Alex McKinnon possibly Quadriplegic - Mclean guilty of dangerous throw - 7 weeks

[Walt Flanigan]

Furthermore why on earth SHOULDN'T he sue the game/Melbourne, etc? It is his natural right to do so, the tackle has robbed him of lets be conservative and say $2 million (200K per year for 10 years)

How do you know that the NRL don't plan on looking after him financially without having to go to court?

There's been no talk of McKinnon suing anyone btw.

 

[El Diablo]

Give it time and so he should, he is out of a steady income because of what those players did.

Bourbs said the NRL have already told the family he'll be looked after if needed

 

[lockyno1]

How do you know that the NRL don't plan on looking after him financially without having to go to court?

There's been no talk of McKinnon suing anyone btw.

There is 'looking after him" and there is 'earning". Any decent barrister would get the NRL big time, I actually have no issue with it.

 

[Bronco Rob]

Should have thought about that before having lifting tackles. If the rules are changed as a result to protect players, it will hurt the NRL now, but it will be better long term. Furthermore why on earth SHOULDN'T he sue the game/Melbourne, etc? It is his natural right to do so, the tackle has robbed him of lets be conservative and say $2 million (200K per year for 10 years)

Are you fair dinkum serious???

Why in today's society does there always need to be someone to take the blame. My brother over 20 years ago was spear tackled and fractured vertebrae and ended his footballing career at just 17yo, he didn't blame anyone, just got on with life. Sometimes people have just to realise unfortunate incidents occur. If there was intent on maming or hurting a player fair enough, but hardly the case in this situation.

 

[betcats]

Bourbs said the NRL have already told the family he'll be looked after if needed

Yeah I think Men of League and the NRL approached the family....I still wouldnt be suprised if he sued though, I would propbably be looking for something more concrete then a spoken promise given he isnt eligible for workers comp. Anyway hopefully it doesnt come to that.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Just so we know exactly what was said at the judiciary, following is what the ABC have reported was said by McLean's defence counsel -

In his submissions during the two-and-a-half hour hearing at Rugby League Central at Moore Park, McLean's defence counsel Nick Ghabar argued that the Bromwich brothers contributed to the dangerous position McKinnon ended up in.

"They were applying weight and pressure in a downward direction on the back of Alex McKinnon," he said.

Ghabar also suggested McKinnon played a role in how the tackled ended up.

"I do not mean to apportion blame to him for what has happened to him," Ghabar said.

"What I mean to say is he has unfortunately and unwittingly and undoubtedly played a significant part in how this tackle ended up.

"My ultimate submission will be that this is a tragic accident, and whatever Alex did in this tackle he did as part of a tragic accident.

"That's purely what it was."

 

[eozsmiles]

^ I certainly agree with the Knights (although seems it's coming mostly from Bennett) that allowing McLean to play on the weekend and the defence that it was McKinnon's fault is disgraceful. Don't agree that the other two Melbourne players could have been charged though. I can understand Bennett's dislike of gang tackles but honestly we'd be opening up a whole can of worms based mostly on one tragic incident if we tried to control that.

It is probably the most common defence to blame the victim or a team mate. I suspect every player/club in the comp would have used the same defence.

McLean shouldn't have played because I believe the judiciary should have been held last week. Holding it over allowed a greater understanding of Alex's medical predicament to come to light, which resulted in the 7 week ban (400 point "injury" loading). So McLean was going to get 3 weeks and the extra 4 could have been added in at a extraordinary hearing or he could have been given 7 weeks with 4 weeks suspended. I don't think it took over a week for the judiciary to work through their issues and the defence could have been put together in a day or two as it always is.

The 400 point loading is a can of worms but I don't disagree with it. Injuries can be life threatening, career ending, or life changing. How are they going to differentiate in the future?

 

[Usain Bolt]

Not sure how the courts in Australia work but you can guarantee if this was America he'd be in for a massive payday

 

[Danish]

Just so we know exactly what was said at the judiciary, following is what the ABC have reported was said by McLean's defence counsel -

You are leaving out the best parts:

Ghabar expressed deep sympathy for McKinnon and his family but insisted with respect that the Knights youngster "unfortunately and unwittingly" contributed to his injury by "tucking his head into his chest" before hitting the ground.

