In the AFL, a “bump” is allowed unless it is high or in the back. Allow shoulder charges, but only from the side or front.

A happy medium I think…

I’m currently out of the country and have been for a while. I am astounded by the defense of the tackle. That is vicious, gutless cowardice.

Spiro is right – this is bound to get someone seriously injured. Steve Kayliss; RL has no ownership on toughness, buddy. It’s time to get real yourself – have a think about our servicemen o/s and then ask yourself what courage means. That’s the BENCHMARK, mate, not RL.

You make this ridiculous dichotomous choice between keeping RL ‘tough’, and going home and sticking one’s head in the oven. With this kind of analysis, is it any wonder that the mums and dads out there are shaking their heads in disgust? RL commentators such as yourself are out of touch to the point of embarrassment. Reading you, Steve, is a jarring experience. Ian Noble points out that RL should be aware of the international audience, rather than the violent sycophants frothing for blood in Sydney.

Verbally head-butting us with claims that we are cowards if we don’t agree with you is a bully’s game, and sorry to tell you mate, but that exercise has lost its power. We don’t like what we see. If you don’t appreciate the sentiment, than RL will diminish at a rapid rate.

Have we stepped into the 14th century?

Aggressive defence is designed to prevent the opposition gaining ground and to dislodge the ball or encourage a fumble. A fact conveniently forgotten when union fans trot out the ridiculous canard that rugby league has no “contest for possesion.”

Shoulderscharge against a player already being held static by two others – cowardice

Its a great part of the game, think of the theatre of Harragon v Carrol and in recent times SBW v anyone not in a Dogs jersey.

In recent games of league I have seen, I have not witnessed such a blantant case of dangerous play. I blame the officials , in that a late shoulder charge with no intent of tackling properly but with the sole intent of injuring the player is dangerous play. As in all games players should respect their fellow players and if in the NRL it is considered the norm, then it spoils the game as a spectacle.

If the fans in OZ crave for cheap shots then perhaps they would better off watching wrestling, otherwise League will turn into a game of cheap shots and thuggery. It is not the laws but the approach by coaches to the game and if a coach particularly incites players to go out with the intent of physically damaging a particular player, he should be held to account.
Of course, the star players will always be targeted and they will be prepared for a rough ride but cheap shots are cowardly and reflect poorly on the NRL.

If it continues through to RLWC2008 and in the games v NZ and England it could be a big turnoff for many who want to see a spectacular tournament of hard freeflowing rugby without thuggery.

Shoulder charges on players already being contained by a tackler will be deemed to be dangerous (or at least citeable so that a review and punishment can take place).

People still get the shoulder charges but just not on players already wrapped up by tacklers.

Seems like a pretty good outcome to me.

Good point about Taylor Sheek. I was actually just drafting a Roar of the Crowd about the role of coaches in this.

Rugby League players rarely do anything that they haven’t been trained in or instructed to do. The days of natural talent or violence expressing themselves are pretty much gone (aside from the rare cases of a Bowman or Slater for the talent and our old friend Morely on the violence side!).

That means that all of these growwlers, prowlers, grapples etc are devised, taught to players and built into game plans by – wait for it – coaches.

Simple solution. If incidents occur from a particular camp – fine or suspend the coach. I guarantee the tactics would disapear overnight if a coach was help responsible.

Seems to me at the moment a bunch of pretty smart blokes (coaching staff) tell a pretty dumb bloke (player) what to do and it is the dumb bloke who is held responsible.

Shift the responsibility (except for clear individual behaviour) and the game will follow.

Along this line – I always wondered why, when the grapple was in the firing line in 2006, that the NRL didn’t just tape training sessions and then call in every coach who sponsored and oversaw wresting training. Why not just go to the source instead of waiting for something terrible to happen on the field.

They call it Proactive Compliance in an organisation I used to work for

With talk like that you’ll be voted off the island.

Heather McCartney-Mills has made more sense of late.

Rugby League is a tough game, but that should hardly be breaking news to anyone. Riley Brown was lucky, he exposed a loophole which was cynically exploited, but t will soon be closed and the shoulder charge will remain a thing of beauty from which the great pain comes to the commentators vocal cords when he exclaims “WHOAHHHH!”

It would be outlawing the ruck because of stomping.

The NRL facing criminal charges? It already has thanks to Jarrod McCracken, but every sport the same and when it happens regularly we may as well all go home, turn the oven on full blast and end it all.

However, I can’t recall Taylor’s reaction last year when one of his forwards belted Braith Anasta without any apparent provocation.

The NRL like to promote their code as the toughest of all. I wonder if the NRL will still think this way, when most of the leading players who pull people through the gate, sponsorship, TV, etc are out injured through over-vigorous, sometimes blatantly late & deliberate tackles.

The NRL appear to leading through public opinion at the moment, which demonstrates poor leadership, & an unwillingness to make the tough calls. Sure, listen to public opinion, but be willing to put player safety first.

The “prowler” tackle is a cheap shot, but it is very different to a standard shoulder charge.

I can think of very few injuries that come from honest run of the mill shoulder charges. What is more the crowd and the players love them.

The only real problem is when they go wrong, players can leave a big hole in the defensive line. So you carry them out at your own risk.

Don’t go throwing the baby out with the bath water.

S.O.S – Save Our Shoulder charges!