Alex McKinnon v Jordan McClean

[ozbash]

7 Weeks v life in a chair.

Who is to blame here ?

McKinnon ducked his head (to avoid injury ?)
McClean lifted him and the Bromich bros fell on top of McKinnon causing the injury.

Melbourne Storm are known for their grapple/chicken wing tackles. Is it their philosophy to actually do physical harm to opposition players ?

I think the club should have fronted the judiciary..

 

[NZ Warrior]

I hate to say it, but it's the unfortunate situation, where the tackled player has put himself in the position to get injured (ducking his head, as if to go into a roll). Very sad indeed.

 

[Iafeta]

I hate to say it, but it's the unfortunate situation, where the tackled player has put himself in the position to get injured (ducking his head, as if to go into a roll). Very sad indeed.

Exactly.

McClean IMO has got what he's got because the NRL are petrified of legal damages coming their way. This punishment was to try to show some due care is taken to punish lifting tackles. They should have pinged Krisnan Inu last year for about 13 weeks, he dropped a bloke in a classic spear tackle on his head. They're also too soft at the judiciary in general. The amount of 1-2 week suspensions is bewildering.

 

[Scott]

I hate to say it, but it's the unfortunate situation, where the tackled player has put himself in the position to get injured (ducking his head, as if to go into a roll). Very sad indeed.

Does Alex McKinnon tuck his head in if McLean doesn't lift him?? NO, he doesnt.

Get rid of the lifting. I'd have given McLean 20 weeks. Make an example out of him and erase lifting from the tackle. There is absolutely NO excuse for a 3rd man in to be lifting. Thats weak! It can only end in a tragedy, as we've seen.

As for people saying it's a accident. Well, it probably is, but I find it very ironic that the Melbourne Storm are at the centre of it. As ozbash said in the original post - anyone fancy a chicken wing, a grapple, a rolling pin......

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

It looked like McKinnon ducked his head anticipating to be lifted higher, Horrible outcome. But if McClean got 7 weeks then Inu on Inglis should of got 16 weeks

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

It looked like McKinnon ducked his head anticipating to be lifted higher, Horrible outcome. But if McClean got 7 weeks then Inu on Inglis should of got 16 weeks

This.

Lifting plus forward momentum often rolls a player right over. It was a horrible set of circumstances that resulted in this happening.

Blah blah wrestle, blah blah Storm. This was in no way an intentional situation.

One of your best Oz.

 

[JJ]

Does Alex McKinnon tuck his head in if McLean doesn't lift him?? NO, he doesnt.

....

This - you can understand how with the occasional clean hit a player gets upended... but when most of the forward momentum has been halted, and a player is lifted (even subtly) things can go wrong... and in this case horrifically wrong...

No problem with the suspension, nor Lousi's tbh...

 

[Meth]

Right up with the current events Oz

 

[jaseg]

While this particular situation was clearly a horrible accident, it's probably not THAT much of a coincidence that it happened against the Storm - they (as a club) have been more or less ignoring the safety of opposition players for about 8 years now.

I did think the suspension was a little odd - they've clearly suspended him for extra weeks on the basis of the injury, which I don't think is supposed to happen at the NRL judiciary. I'd be more or less fine with it (it has obvious flaws, but so does any judging system) if they made it a standard system but that's not happening. More than that; they're essentially pinning all the blame on McLean when he wasn't the only factor involved in the incident - that's wrong.

 

[NZ Warrior]

Does Alex McKinnon tuck his head in if McLean doesn't lift him?? NO, he doesnt.

Get rid of the lifting. I'd have given McLean 20 weeks. Make an example out of him and erase lifting from the tackle. There is absolutely NO excuse for a 3rd man in to be lifting. Thats weak! It can only end in a tragedy, as we've seen.

As for people saying it's a accident. Well, it probably is, but I find it very ironic that the Melbourne Storm are at the centre of it. As ozbash said in the original post - anyone fancy a chicken wing, a grapple, a rolling pin......

It's a tough one. I guess there is some way for the refs to police it. Like as soon as both tackled player's feet are off the ground, then the ref calls "held". But even then it could be too late. And we'd need competent refs in the first place.

 

[MKEB...]

I believe that already is the current rule Wazza.

 

[Scott]

It's a tough one. I guess there is some way for the refs to police it. Like as soon as both tackled player's feet are off the ground, then the ref calls "held". But even then it could be too late. And we'd need competent refs in the first place.

There is the problem!

 

[ozbash]

Blah blah wrestle, blah blah Storm. This was in no way an intentional situation.

