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South Sydney Save The Game

Mug Costanza

Juniors
Messages
16
NRL to tackle ‘the wrestle’ on back of South Sydney demands
South Sydney officials descended on Rugby League Central late last year armed with a dossier of evidence, a series of recommendations and a fierce determination to rid the game of its greatest scourge — wrestling.

It appears the NRL may have finally taken heed. NRL head of football Graham Annesley confirmed to News Corp on Wednesday that the governing body had hired Scott Barker — the man who played a central role in piecing together Souths’s submission to the NRL — in a newly created role that will see him monitoring trends in the game.

The NRL was at pains to insist Barker would not focus solely on wrestling. Rather, he will be charged with analysing the game and providing data to management which will guide policy recommendations to combat any disturbing trends that may arise.


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Cam Murray is gang tackle around the head by Storm players. Picture: Shane Myers/NRL Photos
The most disturbing in the eyes of many remains the wrestle and its growing influence in rugby league over the past 15 years.

Barker had been working as a consultant at the NRL, having formerly been Wayne Bennett’s right-hand man in Brisbane. When Bennett left the Broncos, so did Barker. Souths brought him on board last year for a short time as they pieced together a submission aimed at eradicating the spectre of wrestling.

In that role, Barker reviewed every tackle in the NRL last year and compiled a video package highlighting tackles that pushed the boundaries in their control of the head or neck. The tackles that formed part of their submission — there was more than 30 minutes of video evidence — came from across the NRL.

Far from being a bash-up of Melbourne, as many would suspect given the controversy that has often shadowed the Storm, Souths used examples from every club, including themselves.

Their submission also included a recommendation that the match review co-ordinator become a full-time employee — former Manly player Michael Robertson has since been appointed to the position — and that person, along with a current match official, watched games predominantly in close-up angles with a focus on the ruck.

Souths also urged the NRL to end the practice of sending concerning act notices to players, insisting that actions on the field be deemed either legal within the judiciary code or outside that realm.

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South Sydney GM Shane Richardson wants the wrestle policed properly. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins
The Rabbitohs’ submission called for greater education and a greater adherence to the judiciary code when it came to laying charges, and they notably included extracts from the judicial code referring to a tackler having the responsibility to “immediately release” a tackled player from a grip or hold around the neck or a pinning of the neck or head.

There was also a reference to jujitsu, using an extract from a prominent school describing how control of the head can be used as a lever for the entire torso.

“By twisting the head you cause your opponent great discomfort and severely compromise the mobility of his spine,” the website says. “As the head is the centre of a person’s physical awareness because it contains the brain and many of the major sense organs, it is very easy to distract and upset the rhythm of an opponent by interfering with their head.”

The NRL announced a series of judicial changes earlier this month including the live streaming of hearings, one of the recommendations in Souths’s submission.

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Jujitsu instructor Marcelo Rezende has worked with an NRL team to combat rivals’ wrestling tactics. Picture: Mark Evans
Souths head of football Shane Richardson insisted no single club was the centre of their dealings with the NRL.

Rather, they looked across the length and breadth of the NRL as they reinforced their case.

“We decided to go with a proactive approach to the NRL to say that wrestling has to be decreased in the game,” Richardson said.

“Ninety per cent of the public are behind it. Rather than go along complaining about what has happened, we went along with some ideas … about how we could change the game for the better.

“We did it to change the game, not for the benefit of South Sydney. As a game, we are worried and concerned about concussion and we made changes because of that.

“In my opinion this is as big a blight on the game as that. We have to make sure that the head and neck are protected. People have to understand the pressure that is put on the head because of these techniques.

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Graham Annesley confirmed the appointment of Barker. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett
“It is not a part of our game. It is something that has come in the modern game. Keeping your hands away from the head has always been part of our culture.

“Now all of a sudden it is all right to put players in head locks and control their spine through rugby league. The referees might penalise them but very few charges are ever laid.

“We’re not asking them to change the rules. We’re asking them to enforce the rules because they are in there for a reason.”

Annesley added on the appointment of Barker: “We felt it was opportune to bring some club football knowledge in-house to help provide us with information on which to formulate our future policies.

“Scott has worked in clubland for many years in an analytical role and he is now working full-time for us in a similar capacity.

“So we can get the benefit of that knowledge.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/289e424e4e66fa355657bcbe8ad9d73b
 
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TheDalek079

Bench
Messages
4,432
Lol not gonna work. NRL has no balls to persevere with this. A couple of weeks of lots of penalties well result in media whinging about refs so they will stop with the crackdown
 

SBD82

Coach
Messages
16,905
I’ll give credit where I think it’s due. This seems like a good submission to make. Would love to see the importance and prevalence of the wrestle diminished.

Having said that, I’ve got f**k all confidence that anything will come of it.
 
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franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
I’ll give credit where I think it’s due. This seems like a good submission to make. Would love to see the importance and prevalence of the wrestle diminished.

Having said that, I’ve got f**k all confidence that anything will come of it.

Easy way to sort it. All clubs agree no more wrestling
 

Pommy

Coach
Messages
14,657
I really hope the wheels fall off south Sydney and they get shat on all season long. I hate the wrestling no doubt, but I hate this speshal treatment souths get more.

What special treatment? This isn’t a proposal to stop wrestling against Souths but to rid it from the sport.
 

AJB1102

First Grade
Messages
6,339
We've got a shithouse pack of forwards but the quickest PTB in the league with Cam Murray and a hooker who is only really a threat when there aren't 2 blokes at marker.

Please Todd can we speed up the ruck "for the good of the game"?
 

Vee

First Grade
Messages
5,078
I’ll give credit where I think it’s due. This seems like a good submission to make. Would love to see the importance and prevalence of the wrestle diminished.

Having said that, I’ve got f**k all confidence that anything will come of it.
Agree with all of that.

I've said for years wrestling was out of control and there are a couple of simple indicators that should tip refs early. The first is players changing their grip after the tackle is complete. Not when called complete by the ref or after 2 more seconds to give them time to comply. Two seconds is a lifetime in the ruck and allowing the defensive line to reset, particularly when it's repeated every tackle. Take that time away and suddenly the defence tires, becomes fragmented and the game opens up. The second indicator is when players grab the tackled player in that judo hold they use and stay there looking at the ref for a call to release, then count their two seconds before they do so. Any time a tackler is holding a player on the ground and looking at the ref, he should have released and should be penalised.

I played through the 80s and early 90s and we were always taught when a tackle was complete. That responsibility has been lifted from the players' weary shoulders and put onto the refs. Put it back on the players, ping them when they transgress until they get it. 5 minute sinbins are even an option for blokes that continue to push the envelope.

But, at the end of the day, the refs have to do it every time until the players get it and the NRL has to hold its nerve in the face of the bleating from the media and commentators. The game will be so much the better but let's not hang by our nuts waiting for that to happen.
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,443
Please show me where Russell Crowe touched you.

I dont mind Crowe, seems down to earth for a famous actor, its Souffs I dont like. Going to be fun watching souffs bomb out this year despite the massive advantages handed to them by the NRL.
 

jack coburn

Juniors
Messages
466
I'm glad the scabs bought this up because I don't think I've ever heard another player , coach or fan complain about this.
Nobody likes it and all teams do it including the scabs. Problem is if you rely on fast play the balls only to win games it will effect you more than others.
 

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