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Best big hits of the modern era

JB04

Juniors
Messages
548
Watching some of these videos, f**k me. Bring back the shoulder charge. Stupid rule. If there’s contact with the head, penalty, otherwise play on. Got sent off that many times playing schoolboy rugby for shoulder hits and they make for great spectating.
 

thorson1987

Coach
Messages
16,907
I’m not sure if the video was ever online but probably the best tackle I’ve seen was Lincoln Withers on a Matt Utai kick return. Utai at the Dogs but can’t remember which club Withers was at.

Not sure if anyone else saw/remembers but he was first to meet a rampaging Utai with a full head of steam in his prime, and picked him and drove through with the legs. Withers was a small bloke but it was ruthless.

It probably doesn’t qualify in terms of hurt on the defender but it was a great tackle and the type you’d coach young kids rather than lining up and blindsiding guys like a lot of these.

Loved seeing tackles like that.

Also when Nigel Plum would pull off one of his hits.
 

Old Mate

Juniors
Messages
70
Going back a bit but the one that I’ll always remember was a Ruben Wiki hit on Adrian Lam at the then Bruce Stadium on a freezing Friday night. Absolutely smashed.
 

Corner_Post

Juniors
Messages
1,931
Watching some of these videos, f**k me. Bring back the shoulder charge. Stupid rule. If there’s contact with the head, penalty, otherwise play on. Got sent off that many times playing schoolboy rugby for shoulder hits and they make for great spectating.

Can’t agree with this one. With the build and strength of athletes these days and the focus on long term rugby league welfare shoulder charges are highly dangerous. If you recall, they banned it because of some really bad ones including the death of a prop in a Queensland comp and the hit on Matt Frawley which put him in intensive care with bruising of the brain. Having any of these bad hits opens it up for liability issues, affects reputation of games including concerns for people wanting their children to play etc. Yes, they are good when they come off well but the percentages are not high and when they don’t come off they’re ugly.
 

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