Greg Bird is dead-set lucky

By coming down hard on the Bird tackle, they are ALSO punishing players for tackling hard. If they came down hard on the Storm example it would stop players doing what they have more control over, which is putting the hands in between the legs and lifting when a player is already being held by others. This is what has been happening all year and is because of the rule change re: not attacking the legs. This is what caused the Mickinnon injury and is still extremely dangerous, you see it in every game. Instead they chose to punish the one that was caused by a solid front on hit. I'm not saying Bird should escape punishment because it was also dangerous, accidental but still dangerous. I'm just saying one example needs to be stamped out and these are the type of ones that aren't being punished. Bird should have got grade 1 and these others grade 3.

Did anyone see the tackle on Watmough at the start of the Manly/Melb Game? There are many examples over the weekend including at least 5 in that game alone but I'll use that as an example. The Storm players grabbed him between the legs and deliberately lifted him in the air, he went so far past the horizontal he was basically upside down. The Storm players around his head stopped his head from hitting the ground but he was upside down for a very long time. Not only was this not charged by the judiciary but there was not even a penalty blown during the match. I really don't understand it because this was a lot worse than the Bird tackle. Watmough was nearly stationary when they gang lifted him.. by placing the hands between his legs. Whereas Bird hit with force and the impact upended Goodwin, he did not try to lift a player who was already being held by putting the hands between the legs. You might say, the back of Goodwin's head hit the ground but Watmough was put down in the end. Well Goodwin landed on his back but the force of the tackle whiplashed his head to the ground, so he didn't land on it. Whereas if one of the Storm players fell off that tackle(the one around the head) the rest would have drove his head into the ground with immense force. In the Mickinnon tackle it was the force of the Storm players that caused the damage, seeing as Bird had released there was little chance of serious injury. So as far as I can see, the Bird tackle had less intent to lift and was more an accident caused by impact, plus it also had less chance of causing serious injury. Yet Bird got a Grade 3 charge(down to 2) and the Storm didn't even cop a penalty in game.

The judiciary did not hand down a sentence at all The Match Review Committee came up with the Grading. Bird then went to the judiciary to contest the Grade 3. Which, if you look at it, was fair enough as it is no worse than the Grade 2's we have seen so far this year. He was successful with the downgrade and will only miss 2 matches. If the MRC were consistent in the first place, he probably would have accepted the Grade 2 charge straight away. A tiny understanding of the process may help you move away from the "conspiracy" stuff. On Cam Smith, he was charged with a Grade 1 but was free to play with an early plea. The precedent has been set, so that whenever somebody gets charged with a Grade 2 Dangerous Contact by the MRC they will just walk into the judiciary with a tape of the Cam Smith incident. They had an opportunity to stamp it out on the spot by charging him with a Grade 2 minimum to send a message. But they didn't. In my opinion, the judiciary do a good job. The MRC are the one's who are inconsistent with their Gradings.

I have no sympathy for Bird. He should not have had the charge down graded. All players are aware that this type of tackle is unacceptable and still Bird did it. It doesn't matter whether it was reckless, careless or just plain stupid but he was aware that it was wrong long before he ran onto the field. The worst aspect of the whole affair was Sky News last night with the comment "it is Origin time".

In conceding Cameron Smith is a brilliant footballer, I must add I believe he is rugby league's "Scarlet Pimpernel". He gets away with much more than probably any other player in the NRL. Perhaps it is his boyish good looks, strangely unlike hookers of old as well as most of his contemporary counterparts, he does not have a head one would expect after inserting it into thousands of scrums over the years, conning referees into believing butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, tending to lay any blame on the other less fortunate looking players showing the wear and tear of innumerable skull clashes, simply looking like the stereotype hit man. He is a niggler, a sneak and an "Artful Dodger", much of what he does timed to perfection, also with a "Twist", the League equivalent of a stealth bomber, he always seems to fly under the ref. and touch judge's radar and so uses "Mortein" tactics ,if you're on a good thing stick to it ! . Having said this, I would love him playing on my side and relish all his little annoying nuances...In the meantime, keep an eye on him ref and tell the touchies too, who love the opportunity to invade the field even if it is to tell a player to pull his socks up !

Goodwin "flipped the bird"!! Haha

Bryson' flipping Bird a full 360 after was more dangerous than Bird's tackle. Goodwin should've been charged and suspended too.

"he didn’t really lift" , that is the same as saying he lifted? your trying to tell people what they want to hear and you got a couple of bites .... if the rule is you can not lift and put the player in a dangerous position in the tackle then that is the rule and he should have copped the full punishment, now the judiciary has made a precedent that confuses everyone, we all know that Bird is confused easily.

