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Greg Bird has a very tough decision ahead of him – try to beat his grade-three dangerous throw charge, or accept the charge and miss the first two Origin games?
If he is unsuccessful in his challenge he could miss all three State of Origin games, which would be a big blow for NSW.
The punishment is a bit harsh. The technique he used is a textbook rugby league dominant tackle. Bird’s only downfall is the other two players in the tackle got in the way of him finishing the tackle properly.
If Bird had fallen down with Bryson Goodwin it would have completed the tackle perfectly. It was actually the other two Titans players that got in the way and Bird had to drop Goodwin instead of falling down with him.
You could argue that Bird lifted the player, so he should face the punishment, however this was not a driving tackle between the legs. Yes, the tackle looked bad as the player was lifted in the air, but Bird was just doing what he has been trained to do.
If his hands were between the legs and he had to drop Goodwin because the other players got in the way then I could understand the charge. However, Bird didn’t really do anything wrong, it was just his teammates getting in the way that created the outcome of that tackle.
Accidents happen in rugby league. Players can get injured badly during a perfectly legal tackle. If a player has used the correct technique they shouldn’t be punished just because a player has been lifted. What happened to Alex McKinnon was terrible and no one wants that to happen to another player, however the NRL are overreacting here.
The technique needs to be taken into consideration when handing out the punishment. Let’s hope common sense prevails on Wednesday night and Bird’s suspension is reduced.
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