Kangaroos coach Mel Meninga believes changes need to be made to the shoulder-charge rule following Billy Slater’s controversial win at the NRL judiciary.
Slater is free to play for Melbourne in Sunday’s grand final against the Sydney Roosters after a three-person panel found the champion fullback not guilty of an illegal hit last week.
However his great escape has re-ignited debate on the make-up of the shoulder charge, and Meninga intends to bring his thoughts to the NRL competition committee before next season.
“Particularly in the act of making a tackle, the act of scoring a try. You’re allowed to strip, (and) you’re allowed to tackle someone in the air, which you can’t do in general play,” Meninga said.
Meninga said charging Slater for the try-saving tackle was against the spirit of the game.
“I know that people are saying it’s a shoulder charge, but what are you expecting him to do in that instance?” he said.
“It’s the nature of the game at stake here, it’s not the tackle itself. It’s who we are as a game, that’s more important and we’ve got to come back with a solution for that.
“It’s a yardstick now where we can look at shoulder charging or in the acts of scoring a try.”
Storm football manager Frank Ponissi suggested the 200-point base penalty for a grade-one charge was inconsistent with other illegalities in the game.
The NRL judiciary code also whacks 200 points for grade-one kicking, striking and kneeing, but players can escape bans for a grade-one dangerous throw or dangerous contact.
“At times clubs and players get confused and frustrated on the consistency of the match review committee with certain incidents and when they are charged,” Ponissi said.
“I would like to see it brought back to a base of 100.”
Roosters captain Boyd Cordner claimed he too was left confused by the shoulder-charge rule following the judiciary’s decision on Tuesday.
“After that I don’t know what a shoulder charge is anymore. I think you’re all sitting there thinking the same thing,” Cordner said on Triple M radio.
“Although it’s good to have a legend of our game and one of the best ever to play his last game in a grand final, on the other hand you sit their scratching your head about what actually are the rules around that.
“For me personally, it was a shoulder charge. But at the same time I can’t do much about it and we are playing the Storm this weekend with their full strength team.”
Albo
Roar Rookie
At least this should clear the way for some big hits on Sunday ! It won't take them long to master the Slater shoulder charge with impunity now.
catcat
Roar Rookie
Well , his other option was to run faster and get there a few seconds earlier so he could bundle him into touch with a more traditional tackle......he didn't have to shoulder charge, he chose to
Ray Paks
Roar Rookie
So because it was Slater performing the tackle, there is no other humanly possible way to prevent the try doing another tackle that is less contentious or at least legal? That because it was him, no other player in this world would have or presently has the ability to do it better but differently? "Charging Slater for the try saving tackle was against the spirit of the game" Yeah in other words, SLATER IS ABOVE THE GAME!
Ron Norton
Roar Rookie
Of course it did. Slater deserves to play in the grand final on the strength of his NRL record, but not on the basis of that incident. It was a shoulder charge under the current rules and players from other clubs have been suspended, even in the latter stages of the 2018 competition, for similar and even less serious offences. No wonder we, and the players, are confused.
Paul
Roar Guru
Cordner summed up the situation perfectly. I still wonder what would have happened if a 50 gamer had fronted the judiciary, instead of Slater? Obviously rhetorical but I can't help feeling the situation of the player had a lot to do with the outcome.