Gus Gould blasts the NRL, fears for the future of the game

That’s a completely redundant and honestly childish argument. You punish the act itself, not let it go because it’s the only one in that game. Only one spear tackle in that game. Minimised. Only one coat hanger. Minimised. Only one eye gouge. Minimised. Only one player stuck his finger up one opponent’s date. Minimised. TPJ jumped straight onto Maloney’s neck... ok he didn’t mean to get him with a crusher but he did. People get penalised for accidents in all walks of life all the time. It was dangerous and unnecessary. Is that really why you watch footy? “What a great game last night! You should have seen how the massive bloke dived on the little bloke while he was helpless and prone on the ground! It was awesome!” I’ve watched footy since the late 70s, I don’t remember this sort of tackle being a thing even in the Wild West days.

Minimise. One crusher for the whole game. Isn't that minimised? The game's gone soft.

He didnt 'smacked Moylan straight in the head' that was a shoulder tackle and it went up and wrong, none of what Turpin did which is a blatant head high! But, he admitted the charge but disagreed with the penalty and didn't get 1-2 weeks but a $1900 fine, that was all that it was. Anyway, seeing how he played and how the Bunnies are going it wont make any difference, the Bunnies are going to be like and end up like they have ended up in last 5 years, they are very disappointing all around!!!!

What are talking about? Burgess just got off Scott free for a tackle where he smacked someone straight in the head, knocked them out and forced them to miss a week of footy. This happened within the last two weeks.

It’s an i.diotic response from someone who should know better yet continually shows he does not. This is in response to TPJ jumping on the back of Maloney’s neck while he was sitt8ng on the ground. It was absolutely unnecessary... and completely dangerous. There’s no “the games gone soft” argument with this incident. Gus is right in one respect, you’ll never get head knocks out of the game. But we can minimise the ones that are caused by poor technique, or players aiming for the wrong targets. The NRL certainly has to try. The most frustrating thing about Gould’s rant is on another day he’ll be giving it to the NRL for not looking after player welfare and safety when it suits his narrative du jour.

That's rubbish. Gillespie didn't even know what a "crusher" was and he probably did plenty of them. The game has changed since his day... shoulder charges, chicken wings, punching, corner flags... it barely resembles his day. The game has evolved and is still evolving. Now carry it through 10 years and what do you wind up with? Touch or OzTag. That's the future of the game if it stays on this road. Gould is dead right. Like life, League is being sanitised and scraped clean by the money grubbers and do-gooders of this world who don't understand humanity or what they really want. And the reaction will be predictable as well: an alternative competition, maybe overseas where doctors and lawyers don't apply. And in a nice twist, the TV endorsements will be huge from a public starved of what they want by a pack of arrogant morons who never bothered to ask.

Yours is the typical comment that I'm talking about!!!

Absolute nonsense from Gould here. You can intimidate all you want but don't jump on a blokes head and try to break his neck or come in with a stiff arm and try to break a jaw. Nobody wanted to run at Gillespie but he hit hard and legally. Both these Broncos players have hit players hard and legally this season and all they have to do is repeat the action. I listened to Gould on the Monday night show and he was pretty good but he seems to lose the plot on game day.

What do they want the game to look like? Will anyone be watching when they get there? Gus is right, accidents happen. That wasn’t a crusher. Not saying it didn’t have the same effect. I’m saying he was doing his best to stop Maloney from getting back up, and it went wrong. The problem with Rugby League is quite often opinions are based on who you support. I don’t support either of those Teams, I support sensible decisions. If you want to stop players getting hurt you may as well ban tackling. While you’re at it, make it a Rule you have to stop moving forward after contact. Hmm... let’s change the name of the game too, let’s call it touch. Everyone will be happy, no-one will ever get hurt. As Gus said, Grandmas will be able to play it.

I get where he's coming from, but he's being a dinosaur over it. Regardless of whether he likes it or not, he's not going to stop changes. The game just has to adapt in ways that retain its hardness but eliminate things deemed to be excessively risky.

I'm anything but a Gould apologist, but I do get where he's coming from.

Oh please! Ive seen way worse from Sam that don't even get a penalty let alone sent!

Rubbish, those blatant stiff arms, late over the top crushers, elbows etc have no place in the game, yes, there are many soft decisions but the blatant and dangerous tackles should be stamped right out of the game and Gould is going on with his usual nonsensical rants! There was nothing wrong with Turpin and TPJ being sent to the bin, both were late stiff arm and crusher tackles, lets see what the MRC gives them? I wonder if ‘Sam Burgess’ would have done any of those tackles, what would the result be and what the crowds reaction would have been?