One of your best Oz.

thanks

they probably never intended to break the poor buggers neck, but for a long time the Storm have been renown as the games grubs.
Not a lot has changed over the years (did you hear the audio between Smith and the refs while McKinnon was whinging about not being able to feel his limbs ? ) and if a team is going to put the shit in, its Melbourne.

This injury was destined to happen, it was a matter of when, not if..

You can add the 'crusher' to the list, one of the Storm's finest.

 

[vvvrulz]

they probably never intended to break the poor buggers neck, but for a long time the Storm have been renown as the games grubs.
Not a lot has changed over the years (did you hear the audio between Smith and the refs while McKinnon was whinging about not being able to feel his limbs ? ) and if a team is going to put the shit in, its Melbourne.

This I actually have to agree with. With what the Storm get away with in tackles, something like this was probably (very unfortunately) just a matter of time.

 

[Iafeta]

Does Alex McKinnon tuck his head in if McLean doesn't lift him?? NO, he doesnt.

Get rid of the lifting. I'd have given McLean 20 weeks. Make an example out of him and erase lifting from the tackle. There is absolutely NO excuse for a 3rd man in to be lifting. Thats weak! It can only end in a tragedy, as we've seen.

As for people saying it's a accident. Well, it probably is, but I find it very ironic that the Melbourne Storm are at the centre of it. As ozbash said in the original post - anyone fancy a chicken wing, a grapple, a rolling pin......

I suppose at least every teams NYC teams will get a lot of experience. Then I guess their SG Ball sides... then I guess the local under 6s. If you gave players 20 weeks for lifting a leg, like Jordan did, you would be suspending 5 players a side at least every week.

If you think its ironic that Melbourne are involved because of the other types of tackles, thats pulling a long bow. I've seen a lot of our players lifting legs. You've heard the expression, can't run without legs? You have two options. Take their legs out from under them which in a three man tackle you almost can't do now. Or lift a leg and stop their forward momentum. No player when they do that wants to put a player in this position or create this outcome.

The dangerous tackles are the ones like Krisnan Inu pulled off last year. That's a 12 weeker right there. He only got 5. It was 20 times more dangerous than the McClean tackle. The reason we're talking more about this one is the outcome. Not the technique.

 

[Iafeta]

thanks

they probably never intended to break the poor buggers neck, but for a long time the Storm have been renown as the games grubs.
Not a lot has changed over the years (did you hear the audio between Smith and the refs while McKinnon was whinging about not being able to feel his limbs ? ) and if a team is going to put the shit in, its Melbourne.

This injury was destined to happen, it was a matter of when, not if..

You can add the 'crusher' to the list, one of the Storm's finest.

Disagree. Go back to the 80s. Go back to the 90s. How many classic spears were there in the game back then? Plenty. Blokes being dropped in what the wrestling world would call spine buster's as well? Plenty. How many of them came out with the same outcome as Alex McKinnon?

I was at a union match many years ago. First and only time I actually went to watch my brother. He was tackled in a classic spear tackle. Lifted up, and driven down head first into the ground. The defender didn't get sent off. I had to go with my brother in the ambulance to the hospital, hoping like hell he didn't have a broken neck. This was well before mobile phones were the norm, so it was a wee while before I could even ring mum and dad to say what had happened. I remember being terrified for my brother. Thanking my lucky stars, he suffered no serious injury from it. It was pure luck. I'm all for player safety, I understand the risks around players and frankly after that I wouldn't go to see my brother play again just incase I was some bad luck omen for him. The game now is far safer and tidier than its ever been. 'Biff' was the standard. Blokes going up for 10 weeks for coat hanger tackles was not uncommon. Spear tackles, and I mean real spear tackles, occurred more regularly than they should have. You can go back and look at Les Boyd or any other cluster of 'characters'. People who were adored and adorned for their ways. Thats gone from the game mostly, thankfully.

I agree on the ground wrestling is out of control. And I agree there is a very real strategy in getting players on their back to slow the ruck down. Its not linked purely to Melbourne though. Most teams have wrestling coaches, and they spend considerable time on it. The game needs to have a good look at the rules around the 10 metre line. The emphasis on the slower ruck is to ensure you get your guys back 10 metres. Maybe the rule needs to go back to 5 metres which would limit the real need to wrestle.

 

[Dr Crane]

lousi's tackle was worse imo.

 

[Benek]

The reason we're talking more about this one is the outcome. Not the technique.

And that's the real problem isn't it. The suspensions should not be affected by how injured the player was. They should be judged only on what the tackler actually did. But in this case obviously the suspension was longer simply due to the tragic injury and the media hype around it.