As I mentioned earlier, watching the QLD Cup last Sunday, Ikin mentioned Ricky was looking at Ryan James.
Here's a bit about his hit on the weekend and his kind gesture to the crowd.
Why ARLC wants to ban shoulder charge
THIS is the brutal tackle the ARL Commission is trying to outlaw. A player's jaw is broken in two places from a shoulder charge gone wrong.
Astonishingly, the tackler Titans and Tweed Heads prop Ryan James escaped punishment at the QRL judiciary last night.
But earlier in the week, surgeons at Royal Brisbane Hospital inserted three metal plates to repair the damage to Chris Farrell's shattered jaw on Tuesday. He is being given morphine to dull the pain.
Farrell's grand final dream is over and his diet for the next six weeks is soup, yoghurt, custard and ice-cream. The 26-year-old prop is Redcliffe's captain in the Queensland Cup.
In the third minute of last weekend's semi-final against Tweed Heads, Ryan James made the tackle, which left Farrell heavily concussed.
Chris Farrell
Chris Farrell shows the damage done to his jaw and an x-ray following surgery. Pictures: Jono Searle
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Last night the QRL judiciary cleared James of the grade three charge, saying there was "no clear evidence" that James had made contact with Farrell's head and the broken jaw could have been caused by his "face-first fall".
James also pleaded guilty to making an obscene gesture to the crowd, an action broadcast on Channel 9, but he is free to play this weekend against Wynnum Manly.
James's tackle was not a lot different to Greg Inglis on Dean Young, Ben Pomeroy on Johnathan Thurston, Ben Te'o on Matt Groat or Frank Pritchard on David Simmons ... except this one hit flush on the jaw.
Farrell was supposed to be playing in his first grand final next weekend.
"I've worked so hard this year to be there and knowing I won't be is hard to take," he said.
Still, he doesn't want the tackle banned altogether.
"The responsibility had to fall back to the defender," he said.
"If you want to make a tackle, you have to bend your back a bit and make a proper tackle. There's too much room for error if you are aiming at the shoulder.
"Guys are bigger, stronger and faster than 20 years ago, so there is a lot more impact and force and it can lead to more serious injuries.
"Still, the public likes to see it and it's part of the game, as long as you know that if you hit someone in the head you should pay the penalty."
Farrell can't remember a lot about the incident, which left him heavily concussed.
Ryan James
Ryan James gestures towards the crowd during the Tweed v Redcliffe match. Picture: Channel 9
Source: The Daily Telegraph
"I remember bits and pieces," he said. "I went for my run and I could always see Ryan James there. Matt King was the hooker and obviously I wasn't going to run straight at James.
"I heard the boys yelling out 'shooter, shooter' in reference to James racing out of the line. I remember catching the ball and having no time. I tried to spin out of it but it happened so quick and he got me good."
Redcliffe coach John Dixon agrees.
"Players who use it need to pay a serious price and face severe consequences if it goes wrong," Dixon said. "If you break someone's jaw you shouldn't be allowed to play until the victim can play again."
In recent years, rugby league doctors have asked or even pleaded with the NRL to outlaw shoulder charges.Two weeks ago the ARL Commission moved a step closer to outlawing the tackle, shocking the clubs and the code by issuing a zero-tolerance edict on the eve of the NRL finals.
And now you can see why.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-shoulder-charge/story-e6frexnr-1226473752016