He said if McKinnon had not changed his posture mid-tackle, "there is no way he would have landed on his head".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-03/storm-considering-appeal-against-mclean-ban/5363484

absolute gutter trash

 

[blaza88z]

He had to plead not guilty because if he gets sued and had pleaded guilty, don't even bother bringing a defence to court

 

[Captain Apollo]

You are leaving out the best parts:


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-03/storm-considering-appeal-against-mclean-ban/5363484

absolute gutter trash

I hadn't seen, let alone read that article.

 

[eozsmiles]

How do you know that the NRL don't plan on looking after him financially without having to go to court?

There's been no talk of McKinnon suing anyone btw.

That would a fair way off if it takes place. He would have years to submit a claim I imagine. Given the current situation, I think it is a long way from the front of the McKinnon's minds. His manager, the Knights, medical professionals, and the RLPA would all have qualified people thinking and acting for the McKinnon's if need be. This may include the initial details of a legal claim, but I suspect right now it would be more to do with getting Alex close to home and working through the immediate changes to their lifestyle. Being realistic, they probably have to work through all that before they can put together their best case.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

He had to plead not guilty because if he gets sued and had pleaded guilty, don't even bother bringing a defence to court

Good point, but it's more likely the Storm protecting themselves rather than McClean.

The two examples that come to mind are Adam Ritson and Jarrod McCracken. IIRC they didn't have much luck suing the individuals but were able to get money out of both the Raiders and the Storm respectively.

 

[Bronco18]

I don't know about banning lifting tackles. Something to consider though is with the wrestle and preventing offloads, the arms are pinned back so if they are taken past an upright position, they really can't protect their face.

I think the best way to go about is just to start penalising any tackle that goes past the horizontal more heavily. A good lifting tackle has it's place in the game, but upgrade dangerous ones to a couple or three more weeks on the sideline.

I really do feel for McClean though in that he's got 7 weeks where others who were infinately more careless/dangerous/stupid only got a few.

 

[Surrogate]

I think people are misrepresenting what Ghabar is saying. He's not blaming McKinnon. McKinnon's indecision was part of the equation of the outcome.

McLean + Bromwich brothers + McKinnon + indecision = awkward tackle.

 

[georgesnmith]

this thread should be locked

its gone past anything useful and its just getting trolled by anti league fans winding people up

 

[Plumplechook]

The lawyers are already circling. Mckinnon is going to have no option but to sue to ensure he gets the huge amount that is going to be required to fund the care and support he will require for the rest of his life.

Sure the public are full of sympathy and support at the moment - but that interest will soon wane - and Mckinnon will be left in a wheelchair. There is no income insurance for any player in the NRL. The stongly worded release from the Knights yesterday reads like the opening arguments of the legal case to come.

 

[Spot On]

I don't know about banning lifting tackles. Something to consider though is with the wrestle and preventing offloads, the arms are pinned back so if they are taken past an upright position, they really can't protect their face.

I think the best way to go about is just to start penalising any tackle that goes past the horizontal more heavily. A good lifting tackle has it's place in the game, but upgrade dangerous ones to a couple or three more weeks on the sideline.

I really do feel for McClean though in that he's got 7 weeks where others who were infinately more careless/dangerous/stupid only got a few.

I would have thought the "lifting" part was the actual cause of the problem. No lift = we aren't even discussing Alex McKinnon.

NO LIFTING.

 

[Danish]

I think people are misrepresenting what Ghabar is saying. He's not blaming McKinnon. McKinnon's indecision was part of the equation of the outcome.

McLean + Bromwich brothers + McKinnon + indecision = awkward tackle.

Sounds a hell of a lot like a "young man + attractive girl + short skirt = rape" level of excuse to me

 

[Matchball]

It's not a coincidence that this incident happened under Melbourne's defence.
Questionable tactics have been questioned for years but nothing was done. Time for a hard look at these grapple and wrestle tackles before something like this happens again.