Welcome to the new age of rugby league, where players pile-drive each other into the turf like Hulk Hogan and receive a week off.
First of all a pop quiz: these things all have one thing in common. What is it?
• Chicken wing
• Cannonball
• Crusher
• Rolling pin
• Ankle twister
• Head slam
• Dangerous throw
We aren’t talking about food, the circus or baseball. These are now the categories of tackles that are on show in the NRL and Test matches. And because there are now so many different types of tackles, the lines are blurred about how bad each one is.
What we saw by Josh Reynolds and Beau Scott on Brent Tate on Wednesday night was a “dangerous throw” – astounding that this is even in rugby league vernacular, flabbergasting that the league world accepts it without question.
Prior to 2000, players were mainly penalised for committing a high shot, defined as deliberate contact to the head.
After the Melbourne Storm hired John Donahue as a wresting coach in 2001 (as the Daily Telegraph reported), rugby league changed. A martial art expert and former WWF R.A.W submission coach, Donahue taught Melbourne’s players about arm locks and upper body wrestling techniques before any other team realised what was happening.
Now, it seems wresting is here to stay. Every team seems to focus on grappling, pinning and driving.
Before Origin 1 last week, the NRL had to deal with seventeen lifting tackles this season. Say it again slowly. Seventeen lifting tackles. Seventeen. That is more than one a round.
Here is a simple solution: the judiciary need to write down all the types of tackles now prevalent in the game (list above for convenience) and apply a severity rating to each one. Is a head slam more dangerous than an ankle twister? A chicken wing more severe than a dangerous throw? Cannonball versus a crusher?
Otherwise we will continue to get mixed rulings, bemused fans and players. How would you define what makes a dangerous tackle?
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
South Sydney winger Taane Milne is lucky to only be facing a ban of 2-3 matches for his nasty tackle on Cameron Munster in…
Former NRL star Blake Ferguson has had his contract shockingly terminated by the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs effective immediately, having played just one game for…
The Jackson Topine lawsuit raises issues of significant importance for player welfare and the duty of care owed to players by NRL clubs. In…
What a talented man Greg Marzhew is!
Having a week off to recharge their batteries during the bye did nothing to stop South Sydney’s season from hell descending further into the…
