Greg Lee already had a big job on his hands when he arrived at Orange City so when news filtered through about the radical new tackle law, he knew he had to roll the sleeves up.
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The former Gordon Highlanders, Warringah Rats and Western Sydney Two Blues coach has traded in his decades of Sydney rugby knowledge for life in the Colour City.
After taking a year off from coaching following a premiership with Newport in 2022, he's finally back doing what he loves as preseason gets underway at Pride Park.
However this is no ordinary Blowes Cup season.
From round one, every grade in Australia below Super Rugby level will adhere to new tackle guidelines - a lowering of the legal height to below the sternum.
Any tackle at or above the sternum will result in a penalty and possibly a yellow or red red depending on the severity.
It's a monumental shake-up to the and has attracted plenty of criticism from coaches and players.
Lee is not one of them.
"I think it's a positive thing for rugby," he said.
"A lot of people look at that stuff and they say, 'oh, it's ruining the game, it's really changing the way we play'.
"But I think when we compare it to other codes, what we're doing in rugby is actually trying to make it safer.
"I think it's great at junior level because once we start instigating that safety guide it shows that we're all about the player and it changes the perception for parents."
Getting to work
For the past few weeks Lee has been overseeing the slow and steady shift at Lions training.
Lee said the playing group is onboard with veterans such as Josh Tremain aware of the need to work hard to change tackling approaches after decades of muscle memory.
"So I've spoken to all the boys about it and I said the referees have got their interpretation," he said.
"All the coaches are here giving you the detail but ultimately when you go into battle, it's up to you because you're the one making the tackle."
However he believes it's not just on the players to change their approach.
"It's probably a triple pronged approach, so the referees have got to take some responsibility," he said.
"I think they're probably going to be tough at the beginning and so they should be because I think we need to change behaviours. We're working really hard at training now.
"I think the clubs and the coaches have got responsibilities as well, especially the head coaches.
"I think what's going to happen is you might find that either early on in the season or towards the end of the season you might find some blokes on the sideline, be it yellow or red, because that's when things are really ramping up.
"Before you know it a couple of guys put shots on and they end up either in the bin or taking a couple of weeks off.
"I think that's positive for the game because we definitely don't want that stuff."
