Rugby league legend Brad Fittler says acts like Patrick Carrigan’s “crap” hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings have no place in the game and offenders should be rubbed out for far more than one month.
The NRL Judiciary suspended Carrigan for four matches after Hastings suffered a fractured fibula and ankle damage in the tackle during Wests Tigers’ 32-18 victory over Brisbane on Saturday night.
While Hastings won’t play again this season, Carrigan will be back a week before the finals and Fittler believes the Broncos lock got off “very lightly”.
“The only way to get rid of those tackles is to suspend the people further,” Fittler told Nine’s Wide World of Sports radio.
“It’s a practised action. It’s about grabbing the hips, putting weight on the knees and ankles and collapsing those joints.
“And in this particular instance, Jackson Hastings broke his leg.
“So what this kind of tackle is designed to do is collapse the people’s legs underneath them, so I feel like he got off very lightly.
“It’s a crap tackle.”
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters labelled suggestions NRL players were coached to perform hip-drop tackles like Carrigan’s on Hastings as “nonsense”.
Fittler, though, clearly doesn’t agree with his former Queensland State of Origin coaching counterpart.
“It’s the ones that are practised – (like) the chicken wing – they’re all designed around the joints and putting them into positions that immobilises them and stops their movement,” the Blues mentor said.
“I can understand from a point of view of it’s beneficial to make a tackle, but they’re dangerous. When you’re playing with these parts of their body, for instance on the weekend, you broke a bloke’s leg.
“Maybe every now and again you get caught in that position and sometimes things happen because people are moving in tackles.
“But there’s those ones where they sit behind and pull them down … and obviously it’s been going on for a while because a lot of players do it.
“Patrick Carrigan’s not the only bloke doing it, but I think this should be the last one because the next one should go for longer.”
Joe
Guest
That is because you don't get any rewards from a legs tackle. It is actually the opposite, the tackled player gets a quite PTB, you don't get back to marker and your defensive line is not set.
TC
Guest
Ban the third man. If two players can't tackle one player they need better technique. None of these blokes go round the legs. It's all wrestle-wrestle-wrestle.
Nat
Roar Guru
If it was a charity thing i would get it but for his own ego… I can nearly guarantee they don’t get another showing. Luck and all…
Albo
Roar Rookie
Well the wearing of "golden boots" shows how well Cleary reads the NRL room ! Hopefully he was getting plenty of sponsorship cash for that dumb move. The only true "golden boots" was the great Keith Barnes who could kick goals with those dirty leather balls from all over the park in all conditions.
Nat
Roar Guru
He’ll be “golden boots” for me going forward. He wore them… :stoked: The outcome is & should be irrelevant to the action and grading. You don’t get 5mins for missing a punch thrown. I would argue that Cleary’s was worse because he instigates and carries on with it himself. Carrigan, unfortunately for Hastings, had the extra weight of 2 more forwards coming over the top. It doesn’t excuse the tackle but it certainly adds to the outcome.
Muzz
Guest
Freddy needs a holiday. Somewhere remote with no phone or internet coverage.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Difference there was that Cleary didn't cause a season ending injury . Billy Walters started again the very next match. I'm sure Carrigan would not have copped the 4 weeks either if the result was not as devastating to Hastings' season. Cleary copped a fine and a charge for his actions that has in fact added 2 more weeks to his dangerous throw charge of last week. They really haven't missed him overall for the two incidents that caused no serious damage ( as luckily as that might have been) , with the longest suspension of the season, and despite the "golden boots " narrative.
Brian
Guest
Talking nsw crap again Freddy. Go away.
Adam
Roar Guru
Agreed. It's interesting that the hip drop seems to be the place where guys like Fitler like to draw the line (if it's a Queenslander doing it)
Nat
Roar Guru
Fair point Freddy but where were you when Cleary dropped on Walters in Rnd 6? Golden boots didn’t even miss a game and 3 pages of google cannot show a word from the NSW coach.