South Sydney say they are not deliberately attempting to maim opponents as the focus on their controversial wrestling tactics intensifies three weeks out from the NRL finals.
Manly’s Steve Matai and Brisbane’s Sam Thaiday have suffered injuries attributed to the Rabbitohs’ defensive techniques in successive weeks, with Ben Te’o hit with a four-week ban for his effort on the former Broncos’ skipper.
Seven Souths players have been involved in incidents identified by the NRL judiciary as involving unnecessary pressure in tackles this year.
The Rabbitohs’ tackling tactics have drawn further attention in some quarters after coach Michael Maguire’s time as an assistant with Melbourne several years ago when wrestling techniques were first honed in the NRL.
But forward Jason Clark says Souths don’t want to cross the line between fair and foul play.
“When we train for defence, you never want to hurt anyone,” he told AAP.
“17 blokes take the field expecting to walk off it the same way they come on, and that is the way the game is. You never go out in a game wanting to intentionally hurt someone. I would hope no team would do that.
“We play a physical game and, when someone gets in that position, it is hard and we are working on ways to cut that out to fix that up, so we are taking little steps and we will work on it, just being safer.”
With the banning of the shoulder charge, the stringent concussion rules and the crackdown on dangerous throws, the NRL has moved to make the game safer and Clark says that is a good thing.
“It is a physical game; there are three or four blokes in a tackle. You just have to try and find a way for everyone to be safe in that tackle,” he said.
“Just making sure you are not putting pressure on the neck, making sure they are going to the ground safely.
“The NRL have done well to stop the lifting and that has been cut out of the game quite well and we just have to try and cut out and look after ourselves and do tackles right.
“Everyone trains for defence – we just have to look at the way we do it.”
The Griffin
Guest
Brendon all I can say is Jealousy is a curse
Brendan
Guest
No where does it say he celebrates someones injury as "Roadkill" Go read the article again you goose. It says "One sequence shows four Wigan players producing a thunderous hit on an opponent, who in the last frame is still lying on the floor wondering what happened. It is captioned: 'Roadkill Achieved'.. You like to exaggerate dont you
Alex
Guest
Maiming opposition is part of the Rabbitoh game. We saw Ben Te'o target Thaiday's injured arm with the chicken wing last weekend. The weekend before George Burgess and Issac Luke targeted Steve Matai's bandaged injured arm with a chicken wing. Last year Jeff Lima targeted Anthony Watmough's injured knee with the death roll. In Last year's World Cup, Sam Burgess hit Sam Thaiday with a swinging arm that knocked him out. Sam should have been sent off. He got one lousy week. In 2013, Sam was suspended three times in the NRL. He targeted Mitchell Pearce with a high shot. He targeted Andrew Fifta's neck with a crusher tackle. And then he attacked the genitals of Will Chambers. In 2012 Sam was suspended for a cannonball tackle and a careless high tackle. The NRL has thugs who try and injure. Who target already injured limbs.
Alex
Guest
It's been published several times here and in England. Reporters saw the Roadkill posters. There's been no denials from Souths. How about you ask Roadkill Maguire to deny it?
Brendan
Guest
How about you show us proof of this so called Roadkill sign in the change rooms?
Scrubbit
Guest
I noticed that as well. If it was directed at the broncos then it may have been because the team wouldn't take him back even at a discount. Brisbane was his first preference. However I think what you said is more likely. I actually thought 4 weeks was a little harsh, especially after Reynolds received 2 weeks (plus 1 carry over) for kicking someone in the face, then tripping in the one game.
Luke M
Guest
They should have wiped this sh*t out of the game when it first started, now it is firmly entrenched as "part of the game". Tell the players to place the ball on the ground and roll it back with their foot like the rule book says, will go a long way to solving the problem.
Alex
Guest
The blown up photo was celebrating injury and encouraging more of it. Whether at Wigan or Souths, the Roadkill mentality continues. Roadkill was the Souths war cry last season. It is not acceptable. Roadkill is not rugby league. Maguire is an immature coach with a philosophy that is bad for the game. What George Burgess did to Matai, Te'o to Thaiday, and Lima to Watmough was sickening and the act of thugs. 7out of the starting 13 at Souths this year have been charged with crusher or chicken wing tackles.
Tricky
Guest
That blown up photo was from when Maguire was at Wigan. not Souths. Nor have I heard of any boasting.
Casper
Guest
was it just me or did Ben Teo seem to be unusually angry & aggressive against the broncos last Thursday night. Early on he was at Alex Glenn and then Jack Reed who would have been good mates in his time there. I reckon he got a pre-game rev up from the coach and went way over the top. A well deserved 4 week holiday & the sooner they start upping the ante on carryover points, the better.
Alex
Guest
The roadkill information was confirmed by articles in England and then two articles in Australia. Last year 'Roadkill' was the battle cry at the Rabbitohs just like the Maroons yell 'Queenslander' during Origin. Celebrating player injuries with 'roadkill' cries is sickening.
Alex
Guest
The other teams don't boast about roadkills and celebrate injuries with blown-up photos. Souths have the form on the board.
Tricky
Guest
I think if you did the same exercise for all teams you would find similar statistics. It's not only Souths. How about you go through every teams judiciary records Alex and get back to us.
Mike from Tari
Guest
James, I have seen plenty of chicken wing tackles this year that were not picked up by the Refs or the match review committee because the tackled players rolled with the tackle & did not resist, so tell me what is the difference . Crusher tackles have been a lottery by the match review committee as well and it's not just been Souths.
The eye
Guest
In the light of the current suspensions it's Imperative for the club that Madge addresses the 'road kill' story in a public forum.Isaac de Gois and Adam Blocker are excellent exponents of damaging lower body tacklers..these guys represent true defence and the antithesis of the wrestling holds rubbish. I have strong belief that no coach instructs his team to severely injure using an illegality,it's nonsensical and Madge ought to publicly make that official and - patently clearer to his players..
Adam
Guest
Maybe that list just highlights there are a few douches in the Souths team...
Alex
Guest
Michael 'Roadkill' Maguire posts enlarged photographs on dressing room walls celebrating moments when his players injure the opposition. The photos are of his players standing over injured players. Maguire added the caption "ROADKILL ACHIEVED". This is Maguire's judiciary record this year: Adam Reynolds - chicken wing Lote Tuqiri - crusher George Burgess - chicken wing George Burgess - tripping George Burgess - careless head high Issac Luke - chicken wing Chris McQueen - crusher Kirisome Auva'a - crusher Ben Te'o chicken wing Ben Te'o - dangerous throw Ben Te'o - tripping Ben Te'o - careless head high Bryson Goodwin - careless head high That's 7 players out of the top 13 side at Souths have been charged with chicken wing or crusher tackles this year. The Souths tackle submission coach is Marcos 'The Giant' Villela. He states on his website that the main players he coaches are Sam and George Burgess, Ben Te'o, and Issac Luke. Villela boasts of being an expert in "submission wrestling" and "submission wrestling techniques" such as arm, shoulder and neck holds. 'Roadkill' Maguire is deliberately coaching dangerous crusher and chicken wing tackles. His judiciary record proves it.
Mitchoh
Guest
I'm a Souths supporter but that is rubbish. " making sure they go to the ground properly" please. Rugby league by nature is not that type of game. If you hurt someone in a tackle so be it and all the better. Australian rugby league history is littered with stories about players being taken out of games illegally.