael Hagan (whose captain Nathan Cayless suffered a shoulder injury after being subjected to an alleged chicken wing tackle in last year's preliminary final loss to Melbourne) and Canberra coach Neil Henry.

"I really think we're at a point where penalising it isn't adequate," Hagan said. "It's been debated every year for the past four years now and I believe we need a greater deterrent. I reckon if we stared putting people in the bin, it would be eradicated from the game in the space of a week. We just need to say we're not going to tolerate it anymore."

Elliott agreed and suggested a penalty box like that used in ice hockey and water polo should be introduced, with players being sent off for the following set of six tackles.

"If we really want to get it out of the game we need to look at ways of increasing the severity of penalties against it at that time," he said.

"If someone gets a two-match suspension that doesn't help the team it happened against but if any player who gets penalised for a grapple tackle is removed from the game for a set of six as well, then that would be a pretty strong deterrent.

"They adopted that sort of attitude towards high tackles and lifting tackles and they're not really a problem anymore." While also an advocate of some form of sin-bin, Henry believes lengthy suspensions would also have an impact. "When you start sin-binning people for five minutes or whatever, that's a pretty fair penalty," he said.

"To be a man down is something no coach would want his team to be. I'm sure if someone got seven or eight weeks that would eradicate it pretty quickly. They've nearly eradicated dangerous lifting tackles from the game that way so it can be done."

Brown was also of the opinion that heavy suspensions were the answer and said it was an issue that needed to be resolved during the pre-season.

"Everyone knows my thoughts on it but I just think that two weeks out from the grand final isn't the time to be changing the rules," Brown said. "Before next season I think they need to sit down … because it's not just Melbourne that do it.

"But in my opinion what Cam Smith did isn't a grapple tackle anyway, and Jeremy Smith's isn't a chicken wing. I just think that Sam Thaiday ended up in a very uncomfortable position."

Bellamy agreed and said that the pair were working against each other in the tackle, with Cam Smith having his left hand hooked under Thaiday's chin and trying to pull him to the ground while Jeremy Smith had hold of his arm and was pushing him backwards.

"He's got hold of his arm. He hasn't bent his arm, has he? The position he started in, it stayed in," Bellamy said of Jeremy Smith's involvement. "What do they want him to get hold of? Get hold of his head? Get hold of his balls? It … pisses me off mate.

"You've got three guys in the tackle — Dallas [Johnson] is around the legs — trying to get him on the ground, and they end up working against each other. Cameron looks like he loses a bit of balance and as he comes down he's hand ends up around the chin and as soon as he realises where he is he lets go."

But former Test halfback Peter Sterling said there was little doubt Smith would be charged with a grapple tackle.

"I don't know if technically it is a grapple tackle, but it's certainly attacking the head or neck of the opponent and he's in serious trouble," Sterling told Channel Nine.

"There is nothing good that is going to come out of that kind of tackle."