Panthers coach Ivan Cleary says he’s “not comfortable” with a couple of controversial penalty try rulings last week for attacking players being tackled in the air, with the Storm likely to launch plenty of kicks for Xavier Coates when he renews his rivalry with Brian To’o on Thursday night.

The pair have squared off plenty of times in the past, with To’o sent to the sin bin in this year’s State of Origin series opener for tackling the Queensland winger as he reeled in a high kick.

That decision was hotly debated at the time and is back in the spotlight after both Coates and Cronulla’s Teig Wilton were awarded penalty tries in round 23 after they caught kicks and were tackled in the air.

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The NRL brought in the rule for the 2020 season to match the international interpretations in a bid to protect players from potential injuries if contacted in the air.

Last week’s tackles weren’t dangerous, but the NRL was comfortable with the Bunker’s rulings, with coaches now on high alert leading into the finals.

“I’m not comfortable,” Cleary replied when asked for his thoughts.

“I think it’s one of those ones where the rule was originally made, we tend to forget why it was made and we drift off and it becomes something else.

“That rule is all about player safety. That’s why it was brought in.

“I think some of the ones you’ve seen have nothing to do with safety, so I think there’s a little bit of common sense needed around that rule.

“As long as it’s deemed safe, I think you should at least get the opportunity to try to stop a try in that situation. But that’s not going to happen now, so we’ve got to deal with it the best way we can.”

The Storm enjoyed plenty of success from kicks when they played Penrith almost a year to the day in round 24, but the Panthers adjusted in the grand final and allowed Melbourne’s wingers to catch the ball before smothering them the second they landed.

“That’s part of being a good team. You’ve got to adapt whether it’s interpretations or trends in the game,” Cleary said.

“We’re no different and we try to do that as much as we can.

“Anyone who matches up against some of these wingers, including Xavier, it’s a tough ask. But there are many ways that we can try to combat things like that.

“The best way is to not let them down there too often.”

The Panthers could make a late switch and put Tom Jenkins on Coates, with To’o to give up a 12cm height advantage to his long-time rival who is the best high flyer in the NRL.

To’o felt the wrath of the rule in Origin and concedes the only thing he can do against taller wingers is to ensure that they compete fairly and hope both men land safely.

“Don’t tackle him in the air or take his legs out because that can do a lot of damage,” he said.

“I’m not really aware (of the rule) at the time, it’s more about me competing for the ball. As long as the person comes down safely, I think that’s all that matters.

“In terms of all the rules, it’s one of those hard ones.

“The majority of the wingers are taller than me, so there’s not much that I can do. It’s my job to compete for those high balls, so as long as both of us come down safely, that’s all that matters.”