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Origin 1 saw a number of season-ending injuries, and other pretty gruesome sights.
An example is Brent Tate. Although he escaped injury, the tackle on him could have ended very badly.
Then there’s Cooper Cronk suffering a broken arm from his own teammate’s head. And the incredible Morris boys, who somehow stayed on to the end despite their injuries.
These injuries are a result of greater power and strength in players, and the massively increased speed of the game.
The rule of no more biff, which I think is crazy, has a role in it too.
The average league player couldn’t hit straight if their was a target painted on the other guy’s face. They are so big now their muscles get in the way. Taking away this avenue for letting off steam is leading to players seeking retribution in other ways, such as late hits, hits from behind and so on.
Over the last 20 years we have seen the average player get bigger, stronger faster, fitter, and as a result the padding get smaller. It’s time for larger pads again, especially for Origin, maybe for NRL too. Not the size of American football, but at least twice the size of the current ones, to provide a bit more space, and more compression from the big hard hits we are seeing.
For the good of our game and players we must provide more protection, especially given the speed and power Origin.
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