NRL to make right call on charges: Simmons

Penrith winger David Simmons was a victim of an illegal shoulder charge earlier in the season but says he’ll leave it up to NRL rule-makers to decide whether the controversial tackling style should be outlawed entirely.

Simmons was left heavily concussed and sick for days after being struck by Canterbury’s Frank Pritchard back in March.

Greg Inglis became the latest player to be charged for a shoulder charge-gone-wrong this season, after he knocked out St George Illawarra’s Dean Young last Saturday.

Inglis has pleaded guilty and faces a four-match ban at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night.

However, Simmons declined to comment on what he thinks the future of the high-risk tackle should be – putting faith in administrators to sort the problem out.

“There’s people taking care of it. The officials and people running the game are trying to take care of that and the players (welfare) so I’ll just let it play out,” said Simmons of the NRL review currently being conducted into the shoulder charge.

“Rugby league is a great product and I think they’re looking after it pretty well and it’s going to be a good product into the future.

“Whatever they decide is going to be ok.”

Meanwhile, Simmons believes there will be extra spice in Penrith’s clash with Cronulla this weekend.

Panthers stars Luke Lewis and Michael Gordon will join another former mountain man Wade Graham in the Shire next year, while Simmons is himself a former Shark.

“There’ll be a few stories this week about the players we’ve got who are going to Cronulla,” he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of feeling from us and from them and from the fans so hopefully it’ll make for a good spectacle and hopefully we can turn in a real good game.

“You always want to beat your old club.”

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