It's zero tolerance for high tackles...unless it affects an origin series, or similarly high profile matches with the potential for large takings. Zero tolerance for corruption and gambling in sport...unless it is the NRL head of football, Todd Greenberg involved. Footballers engaging in domestic violence is not tolerated...unless certain players (read Ben Barba) are protected from police prosecution...yeah, that's our man Todd again who allegedly, with Des Hasler in tow, persuaded Barba's girlfriend with a busted lip, to not go to the police. Zero tolerance for retaliation and attacking the head...unless.... you are one of either the QLD and Australian fullback or captain. Little wonder people refer to rugby league as a game for yobo's. Officiated by some of the most dishonest, spineless, corrupt individuals in business who sell out to the same god as SBW...$$$

How can a judiciary hand down a sentence and within the space of a week, it is successfully downgraded? What amazing new information was introduced? Oh yeah! State of Origin. Oh well, at least Bird was actually charged and had to defend himself. Cam Smith wasn't even cited. Of course the unofficial mouthpiece of the NRL, FOX Sports, didn't even mention or playback Smith's repeated attack on Matt Ballin's face, nor Billy Slater's high shot that led to David Williams leaving the field concussed. Can't have Billy the Kid and the QLD and Australian skipper missing from an origin series now, can we? I don't really mind that the NRL is such a joke. It has been for years, however it would be nice if they didn't assume that all rugby league supporters are gullible morons.

Agree whole heartedly that Bird is extremely lucky. I'm not convinced by the "didn't put his hand between his legs" defence. If you lift someone beyond the horizontal it doesn't matter where your hands are. Two factors that helped Bird were that Goodwin landed on his upper back (though his head smashed into the ground a split second later), and that Goodwin sprang to his feet immediately. I think league needs to follow the rugby example of zero tolerance for these tackles. As much as I enjoy the physical aspect of the game, player safety should be paramount. There is still a plethora of ways a young man can have his life destroyed in the game without allowing such inherently dangerous tackles.

No luck involved really. We're talking about the NRL Judiciary now - life 'Under The Big Top'. I think Bird (by challenging the charge) had a pretty good feeling the charge would be downgraded, Origin is just round the corner and he's a high profile player and crucial NSW's chances of winning the series. The judiciary are so inconsistant they make Fox news look like amateures! So why not chance your arm? Lifting is lifting regardless of whether Bird put his arm between his legs or not. Bird lifted Goodwyn past (well past) the horizontal putting him in a very valunerble position and slammed him into the ground! I like a good physical game just like every one else but not at the detriment of player safety. I agree with others, Smith should have gotten more as with Pearce. I'm not a Bird but he is a very good player, however someone at the club should put a gag order on him. It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear to be stupid, then to open it and remove all doubt!

Here's a better question... How much longer will defenders be able to take out attacking players leaping in the air? The reasoning and thinking behind that one astound me...

I saw the full replay of the incident today for the first time. Why wasn't Goodwin cited for spear tackling Bird? Bird flipped Goodwin but then when Goodwin tried to get up he flipped Bird over even more dangerously!

You left out the best quote from Greg Bird as he was being placed on report "Do you want me to rip his Oztags off"? Classic. In many ways the game is going soft. But that is to be expected and is across the board of many sports (AFL, Union etc) as medical advice becomes clearer. And organisations fight to ensure their sport survives into the future with safety paramount. But apparently you can now repeatedly use your forearm on a players face if you are being held down in a tackle. Should be interesting to see how that one plays out.... "But Cam Smith did it".

And as long as they do that they'll have a judicial system akin to tribal law from two and a half thousand years ago.

I thought it was a great tackle! Bryson goodwin loved it

It's no wonder so people think NRL is a joke played by dimwits. Another of Bird's comments was along the lines of "Players don't even know the rules anymore". Yes, because tipping someone on their head and being penalised is entirely unfathomable and players are *totally* confused as to why it's not allowed. Be real, you can debate forever on the length of suspension, whether or not shoulder charges are fine... to suggest it's confusing that players can't (a) hit people in the face (b) tip them in a dangerous position, is ridiculous. Then again he does play with Gallen, if I got 6 weeks on the sideline for a slight tipping tackle and my mate got 1 week for punching a guy straight in the face I'd be pretty confused too.

Only as lucky as Peter Wallace

Nah, the footballer recant his testimony instead. :p What tackle?